Boss Cow #10 - The Reckoning

Texas cows are different than the Bovine of the other western states: The key to keeping alive in Texas when you are working on the ground with your herd (especially if you find yourself blessed to have lived long enough to have accumulated a touch of gray along with some hearing and vision loss) is to: Pay 1000% more attention to your Boss Cow than you think you need to…. Particularly if they happen to be wearing a #10 Ear-Tag…

The #10 ear-tagged Boss Cow (who’s portrait is found in the Grave Hill Ranch Gallery), was stubbornly insistent in bringing the whole herd up to the house and front yard, and engaging in vandalism. Every time Honey Bun, my Blackmouth Cur Dog, (The Cur dogs among other amazing things are excellent working cow dogs) and myself would go run the herd off.

Boss Cow #10 simply refused to allow her and her herd to be run off without a huge fight and then would finally give in and go back to their pastures toward the rear of the ranch. After three successive occasions of #10 facing off against me and Honey; and then charging us every bit as seriously as the bull charges the Toreador in a bullfight - (I’m always amazed how quick and fast cows can be, especially like #10 who came into our heavyweight ring at around 1000 lbs). The fourth time this scenario repeated itself, I showed up to the fight prepared to settle the feud once and for all.

There can only be one Sheriff in this town, which is me and not her. I don’t remember if it was actually High Noon that day when the whole duel went down; and yes indeed did we have our showdown. Rest assure though that it all worked out really well for us both: not like the shit that went down in Tombstone. Ask the Clanton’s how that ultimately went for them. The solution to the whole matter ended up being my all-time all-purpose favorite side arm the Government 1911 .45 caliber ACP.

The moment of my draw wasn’t target practice or dispatching a rattlesnake. This time; there was a moment of adrenaline but my knees did not knock nor did my hands twitch. The draw was clean and I fired a snap double tap into the dirt between her front hooves as she was charging me full speed from 15 yards or so.

To her credit she got the hint and complied. Good for her because the following rounds would have entered her forehead at approximately 10 feet inbound. (If you ever do this be ready to quickly step aside laterally - when something that big is going that fast they don’t exactly just plop to the ground dead when the bullet hits their head)

This High Noon Reckoning with #10, ends happily. Even better than the movies. This time nobody had to die.

P.S. I can’t say for sure, but I think the above advice about paying attention to the Boss Cow a lot more than you think you do - on a metaphorical level at least, also applies well for all the young and newly married cowboys out riding the range, who have wisely decided to stop mending their fences and settle in. May you ride off into the sunset together. (For Chris and Kaitlyn)

G.A. Czarnowsky - Photographer