Home again, home again

The guys all finally rolled in after dark last night - I think 5 days of deer camp was... maybe too much of a good thing?  At any rate, they unloaded 10 deer in our garage for the night while I patted pony noses through the trailer slats. 

T regaled me with hunting stories while I (again) waited impatiently for the Rufus report.  Finally, after hearing how they'd walked here, driven there, hiked up this hill and down that bluff, I asked, had they ridden at all?

Between the snow and icy build-up, they ended up riding only one morning.  And T forgot the camera.  Sigh...  Rufus did just fine, though.

Since it was so late when they got home, we decided it would be easier all the way around to collect Sunny and Rufus this morning.   All eight four-foots were lined up along the back of the barn enjoying the sunshiney heat reflection.  Sunny had parked himself a good 10' away from the closest horse and declined to brave the line-up to come greet me.  He did whinny, though. 

Needless to say, neither he nor Rufus put up much fuss about leaving.

Loading Rufus

 As soon as I had his halter off, Sunny headed over for a long drink and then it was straight to the spilled corn by the grain bin.  (Rufus didn't bother getting a drink first.)

"It's good to be home!"

No squabbling over spilled grain now :)

T and his buck

It really is good to have them (all) back home safe and sound.  We'll collect them again in the morning, head over and pick up Amyra and Thunder, and they'll all get a trip to the vet's for a Coggins test and a rabies shot for Amyra.  The other three all got theirs this spring.  The results should be back in a couple of days, and then it will just be a matter of setting a date for their big trip.

Rufus (Hunting) Report

Cell phone service in remote rural areas of SD being what it is, contact with T has been sporadic at best for the past couple of days.  The weather over the weekend certainly didn't help.  We've managed a couple of abruptly truncated phone calls and a few brief emails.

He's of course managed to provide a daily hunter vs. deer report, the news that they had 4" of snow Saturday, and he responded right away to my report on the Blazer (service engine light ='d $300+ for a new evap emissions solenoid and canister/filter due to poor design decision - the solenoid's directly over the spare tire - under the car - and it locks open sucking in dust when the stupid thing goes bad.  Grrrrr!), but not a word on the really important topic: how was Rufus doing? 

The one really good connection we had was cut off in mid-question by a hurried, "Someone just shot a deer!  Gotta go."  Click. Turned out to be a false alarm.

Finally, last night, I got a short email delivering the cheery news that a nice muley buck will be finding a new home in our freezer.  And he reported that Rufus is going just great.  Hallelujah!  LOL!

Sunny's adventure

This post should probably be titled Rufus's big adventure, but since I'm not with Rufus that story will have to wait until T and Rufus get back - hopefully with pictures.

West River deer season opened today.  T and party headed west on Friday - right into what's turning out to be the first blizzard of the season (Hell-o, Brutus!), and since they're in a cell phone dead zone, I haven't heard how the weather actually is, but according to the NWS they should be experiencing snow.

Buddy, Casper and Rufus at the trailer Friday a.m.

Now you may recall, we originally took Rufus over to the farm to keep Sunny company while Thunder's at the trainer's.  I'd actually forgotten about T's hunting plans at that point.  And given that we've been packing everything in sight, I wasn't sure if he still intended to go.  But when the decision was made that he was going and so was Rufus, J suggested we bring Sunny over to stay while Rufus was gone.

I've always been leery of turning Sunny out with a bunch of strange horses - he tends to be kind of bossy.  But since he did okay with Rufus, and Rufus lived over there until last month, and all of J's horses tend to be pretty laid back about everything....

On Thursday afternoon we loaded Rufus and Sunny up and took them over.  Introductions involved lots of sniffing -

Sunny sandwich

Some running around

Some milling

It was odd seeing the dichotomy of size - Sunny and Rufus aren't particularly small horses, but they just flat aren't as long or wide as J's big, rangy Quarter Horses.

But very little actual chasing

Casper was the only one that showed the slightest sign of aggression, and he wasn't nearly as intent on it as Sunny's been known to be.

More sniffing

Sunny located the hay feeder first thing, of course.  He cruised around the lot sniffing everything, trailing Rufus and occasionally one of J's horses, but other than a couple of squeals in the first minute, things were pretty quiet.

By this point, the sun was sinking fast and T was making noises about getting back to the real drama of the evening - the low trailer tire we'd discovered while unloading.  (Unfortunately, the spare turned out to be low as well.  And shame on me, when for not checking it before we loaded them - I didn't even think about it.)  Thankfully, with the weight off we had enough pressure to make the short run into town, and when we pulled forward slowly to check for nails or punctures, nothing showed and it wasn't hissing.  We made it into town, aired up, and both tires are still holding good pressure this morning. Still, time to have them all checked.

I ran T and baggage out Friday a.m. in the dark(!) and helped the guys get hay and groceries loaded up.  Of course, I checked on Sunny first.  He was fine - hanging tight with Rufus - unscathed but for one small bite mark on his butt.

Sunny, along with the others, got turned out into the big field for the duration.

Pennie, Eyore, Bubbles, Sunny and Lightbulb

When I checked on him today I arrived just as a freight train blew through. The tracks run right along the whole east side of the field. The rest of them were completely unconcerned - trains are normal for them.  Sunny was watchful, but it obviously wasn't the first one that had gone by.  His eyes were plenty big, though.

Eyore was occupying himself trying to get the other horses to play with him - they weren't interested, so he tried Sunny.

