Head 'em up, move 'em out — a Western
cattle drive
George Hardeen
Special to the Independent
PERKINSVILLE, Ariz. — Moving cows from summer to winter pasture
is a Western tradition, one only a tiny minority of Westerners actually
get to carry on these days.
If a neighbor calls, you go. And if you have a horse, a neighbor might
call. If you're lucky.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to help George and Sharon Yard,
friends who own and operate the YD Ranch, some 36 miles south of Williams,
Ariz. They had 142 mother cows and a few calves to drive 16 miles
up a narrow and rocky trail to the most distant water and pasture
on their ranch.
After growing up on a ranch and owning several others, the Yards retired
about six years ago from their 36-year-old medical practice in Flagstaff
where George, 69, was known as the cowboy doctor and began building
their dream ranch. He figures it's better than golfing.
The genesis of the YD brand (pronounced Y Bar D) is from the only
discernible letters, seemingly connected with a dash, that forms the
name "Yard," when George Yard signs in his doctor's scrawl.
The YD is 23 sections of awesome desert landscape that's rich in history
and rivals the Grand Canyon in beauty. It ranges from the banks of
the Verde River to the northern flanks of Mingus Mountain.
The original Perkins Ranch, of which the YD is only a part, was started
in 1899 by Ben Perkins who drove a herd from Texas and once ran as
many as 8,000 to 10,000 head.
It's a rough country of steep arroyos, innumerable dry canyons and
many rocky washes that run deep and fast when heavy rains come. From
the thick canopy of huge, old cottonwood trees lining the river corridor,
the land gradually rises and changes to cedar, juniper and some mesquite,
which gives cattle lots of hiding places when they don't want to be
found.
A gravel road runs from the ranch over Baker's Pass to the former
mining town of Jerome, following the old narrow-gauge railroad bed
that was used to carry ore. The old rail line, and now the road, has
183 curves along its 26 miles, more turns than any railroad in the
world.
So many fires were started by the inefficient coal-fired engines that
the vegetation on the mountain along its course changed from pine
to chaparral.
For me, the day begins at 4:30 a.m., with hot coffee and a drive through
the purple dawn toward the San Francisco Peaks. I arrive at the YD
headquarters after sunup with just enough time to get my horse saddled
before the Yards arrive from their first chore of the day with Henry
and Kristy Allen, the others riders working this drive.
This time of year, when the 6-month-old calves have been weaned from
their mothers and taken to the livestock auction, and some replacement
heifers have been added to the herd, the cows are moved to their winter
pasture in what's known as a drive.
Roundup occurs when the cows and calves are gathered from the remote
corners of the ranch over several days. In the spring, the newborns
are branded, ear-tagged, vaccinated and castrated. In the fall, they're
separated from their mothers and taken to market.
On this morning, three days after the calves have been taken to auction,
all the cows are milling about in a horse pasture by the headquarters
until five horses and riders open a gate to enter their domain.
As we slowly spread out, the cows rise in sudden unison and begin
to slowly head toward the southern gate just as they're supposed to,
with hardly any pressure from us.
George Yard calls our attention to this, noting this is important
knowledge for a cowboy.
"It doesn't look like you're doing much, but the whole herd has
changed," he says. "What you see is all the cattle turn
and move in the same direction."
George Yard gives the mother cows three days to overcome their separation
anxiety from their calves, which makes everybody's job, including
theirs, far easier.
In the past, he used to move the herd the day after separating the
calves, while the bawling youngsters were in the corrals and within
sight and earshot of their mothers. Sometimes he'd move the herd the
day after taking the calves to auction, which would have been the
second day after separating them.
In either case, there was always great reluctance on the part of the
mother cows to leave they wanted their babies. But now he waits until
the third day, and the cows appear resigned and willing to move out.
The Yards subscribe to the philosophy that the fastest way to move
cows is slow. They don't like to "yahoo" their cows, getting
them nervous with fast horses and slinging ropes. And they've found
that fewer cowboys, rather than more, seem to make the drive go easier,
too.
Along the trail, when one or more cows tend to hang in the trees too
thick for a cowboy to ride into, George Yard sends his 3-year-old
border collie, Koko, to nip at their heels to drive them out. In little
time, the cows figure out there's not much
percentage in trying to hide in the tight spots. It's
easier on their energy consumption to keep walking rather than to
duel with a dog.
Heading up the drive, as usual, is Harlequin, a cow so old the Yards
don't think she has calves anymore. But her prowess as a leader of
the herd more than earns her keep. She strides on with such assuredness
that the others, natural-born followers all, willingly line out behind
her.
"Any time you find a cow that wants to be a lead cow," Sharon
Yard says, "you keep her. Never sell her."
"She's very sensitive to changes of direction,"
George Yard adds. "If you mix her up, you can mix up the whole
herd."
Although Harlequin knows this trail better than most, almost all these
cows have been this way before. Besides the instinct to stay with
the group, they know good feed and water is up ahead.
That helps George Yard accomplish his goal: moving the
herd. But he does this by letting his idea become their idea.
