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 Grazing Texas Longhorn Cattle in the Snow It is January and my cattle are in the high country. This goes against everything that sounds logical to me – a Tennessee native. It always seems that I should put our Texas Longhorns in the high country in the summer – and get them to low country before snow flies. But the Arizona reality is that our native grasses lose a lot of nutritional value after they dry. The browse in the high country is very high in protein and other nutrients – plus there is plenty of dry grass to balance out a cow’s diet. So to the high country the steers go in late December.
On a practical note, there is natural running water in the high pastures – no waterlines to freeze or dirt tanks to dry up. But – it sure can be COLD riding to check on cattle in the winter. Thank goodness for wool long handles and wildrags!
 Winter is Silver - Ranch Snow Scene - Photo by Kaisa If summer is golden, then winter must be silver. Here are some pictures Kaisa took in our driveway at Double Circle Ranch. With the snow and early morning light, everything blends into a silver screen – no PhotoShop used here.
We have our ranch photography workshop with Tom Whetten coming up in May. The weather should be good, grass greening, and flowers growing. But this surreal silver moment will be gone. I guess every season has its own beauty. I am lucky to be able to live on Eagle Creek surrounded by wildness and beauty every day.
 Winter Morning Photo of Horses in the Snow by Kaisa
 Wilma Herding Cattle in The Snow We had a good snow at Double Circle Ranch a around New Years. Accumulations of probably 8 inches in the high country and 4 inches in our lower elevations. It is still melting slowly. While the cabin is snow free and muddy, the high trails are still iced and snowy especially in the shade.
I have been moving the longhorns to a different pasture the past few days. The snow makes it really difficult. Some of the trails resemble bobsled runs, not cow trails. I just keep gathering cattle I can find at lower water holes and taking them to the herd. Seven gathers later, I still lack 24 head. Hopefully today I will hit the jackpot and bring most of the steers in. These Texas Longhorns can climb steep ledges in ice and snow- they are survivalists. I think I’ll just keep gathering stragglers on low ground – at least until the ice is gone.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining. Our ranch needs the moisture. Every drop of rain or snowflake is a good thing here. It just takes a little more work to get the job done.
 Cowhands Wilma and Kaisa - Herding Cattle in the Snow My friend Kaisa was here at Double Circle Ranch for a few days. Kaisa is from Finland originally but has become a dual citizen here. Kaisa is a passionate and dedicated wolf advocate. Helping herd Texas Longhorns on a ranch in wolf country is something she never expected to do. She has been in many meetings where there is a lot of animosity between pro-wolf and anti-wolf groups. All too often that translates to environmentalists vs. ranchers. Times are changing – and for the better. Many environmentalists and ranchers are seeing the benefit of working together for overall range health. The endangered Mexican Gray Wolf, with only about 40 animals in the wild, used to be an important predator in our area. It is impossible to tell how much the potential loss of this wolf would affect the ecological balance in our country. I for one don’t want to take the chance that losing any endangered species – plant, prey animal, fish, insect, bird, or predator – won’t have repercussions throughout the ecosystem. Extinct is final, and it can’t be changed later.
Double Circle Ranch has never had a wolf kill. Cattle and wolves can coexist. But it requires extra time and labor – which of course means extra expense on the part of the rancher. We try to ride and herd our cattle daily. The presence of human activity in the cattle herd seems to prevent wolves from preying on the livestock. Any time you can prevent a wolf kill rather than compensate ranchers for wolf losses, you are helping the wolves adapt to feeding on wildlife instead of livestock. The wolves don’t learn to use cattle as a feed source.
So this is where Kaisa comes in. She was open minded enough to put on boots and a cowboy hat and herd cattle. She wanted to see first hand what many ranchers do to coexist with the wolves. She turned out to be a darn good cowhand too. So – a cowboy’s hats off to Kaisa! We need more people like her to work making the Mexican gray wolf recovery program a success – for the wolves and the people on the landscape.
