My Time on The Drift - Day Twelve

With over 100 years of history behind me, and hopefully many more before, this is our journey on the Green River Drift in 2020.

Monday, June 29 - Day 12:

Our last day on The Drift was terribly wet and muddy. Terrible only because the rain turned to snow towards the end of our drive to the upper allotment and it was cold and muddy. You would think growing up in the "Ice Box of the Nation," also known as Big Piney would give us the upper hand on the cold. I can promise you right now that it doesn't help at all.

Aside from the weather, the cattle moved slow and steady with beautiful scenery. The last push to Upper Gyp is always hard no matter what the weather brings, but we only have to do this every other year usually. Last year my daughter was born on the last day of the Drift and luckily, we only needed to move them to the lower allotment. Avery was born as they were mothering up the cows to finish the day. This means she will more than likely spend her birthdays in the saddle which may be the best present ever to a starry-eyed little girl with her horse.

This year we had two hired day-riders, Stub and Lisa Tatro and then my Aunt Nicole, France, my Mom Jeannie, myself, and France's cousin Laine helped for a few days. Lisa's sister Dianne Borof helped us on the desert as well which we were thankful for. It seems like it takes an army to get the cattle to the mountains some years so good help is essential. This also applies to the cow dogs. You may have noticed the dogs throughout the pictures and they were also a huge help. France and I have two dogs, Gyp and Tilly, who we've trained and Stub and Lisa brought their dogs, Pic, Gizzard, and Cherry. The last day we went through thick timber and willows and the dogs were able to find and push the cattle out.

We finished the day mothering up the cattle and waiting for the trailers to come. The cattle will spend about half of the summer in the upper allotment before our range rider will push them to the lower. Throughout the summer we will come up and help her doctor calves and move them if needed. Last year, France helped Callie and ended up finding two confirmed bear kills. The Game and Fish (G&F) come and have to inspect the kill to assess if it died from a wolf, bear, natural or unknown cause.

The Livestock Damage Affidavit indicates the location, animal information, and any identifying features such as brand, ear tag, and sex of the animal, as well as evidence used to determine the cause of death or damage to the animal. For the two calves, France and Callie found, our local G&F employee Zac Turnbull came to assess and both were grizzly bear kills. I am always hopeful we fare better than the year before, but usually, the association sustains anywhere from about 10-14% death loss.

In the following days, we will back ride from the counting gate to the lower allotment and check for anything that may have been missed. It's a good feeling to have had such a successful drive to the mountains. The landscape is lush and green with the recent rains and I hope it will stay that way for most of the summer.