The start of the 2023 range riding season has begun! This is my first year out in Tom Miner Basin and I am beyond excited to spend countless hours in the saddle surveying cattle, wildlife, and the landscape while connecting with and educating the community. I find myself in constant awe of the beauty and wildness of this area and count myself extremely lucky to get to work here. I have always been passionate about the interface between humans and wildlife, and I could not think of a better and more innovative way to participate in this work. Previously you could find me doing a myriad of jobs: wrangling, zookeeping, livestock research, and most recently grizzly bear research. If it involved animals, I have likely done it. The common denominator with these jobs is my passion to facilitate positive relationships between wildlife, livestock, people, and the land. I have long been searching for a way to combine these elements, and what better place than one of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich places on earth (yes, I am now biased). This basin and the intricate dynamics of ranching in predator country is a complex dance that is always evolving, and I think this work should not go unnoticed. I am excited and honored to share with you all the amazing work that is being done to enhance peace between all parties in the basin. Below you will find a summary of what I have been up to so far during my first week here.
Wildlife. Things are relatively quiet on the wildlife front as of yet. I have heard whispers and murmurs of grizzlies in the area, but nothing close to what will be coming later in the summer. They are likely beginning to forage for food as vegetation sprouts, sows are emerging with COY’s (cubs of the year), and males are beginning to search for breeding opportunities. We have seen elk and moose cows starting to calve, sandhill cranes walking along, coyotes scavenging, and badgers coming out of their burrows. We are getting ready to put out the first round of camera traps, and I am sure that along with continued riding it will reveal an array of wildlife species interacting with the land beyond our immediate field of view.
Community. Range riding and ranching in general is all about relationships. That is why events like brandings are so important. Shortly after arriving in Tom Miner, we spent the day at J Bar L ranch near Big Timber branding one of this year’s herds of calves. Brandings are an opportunity to not only brand, vaccinate, etc., but a time for the ranching community to come together and help one another. This day was full of hard work and meeting new people that all made me feel welcome. Since my job is to support livestock producers in an area where ranching is just plain difficult, it is imperative to maintain solid relationships with the community in order to do the most meaningful work.
Horses. Much of my first few weeks here have been spent building relationships with the horses. I am lucky enough to be able to ride several horses owned by the Anderson’s (Ben, Moby, Nagos, Jeep) and it has been simultaneously wonderful and exhausting bringing them out of their winter of rest. These horses are the most important part of this operation. They are going to carry me over some rough country and there is no doubt that we will encounter challenges: predators, weather, and mileage. However, I take solace in knowing that we are putting in the time in the round pen and the trail to build a strong relationship that will keep us both safe while doing our jobs. The horses’ efforts should never go unnoticed as they are the bread and butter of a successful range riding program.
Public. Perhaps the most important, yet the most often ignored aspect of successful human and wildlife relationships is educating the public. I had the pleasure of taking a group of 1st graders from the Gardiner/Emigrant area around the ranch and sharing with them the duties and importance of range riding, the challenges of raising livestock in the basin, and how absolutely amazing the land and wildlife is in this area. Of course, being that these kiddos are just shy of 8, we also showed them the ponies, chickens, and they were most enamored by our rag-tag pack of mismatched dogs. They also had the opportunity to see the schoolhouse, built in 1900, which is a rich piece of history, and it was special to share it with the next generation.
Cattle. Finally, we had cattle arrive this week. The herd is looking good and working their way through the property on their way up to the grazing permit land. I have begun to ride through the herd in order to establish a routine that the predators in the area will respond to. I can tell everyone, horses and dogs included, are excited to have the cows and calves around.
Thanks for tuning in, I will be sharing more as the summer progresses!
-Ellery Vincent
Range Rider