Under the Wire

Every cowman who has ever calved out a bunch of cows knows the stages an old mama cow goes through leading up to the big day.

Signs begin early with “looking calvy” to “springing up," “making a bag.” The list and descriptions goes on and on.

Since I tend to give cows credit for being smarter than most humans there is no doubt in my mind that they have developed a list of the things us cowboys do as calving rolls around, too. I admit to being more than a little surprised, after thinking about it, of our own predictability.

We, of course, begin our own nature dictated routine by moving the herd closer to home, probably into an area with some natural cover. This is a big management decision we are proud of ourselves for making. However, arriving at the gate to begin the gather and move, guess what? The cows are all standing there waiting for us. “We expected you yesterday,” their faces explain.

Our next step is to round up all our calving supplies. Calf pullers, OB gloves, artificial colostrum packets, vaccinations, antibiotics. The list goes on and on. Don’t worry about forgetting anything on the list. Every magazine and cattlemen’s newspaper will have devoted page after page reminding us of it all.

The cows will soon be taking notice of the increasing number of pickup visits cruising through their midst. Eventually, nighttime visits begin. Since we humans tend to be impatient, this all begins long before it is really necessary. In fact, after a week or so of unproductive tours through the herd, we get a little bored. “Think I’ll just sleep in tonight,” Mr. Cowman decides.

“What happens?” You got it. The next morning there are one or more spindly legged newcomers waiting for you.

Now your terrific management skills kick in. As the cows begin to do what they always do, you hunt for your ear tagger and struggle to keep up with tagging and an occasional life saving maneuver to avoid a mama who sees no need for a plastic tag in her baby’s ear.

Finally, there’s the trips to co-op in town where you encounter others also in calving mode.

Stories will be shared of number of calves born every day, death loss or lack thereof, all containing just a slight bit of “embellishment.” Don’t feel bad or embarrassed. It’s just what we do as cowmen. As the cows have handed down their natural instincts through the generations, we grew up listening to grandpa, dad, uncles, neighbors all doing what we do during calving.

I love every minute of it and have no intention to change anything about my routine. Don’t dare. The cows are depending on me!