The Buuffffaaallooooo Workin!

How would you like to run everyone of these huge beasty's through a cattle squeeze chute?  Maybe chase them down the alleys at the buffalo pens in a feedtruck that has no brakes(At. All.)?  Stand on a catwalk beside the tub and push them into the chute with rattle paddles and hot shots?  Yall have no earthly clue what I'm talking about huh?  Alright let me explain....

Every November all 2700(+/- a few) head of buffalo that the TGP runs up here, get gathered into the traps by the buffalo pens. Day after day they get sooked into the traps, each trap being smaller and closer to the pens than the last.  Finally a few(about 45 to 50 I'd say) get pushed into a holding pen by the pens and eventually they're pushed thru a maze of alleys and they end up here:

In the main big alley.  That would be my dear ol dad on the right, latching the gate, while Lee(on the left) helps.  They sort off about 10 or so and run them up the alley closer to  the tub...

Then they get pushed into the tub itself...

That'd be my buddy Lauren up there with a hot shot

Greg( in the white shirt) and Lauren trying to get the buffalo lined out

Then one by one the buffalo are pushed into the chute(thats there by Lauren)....

Kevin, Dad, Greg, Lauren and Goober...I mean Lee.

Annnd then while everybody up at the front chute takes care off the buffalo (i.e gives them shots, checks ear tags ect ect), everybody at the back has important life conversations about hot shots not working:

Dad and Kevin

Lauren and Lee(*cough*who wasn't lookin too bad that day*cough*)

Ahem....ANYWAYS

Lauren being very bored.

Waiting....

Into the chute....

Annnnnd then.....

They end up down here at the big chute, where Perry, Bob, Jack and Danny give them their yearly checkup.

Mr. Jack getting ready to give a buffy a shot

Perry waiting for Bob to come check the ear tag on this buffalo

Danny running the chute 

Danny and Bob

And then after everything's done...

....away they go out into the pen and wait to be turned back out!

And 7 days later, they're all turned back out into the big pastures...the calves were branded and ear tagged, old bulls and cows were sorted off and sold and everything was happily ever after, the end!

Whoa whoa whoa wait a minute.  This post AIN'T over with!

Now for more pics!  We had my uncle, his two girls, Jaime(his girlfriend), her two boys, my aunt, Jennie B., mama, and me at the pens.  

Jennie, Me, Rylee, Raylin(cousins), Jack, and Jaime holding Jared

He seriously needs to marry her.  Like very soon.  L-O-V-E her alot better than the other one!

Jack, me and Jared looking at the buffalo

Something must've been funny

We spent probably 5 hours at the pens watching the guys work the buffalo, then we came home, jabbered and talked, everybody left, I thanked God in heaven above that I survived the day with all the kids ect ect.  

I took 335 pictures that day, I spent the next day editing them and making up a picture slide show dvd for all the guys.  Then finally on the last day of the working, I gathered up all the DVDs  and headed for the shop.  Spent 4 hours over there that night, talkin, laughin, comparing deer pics with Lee(and yes, I've killed bigger bucks than him. HA!).  He was headed for Amarillo the next day for the WRCA Finals, so he got a lot of "Good luck"'s.  What did I tell him?  Nothin, I just banged his copy of the DVD off the table to get his attention so he wouldn't leave without it, his response to that; "Damnit you're gonna scratch it then it won't work!"  What did I do then?  Banged the case off the table more then grinned!  Haha I was nice and told him "good luck tomorrow" after that and Lee Boy hit the road. We stayed at the shop for a little while longer then I came home.  

I love nights like those.  

I seriously can't wait till I turn 18 so I can go work at the buffalo working :)   

So ok I guess this post can be over with now!

Bye!