Other Mexican Gray Wolf resources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican Gray Wolf Fact Sheet Southwest Region, January 2005
 Tori and Ty Ranch Guests We had visitors from northern Arizona. Ty Greenwade and his fiancé Tori came to see their family cemetery and old homeplace. Ty’s great grandfather and great uncle both worked on the Double Circle Ranch. One stayed, and one moved on. Ty had never been to Eagle Creek, so I volunteered to show them what sites I knew. We traveled like the earlier Greenwades did on the ranch – by horseback. Ty got to see the cemetery, original dugout site, and two house sites – plus the old one-room schoolhouse where his relatives got their education. The schoolhouse is still in use, but it only houses voting and watershed meetings now. There is not one child left on Eagle Creek. Once there were over 30 children in the school.
I think Ty and Tori had a good time. I know that Doug and I really enjoyed having them here. Ed and Edie Fitch came down the creek to meet them. Edie is our local historian and the author of “The Heart and Hub of Eagle Creek,” a local history complete with many old photos – including several of the Greenwades. Ty bought an autographed book to take home. I hope it reminds them to come back to Double Circle Ranch. I think that Tom and George Greenwade would be proud of their descendent – great young folks. Tori did balk at living in a dugout though – go figure.
 Horseback Sightseeing Ride
Anyone interested in a free dog-a border collie cross? Geneva wrote looking for a home for Lucky, a 13-month old spayed female dog. Apparently Lucky has too much energy to be a house dog. Like most border collies or border collie crosses, she needs a job to keep her busy. Geneva thinks she would make an excellent cattle or sheep-herding dog. The dog is free, but only will be given to a good home with room to run and preferably livestock to work.
You can contact Geneva at Gvagecko@aol.com
 Ranch Hand Ryan - Jack-of-All-Trades Doug’s nephew Ryan is here working on the Double Circle Ranch. He is becoming quite a jack-of-all-trades, which is a prerequisite for any rancher. On this ranch, especially since we are so far from town, we must do all work “in house.” No plumbers, electricians, vets, farriers, carpenters, etc. make house calls this far out. So Ryan has been installing well pumps, building solar systems, finishing sheetrock, building erosion ditches, repairing trucks, doctoring cattle, putting tin roofing on, patching fences, feeding stock, and even cooking supper when I get finished riding after dark.
Fortunately, Doug has a lot of mechanical skills and can show Ryan how to do the chores that are new to him. Ryan picks up new things quickly and has been quite a big help to us. Double Circle is a far cry from the city life Ryan is accustomed to – but he seems to like the remoteness. This place does grow on you. It gets hard to go even to Morenci for groceries- and Morenci is by no means a city. In fact the whole huge Greenlee County, Arizona area only has about 8000 people. Last I saw, Greenlee County still qualifies as a frontier based on population and acreage. That suits me fine – and I believe it is suiting Ryan too. Hope he stays a while.
 Wilderness Survival Class We have the dates set for Vincent Pinto’s wilderness survival class here at the Double Circle Ranch. Mark them on your calendar – May 19-23, 2011.
This is training that anyone who spends time in the wilderness or wants to spend time in the wilderness should not miss. Skills learned include shelter making, fire starting, edible and medicinal plants, tracking, navigation by day or night – and more. While no wilderness experience is necessary, I would suggest that participants be in reasonably good heath and condition. This is a real backcountry experience. Vincent is a great teacher with a lifetime of survival skills training – don’t miss the chance to learn from one of the best backcountry professionals. Plus this workshop must be the bargain of the year – only $575.00 all inclusive. Better sign up early since class size will be limited to ensure a quality training.
 Ranch Work We have an opening for a fall/winter cowboy ranch hand intern. Anyone who is interested in ranch hand work should contact us by email. This is hands-on ranch-hand/Cowboy training in a variety of cattle ranch skills including Texas Longhorn cattle herding, solar installation, horse care, rough country riding, water system development, house/barn repairs, monitoring forage. There is always something going on here at Double Circle Ranch. A lot is hard work- so reasonable health is a requirement, especially this far from a doctor. Interns have their own sleeping space- either in the bunkhouse or classroom house. We feed you. You would learn many skills and get to experience ranch life on this Texas Longhorn ranch with emphasis on conservation. We take 1 person at a time- so contact us by email if interested ASAP.
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