Tumbleweed catchers

Tumbleweeds are dried plants (usually kochia on our ranch) that the wind blows across the prairie after the growing season.  This year they have been particularly abundant only stopping their travels when they get caught by a fence.  The ranch has 44 miles of fence so many are caught here.  A problem occurs when there is considerable drifting of snow also caused by the wind.  The snow accumulates on the caught tumbleweeds crushing the fence breaking many wires.  Whenever we have a snow event this winter the fences will require immediate repair before cattle escape the ranch boundaries and we have to go hunting for them.

Predator overabundance

We have many coyotes on the ranch, last year there were 3 dens with pups.  I like having them around to help keep the prairie rats in balance.  Coyotes usually work as solitary hunters and the ranch will lose 1 to 3 baby calves to them each year, I consider this acceptable.  However, Blake came across a pack of 4 coyotes that had chased a 500 pound steer ($900 value) through the fence and killed him.  A pack of 4 indicates too many coyotes so they join together to bring down bigger game.  We called in Joe "the coyote trapper" to reduce the number of coyotes on the ranch before calving season next spring when they could cause considerable more damage to our baby calves than normal.  This is Joe's first catch, hopefully he will get several more soon.