"I believe you'll be successful with cattle if
you take them where they want to go," he says. "But the
secret is to teach them to go where you want them to."
Despite the Western myth, when all goes well on a drive, there's little
excitement, just the thorough enjoyment of doing a job on horseback.
But there's lots to do. We count cows going through gates, note who
is mothered with a calf, look for anyone becoming sore footed or packing
an injury and pay attention to what they like to eat and what's growing
this time of year.
As ranch boss and resident range manager, it's George
Yard's job to note what's available and what's used by the cows.
We see them munching on bites of four wing and salt brush, mountain
mahogany and cliff rose, false mesquite and scrub oak. The basal grasses
still have some green in them, but almost everything else is turning
to cellulose.
As the day grows longer, the herd becomes hungrier,
tired and less inclined to keep up the pace, slow and easy as it is.
Perhaps they want to eat, rest or remember a calf back where they
came from. When this happens some tend to want to drift away from
the herd, so they can stop going.
For this reason, the riders take positions of point at the front,
drag at the back and flank on either side. This encourages the herd
to move bunched together.
If you're a flank rider and notice a cow behind you has stopped or
is starting to drift, you can walk your horse in a small circle away
from the herd. As your circle brings you back into position, the simple
pressure of the horse's body language is enough to urge the cow back
into the group.
Or if you're riding drag and a cow gets behind you, as always happens,
you can merely sidestep your horse to the flank, step his hindquarters
over so you're facing the herd and maybe back your horse a few steps.
This opens the door for the cow to step up and rejoin the herd.
Often just halting your horse and waiting a moment or two maybe tipping
the horse's head so he's looking at the cow combined with the natural
draw of herd instinct, and the drifters will fall back into position.
This quiet style of cowboying is good for both cows and horses. The
cows become progressively gentler and easier to guide, because their
self-preservation 0instincts aren't aroused, and the horses become
smarter, more agile and sensitive to the rider.
Giving a horse a job gives him purpose, and that increases his understanding.
Soon a horse comes to intuit cues from the rider with increasing subtlety.
Being a good cowboy means aspiring to be a horseman. The difference
between a cowboy and a horseman, says legendary horseman and teacher
Ray Hunt, is that a cowboy uses his horse to work cows and a horseman
uses cows to make his horse better.
We've left the cows in the pasture that they'll call home for the
next couple of months. We give our horses a drink from the stock tank,
take a short rest for ourselves and gulp one more sip from our canteens.
The warm and sunny Arizona day is now ending in fading light and increasing
chill. Jackets are pulled off the backs of saddles as we ride the
two miles uphill to the road and the waiting horse trailers under
a brilliant half moon.
Light has left the sky except for the crimson sunset in the west over
a rocky, twisted horizon of mountain range. We're as high as the road
can take us now, and we can see the silhouette of the land all the
way to the mountains above Flagstaff.
The days end in classic Western ambiance, just as it
started. "Lookit that," George Yard says. "Isn't that
a right nice skyline?"
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Clauschee disputes his firing
Nancy Watson
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — Regis Clauschee, who has been fired as director
of the Navajo scholarship office, said Wednesday he believes his dismissal
was unjustified.
At the time of his termination three weeks ago, he was less than a
month from his 20-year anniversary with the scholarship program.
Three reasons were stated in the letter of dismissal
signed by Roxanne Gorman, administrative service officer for the tribe's
education division, he said.
According to the letter, Clauschee's performance was
not up to par. On some occasions, the letter said, he did not call
when he was going to be late or wasn't going to be in the office because
he was sick.
Clauschee's ownership of two area businesses also was a bone of contention,
he said. Genevieve Jackson, director of the Division of Diné
Education, said the Navajo Nation's Policy and Procedures Manual requires
division approval for any outside businesses. No such approval was
ever sought nor given.
Jackson said that Clauschee had been warned and that
he had been suspended twice for failure to call in when he was sick.
Clauschee's performance was also listed on his termination letter.
While she said she could not discuss the reasons for Clauschee's termination,
Jackson said tribal council policy now calls for performance evaluations.
The evaluations are outcome based and it no longer matters whose friend
you are, she said.
When she became director of the education division, Jackson said,
she had to teach the employees in Clauschee's office to answer the
telephone properly and to show up for work on time.
"The department manager sets the example and is the role model
for the department," she said.
She said she did not believe the department, which handles millions
of dollars in grant money, was being managed properly.
"That office involves a lot of public relations and the department
head's presence is very important," she said.
She said she was also upset about the 60 boxes of confidential student
financial documents that were stored in the auditorium, where anyone
could go through them at will. Some of the files contained 13 Certificates
of Indian Blood, she said, when only one was required.
Clauschee was given a number of chances to improve,
she said. He had been warned and counseled, but he chose to not follow
suggestions, she said.
Clauschee said he knew there were problems, but he believes
he ran a competent office.
"Our audits were always clear with zero findings," he said.
For an office to receive mature grant status, there
has to be zero findings for five years. The scholarship office achieved
that distinction under his direction.
