Watchful Eye

     Watchful Eye 

                                                                                By

                                                                          Mike Capron

We got the bulls all moved to the shipping trap with some other gentle cattle and they settled easily.  I was excited to get back to the little herd that was left after we caught the bulls and ran across the big black baldy bull. I haven’t come up with a name for him yet.  The north pasture was a remote corner of the ranch and I loved to ride across that part of the ranch. It was on the edge of the Delaware Rim and the most remote northern section of the ranch. It was a favorite big mule deer hangout, because it was one of the least traveled portions of the ranch. I always enjoyed the different critters I would see in that part of the country. I was riding slow looking for sign of the handful of cows we jumped with the four maverick bull we caught. I have no idea where the big black muley bull came from. I rode for several days and had not seen sign of the bull or the small herd of cows.  The north pasture was choppy and full of canyons that could be  a hiding spot  for these cows and the big bull. It was in the corner of the D Ranch and the Chico Ranch to the East. The fences were of no consequence to the cows or the bull. I finally rode the fences and found sign of where the cattle had crossed over to the Chico. Not sure if the black baldy bull was with them or not. Just before I crossed the fence to the Chico I ran across an old Prairie Dog Town. No prairie dogs but lots of Burrowing Owls. Interesting little critters. I decided to leave the North Pasture to the burrowing owls and the big black bull……All for later adventures…….