The DAY at MFL Ranch Bison (Special Report): How does it take 14 hrs to get from the breakfast table to the shower? 0745 – Dick and Stewart have had breakfast and Stewart is about to jump into the shower before Sophia wakes up. The phone rings. A guy who lives on the quarter section north of our east half section is on the phone. A herd of bison are on his quarter and heading west toward the road, the gate is open and they’ll be on the road soon. Questioned on whether they are a herd of young heifers (the pasture directly south from his land has the heifers in it) or cows & calves, he confirms they are cows and calves (plus bulls). It would seem our East herd is out and roaming around the neighbour’s land. Stewart jumps into the pick-up, loads up some fencing supplies and heads down the road. Dick follows in the tractor. On arrival, Stewart finds the bison are on the west side of the road but as they near the fence, he realises they aren’t the East herd but the North herd and they’re a mile from the north-east corner of their pasture. Dick soon arrives and is bemused to find the North herd so far from home. It would seem the five-year-old bull, annoyed by the new electric wire on the south side of his pasture, has decided to take the herd north and then east. The herd is carefully ‘encouraged’ to head home and takes a fairly direct route across the cropland they’re in. After jumping an old 3 wire fence on the east side of the neighbouring quarter north of our land, the bison head straight toward their ‘breach’ in the old fence between their pasture and the neighbour’s pasture. A bit of careful pressure and they stream back over the broken fence and home. A quick temporary repair, including a tractor parked with the bucket and grapple over the fence and it’s lunch time. After lunch, Dick and Stewart head back out with some posts and more supplies. Two new posts are installed, the old wires tightened, raised and stapled in place. Then further obstacles, including 15ft of page wire, are installed across the trail leading to the breach but a few feet back from the fence. This work complete, they head up the fence line checking for more breaches and the decision is taken to try to catch and replace the five-year-old bull over the next couple of days. As good fortune would have it, the herd are found in a suitable place to chase toward the yard. As they move across the pasture, a new dynamic in the herd becomes obvious. The five-year-old is scared of the bigger four-year-old. A power shift has occurred and a new motive for the older bull’s trouble making has reared its head. He’s not just frustrated by voltage, he’s been toppled from his position as herd boss and is just plain annoyed about life. Anyway, fortune smiles and the bull in question is separated and caught, along with another bull and cow. A bit of juggling and the other bull is sent back to pasture with a new two-year-old herd mate (we now have one less bull for sale). Stewart is about to go unload the fencing supplies when Karina calls from the house. The neighbour to the north has dropped by. She’s had a couple of bison coming for water near her house and doesn’t know what to do about them. Dick and Stewart head back to the neighbour’s land. No bison to be seen. Further queries revealed that they’d been seen yesterday and the evening before that. Time to head back home. 1600 – Problem solved. Figuring he may as well shower after getting more work done, Stewart gets back to assembling a children’s play-house on the lawn and Dick does some chores. 2030 – The neighbour to the north rolls back into the yard. Apparently a whole herd of bison including cows and calves have wandered past her house. Un-frickin-believable!! Dick and Stewart load up some fencing supplies in the tractor and head back to the north pasture. On arrival, the herd is seen streaming out of the bush from the neighbour’s pasture, from a completely different point from the morning’s escapade, and heading back to the north-east side of their pasture and they’re moving right along. With the bulk of the herd having disappeared at speed, the two big bulls and a couple straggling cows saunter past at a more sedate pace. Back into the bush! Another breach in the fence. An old rusty wire has broken and and a post has broken. The fence has laid down. Splice in new wire at the break, add another top wire for 40’, tighten and re-staple the existing wire and build a few obstacles across the trail to make further investigation less appealing. A quick check reveals the herd contentedly relaxing in their pasture as though nothing had happened. After Stewart only semi-jokingly comments that he’s tempted to spend the night in the neighbour’s pasture and shoot the first bison to appear, Dick and Stewart head home for the third time. 2200 – Stewart heads to the shower. That’s how it takes 14 hrs to get from the breakfast table to the shower at MFL Ranches. Footnote – plans are afoot to completely replace the fence in question. It’s the last cattle fence on the ranch and has only been kept in service because it runs through about 3/4 of a mile of Poplar (Quaking Aspen) bush. Replacing it requires a bulldozer and a couple of weeks of solid work when the bison are in their calving pasture next spring.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:52:41 +0000
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