Clauschee said he has always been criticized for problems
that stem from lack of funding. It is easy to criticize the director
when it is the tribe's fault for not obtaining the money needed by
the scholarship program, he said.
When 18,000 applicants apply for scholarships and money exists for
only 4,400 recipients, the students who don't receive the assistance
are often angry and complain about the office to their chapter officials
and council delegates, he said.
In spite of the lack of money, students who turned their
applications in on time during the past three years always received
money, he said. And some students whose applications were late received
what money was left.
Clauschee said the money available for scholarships has remained the
same for more than 20 years. However, the costs for an education has
doubled or tripled.
Under some administrations, he said, grants were given based on who
the applicant knew. Clauschee wanted to end this practice and did
so by decentralizing authority in the office and allocating the money
to the agencies, he said. It was done to make sure the money was properly
and fairly distributed.
Clauschee also helped negotiate the tuition waivers for Navajo students
who attend out-of-state colleges. These waivers saved the program
$4 million, he said.
Hired 20 years ago as a computer specialist, Clauschee
set up the computer system in the office.
"I did the best job I could under the existing
situation," he said.
Although he wasn't surprised by his termination, Clauschee
said, he learned of the action against him at 11:30 a.m. one morning
and then found himself being escorted out of his office by noon.
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Wide Ruins man dies in auto crash
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A Wide Ruins man died in a head-on collision Monday
night on U.S. 191, and four unidentified passengers were taken to
area hospitals for treatment.
Navajo police identified the dead driver as Virgil Ashley, no age
listed, who lived about 2.5 miles west of the Wide Ruins Chapter House.
He and three passengers were headed south about 8:30 p.m.
The three passengers were treated at the Flagstaff Medical
Center.
Another car, driven by Ira Reid, 20, who lives 1.5 miles
east of the Wide Ruins Chapter House, was headed north and crossed
into the southbound lane of the two-lane highway, according to police.
Reid and a passenger were taken to Sage Memorial Hospital
in Ganado, about 16 miles north of the crash scene. Reid was then
flown to Flagstaff Medical Center.
The police report said alcohol was found in Reid's car.
Ice causes wreck
CROWNPOINT A Navajo police car was involved in a collision Tuesday
at Mile Post 22.8 on New Mexico Route 371. Everyone was treated and
released at the Indian Health Service hospital in Crownpoint.
Officer Patricia Henry, 35, of Church Rock was headed south when she
skidded on the ice, turning sideways. Charlene Begay, 32, of Thoreau,
with a 6-year-old Thoreau girl as her passenger, also skidded sideways
attempting to avoid a collision.
Helping White Mountain Apaches
WHITERIVER — A dozen Navajo tribal police officers
provided police services for four consecutive evenings for the White
Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department during mourning for Officer
Tenny Gatewood Jr. the first WMAT officer killed in the line of duty.
Navajo Chief Leonard Butler sent the officers under the command of
one of his key aides, Matthew Duran, to cover the night shifts from
Dec. 15 through last Saturday.
Duran said the first night the Navajo police worked
with the Apache tribal police to become familiar with the area and
its people. The next two nights they were on their own, and the fourth
night they reunited with the WMAT officers.
While on duty for the WMAT, Navajo police made 46 arrests for driving
while under the influence, public intoxication, other liquor and drug
violations, disorderly conduct, domestic violence assault, carrying
concealed weapons, trespassing and endangerment, Duran said.
Chief Butler's contingent was the largest of several agencies helping
fellow officers.
| Top |
Public safety advisor hired
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A new legislative advisor, Angelita Benally, has
been hired for the Public Safety Committee of the Navajo Nation Council.
Rose Graham, director of the Office of Legislative Services, made
the announcement and introduced her to the committee this week in
the Navajo Nation Council Chambers. She will begin her work on Jan.
10.
An Albuquerque resident, the new legislative advisor attended school
in Gallup before earning bachelor's and law degrees at the University
of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She has worked for Indian-oriented nonprofit
corporations...
Drugs brought into prison
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — An inmate at the Corrections Corporation of America
Women's Correctional Facility in Grants allegedly carried cocaine
into the prison, a crime classed as a third degree felony.
The Thirteenth Judicial District Grand Jury indicted Carla Demmings,
36, on the charge. According to the indictment the incident happened
on Nov. 16 and corrections officers also found a cocaine pipe and
other items leading to a charge of use or possession of drug paraphernalia,
a misdemeanor.
The indictment marks the second time in the last 30 days that the
grand jury has indicted an inmate at the women's facility on drug
charges...
| Top |
City offices closed
Staff report
GALLUP — Gallup city employees are scheduled to be off Thursday
and Friday for the Christmas holidays.
This also includes staff at the Red Rock Museum and Red Rock State
Park.
The offices will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday...
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Miss Navajo move delayed
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Intergovernmental Relations Committee has decided
to wait until Jan. 3 to discuss a proposal to shift the Miss Navajo
office from the speaker to the president.
Officials for Miss Navajo have been lobbying for years to be put under
the president's office, saying it would enable the tribal government
to make better use of Miss Navajo.
In other business, the IGR this week approved almost $4 million in
contracts...
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