Cowboy, why in tarnation would anyone want to lasso a bear?

[Katy Lied]

I mean seriously, did you happen to have an empty bear cage just sitting out back? No tranquillizer gun, right? just a... rope? Were you going to relocate the bear? How'd you get the horses to stay in close?

Spill it.

[cowboy]

I mean seriously, did you happen to have an empty bear cage just sitting out back? No tranquillizer gun, right? just a... rope? Were you going to relocate the bear? How'd you get the horses to stay in close?

Spill it.

The practice of team roping (roping the head and heels) animals has long been employed by cowboys as a way to catch and secure an animal for branding, doctoring, and performing other sensitive procedures. Cattle are the usual target for team roping, but cowboys can't resist a challenge.

Even before, 1916 when CM Russell painted the masterpiece, Loops and Swift Horses are Surer than Lead, cowboys have had a fascination with roping wild stuff just to see if they could. Russell's work just reinforced the innate drive in every cowboy to rope a bear. Just because.


We had just finished branding, and we were kicking cattle to a different pasture when we saw the bear, a 250 lb yearling, up on the hill. Actually catching them is harder than it might appear. They're fast. My horse was faster. I was the first to catch up with him, but he ran up a tree before I could throw my loop. So we roped him out of the tree.

The hired man roped him out of the tree (about 8 feet in the air), and my dad threw another loop on his head so that he couldn't chase either horse up the rope. I came in on the heels, and he turned and took a swipe at my horse. Horses don't like that. Actually, they don't like bears at all. My horse blew up and started bucking across the flat. I pulled his head up and coaxed him back in to rope the heels.

The bear was roped and the fun was over. Once he cooled off and quit trying to kill us, we took our ropes off, fist bumped, and exchanged cards with the promise to do lunch. He never called.

[SteelBlue]

Is there a picture of this somewhere? Great story.

[Borg]

Hard to believe you could get a horse even close enough to a bear to rope it.

[cowboy]

Is there a picture of this somewhere? Great story.

No pictures. This was 20 years ago, when cameras weren't exactly something you had in a cellphone in your pocket. But there were 7 people present, including myself, so the story is well corroborated.

Hard to believe you could get a horse even close enough to a bear to rope it.

He was one of the fastest horses I've ever ridden. The problem was he liked to buck, and my dad sold him when I left on my mission because he didn't want to ride him and nobody else could. I was pissed.

[creekster]

He was one of the fastest horses I've ever ridden. The problem was he liked to buck, and my dad sold him when I left on my mission because he didn't want to ride him and nobody else could. I was pissed.

A bit of a hi-jack, but it reminded me of something: We used to have an anglo/arab mix that had a very nasty but intermittent crow-hop. WHen I was a kid I used to prefer riding bareback and one day I was riding in some dunes and hills not too far from our place when a friend of mine on a motorcycle came over and triedto race me to the top of a hill. I gave my hourse his head and just as he broke into a run he crowhopped for all he was worth; I wasnt paying enough attention and bam, off on my arse. I was really pissed. My friend gave me a lift home, which is where the horse ran, and I grabbed him and spent the next 4.5 hours starting and stopping him in our field, over and over again. Finally, he was too exhausted to do it anymore. Not sure if this was good practice or not, but the horse never crowhopped for me again, although he still did for my grandpa all the time.

The same horse would also try to buyck, but it was easy enough to pull his head up when he did; sort of half-heated about it. But he was FAST and made the ride well-worth the quirks.

[cowboy]

...I grabbed him and spent the next 4.5 hours starting and stopping him in our field, over and over again. Finally, he was too exhausted to do it anymore. Not sure if this was good practice or not, but the horse never crowhopped for me again....

Sounds like my horse. He hated whistling. When I was starting him out, he'd buck every time I 'd whistle, and I whistle a lot to make the cows move. One morning, he blew up on me 14 times while we were trailing cows. I thought it was funny until he bucked me off on the 13th time. Then I was mad, so I got back on and started whistling while he started bucking. I didn't stop whistling until he stopped bucking. He never bucked again when I whistled, but I was so darn tired by the time he was done that I wanted to drop.

[creekster]

Sounds like my horse. He hated whistling. When I was starting him out, he'd buck every time I 'd whistle, and I whistle a lot to make the cows move. One morning, he blew up on me 14 times while we were trailing cows. I thought it was funny until he bucked me off on the 13th time. Then I was mad, so I got back on and started whistling while he started bucking. I didn't stop whistling until he stopped bucking. He never bucked again when I whistled, but I was so darn tired by the time he was done that I wanted to drop.

To be fair, I was as exhausted as the horse was at the end. I think I couldnt sit a horse for abotu a week afterwards.

[cowboy]

To be fair, I was as exhausted as the horse was at the end. I think I couldnt sit a horse for abotu a week afterwards.

I've learned that it's sometimes a lot harder on the body to stay on than it is to get bucked off.

[creekster]

I've learned that it's sometimes a lot harder on the body to stay on than it is to get bucked off.

Lol. Sometimes, but not usually, in my experience.

I enjoy many of your working ranch posts. My riding days are long gone, but to this day I have my grandfather's saddle in my front room (it is a beautiful saddle he had xustom made in Mexico many years ago) and I have the bridle I used on the anglo-arab I described above along with a photo I took of that horse (a beautiful arab head but with a massive muscular neck; gorgeous horse) hanging on the wall in my home.

I miss those days and I envy your daily opportunities to have them.

[Pheidippides]

I'm not the horseman or cattlelman that cowboy is, not by a long stretch, but there were people I used to ride with who used to rope mule deer as a past-time.

[cowboy]

Lol. Sometimes, but not usually, in my experience.

I enjoy many of your working ranch posts. My riding days are long gone, but to this day I have my grandfather's saddle in my front room (it is a beautiful saddle he had xustom made in Mexico many years ago) and I have the bridle I used on the anglo-arab I described above along with a photo I took of that horse (a beautiful arab head but with a massive muscular neck; gorgeous horse) hanging on the wall in my home.

I miss those days and I envy your daily opportunities to have them.

I'd love to see that saddle. Those old saddlemakers were true craftsmen.

[FMCoug]

Not that there was ever a question, but I nominate cowboy for the manliest profession on CUF award.

[Pheidippides]

I'd love to see that saddle. Those old saddlemakers were true craftsmen.

They were indeed. When I was a teenager, I helped my dad restore a saddle that had originally belonged to my great great grandfather. It was a beautiful piece of work, far different than any of the other saddles we had. Very high backed and with high pronounced swells and horn. Very comfortable as well.

[falafel]

Hard to believe you could get a horse even close enough to a bear to rope it.

I agree with The Borg - this story is bull shit!






Actually, I'm kidding. But I am curious - how did you get your ropes off the bear and then leave without it attacking you then?