Sunny was not amused.

"Go away, you odd little nuisance!"

 

"I mean it."

"Get!"

For which I'm just as pleased - Rufus used to have a tail.  I really don't want Sunny's going the same way!

Packing for hunting

Rufus and T are headed west this weekend. It's the long planned, much anticipated hunting with horses trip. This will be their first year, although everyone else along (including the horses) are old hands at all this packing and tracking business.

T was to have gone last year, but a family emergency changed plans at the last minute. This year he was bound and determined nothing was going to spoil his fun.

I did lobby successfully for him to leave the big truck and trailer home with me - I want to ride, too!

Rufus is sharp shod - I'll have to get a picture - for good traction on potentially frozen hills.

T had his list compiled. Need I mention the phone calls if I'd seen, variously, his compass, his long underwear, the missing wool socks he knows were in his drawer last week... At least he knows were the guns are!

I got to make the list of horse-type extras and make sure they were packed.

Basic extras on my list include:

• halter & lead - spare set in addition to what Rufus is wearing
  
• headstall & reins - and spare set
  
• saddle/breastcollar/cinch/pad
  
• cinch & latigo (spare set in addition to the ones on the saddle)
  
• saddle pads (2 extra)
  
• box with assorted bucket clips (carabiners), saddle strings, twine, electrical tape, etc.
• human/equine medical supplies - although since they're going with a large-animal vet, and he's taking his truck complete with vet box, I'm hoping they'll be covered in that department!
• buckets (2 minimum)

Brushes etc. are already in the trailer, and since J is took his truck complete with vet box, I kept my emergency kit here so that I'll have it if I need it. Hay and grain was already packed, and I didn't need to send the portable corral, as the place they're staying has a barn and corrals - talk about glamping! The humans get to stay in a house with electricity, heat, and a real bathroom. So much for roughing it!

They were loaded and off about 1 PM yesterday. T called this morning to say he'd gotten a deer - they hadn't been out with the horses yet, just walking to scope out the lay of the land.

Bad Hair Days

Isn't that a face? All I can say is, don't ever let the sheep trim your hair, no matter how talented they claim to be!

And leave it to Sunny to be the only one to let himself be barbered. On one end, his tail is actually touching the ground. Now from the side he looks sort of like somebody grabbed his tail and pulled until his forelock got shorter. Doofus!

By the way, thanks for sharing your favorite winter warming items. Flannel-lined pants sure do sound grand this a.m. Yesterday was close to 60', but we had high winds to match the temp. Between the flying grit and the hunters next door blasting away, I groomed & hung out with the horses, but didn't ride. This morning it's still, but also chilly, foggy, and bitter. and it's already nearly noon, so I'm not holding out much hope for a warm-up. I guess if it was spring it'd seem balmy, right?

Speaking of hunters and deer - if this one isn't thumbing his nose....

We spotted this guy on our way back from Kansas last weekend. (That trip? Long story - don't ask.)

The orange sign?

It reads:
POSTED
Wildlife Refuge...

Obviously, Kansas deer get a better education that SD deer, because T's tallied three so far this weekend. The freezer will, indeed, be full of venison. And not to worry, it will all get eaten, too!

Hunting season

They don't look much like deer to me....

Do you ride with bells on?

If I ride - or work out in the pasture - in the fall when hunters are apt to be out roaming around, I wear bright colors. If I ride down the road I wear a blaze orange vest. Riding in more forested areas during hunting season, a lot of folks use bells. I can't find a picture of what I'm thinking of (something like a large sleigh bell with a deep, merry sounding chime, on a snap that attaches to your saddle), but sleigh bells, bear bells or rhythm beads also work - anything that makes the kind of noise that says, "I'm not attached to dinner or a potential trophy!"

I worry about the horses out in the pasture, though. They're used to the sound of gunfire (there's a pheasant hunting/guiding operation next door), so that aspect of hunting season doesn't phase them. Like all horses, however, they will head toward something that looks and sounds out of place first, before running away.

Lined up along the fence watching T sight in his rifle last fall

Not necessarily a good habit, if you're vaguely deer-shaped & colored.

A lot of livestock doesn't make it through hunting season every year. You wouldn't believe what people can mistake for a deer, elk, or moose. And out here, where there aren't a lot of trees to stop them, a rifle bullet can travel a LOOONG way.

So what to do?

Hands up, stranger!

Wishful thinking. But obviously, the horses themselves
aren't going to be much of a deterent!

Since our horses aren't stalled and don't wear blankets or halters (when they're turned out), and I don't really want to paint them orange - don't laugh, I've seen it! - the options for keeping them out of harms way are more limited.

Location (or re-location) - We try to keep the horses out of the front pasture, up near the house or back off the road where the terrain and distance will help protect them from idiots and stray bullets.

Signage - The property is posted No Hunting & No Trespassing.

Good neighbor relations - the neighbors are friendly, and are as responsible as can be hoped given that one of them has a fair number of visiting hunters coming through every year. The hunts the pheasant operation runs are guided by the owners, who are careful to remind their hunters about safety, livestock & not shooting north toward the farm. The other neighbors don't hunt much, thankfully.

None of this prevented me from finding one of the yearling fillies dead of a gunshot wound in the side a few years ago. No responsible party ever came forward - more than likely, she was the victim of a spent bullet and the hunter never knew s/he'd hit anything. I was sick.

And so, I worry. And will probably continue to do so every year I'm a horse owner.