Cattle Mustering incl Training, Job Prospects (!) etc etc
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Hey Ag-Rotor, a mate of mine used to say you haven't known pure terror till you have got 3000 weaners coming at you. lol.
No doubt about it things can get ordinary pretty quickly.
Interesting how the status of the chopper pilot has changed in the bush. When we first started using choppers when you landed at place you were a god. The manager would meet you with a six pack, the missuses would ask if you if you had any washing needed doing and the govvie would be in your room ready to get up close and personal.
Now you are dead lucky if someone gives you a hand to stand a drum.
No doubt about it things can get ordinary pretty quickly.
Interesting how the status of the chopper pilot has changed in the bush. When we first started using choppers when you landed at place you were a god. The manager would meet you with a six pack, the missuses would ask if you if you had any washing needed doing and the govvie would be in your room ready to get up close and personal.
Now you are dead lucky if someone gives you a hand to stand a drum.
Last edited by waragee; 24th Nov 2010 at 18:38.
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Randyjarhead...probably stay home I reckon...long way up from a low hour jock if you don't allready work in a stockcamp and have a bit of a name for yourself.
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You know I look at all the stuff posted on this site with interest ever vigilant for mention of the old mustering game that is pretty well my life and then I spot this stuff that looks like it is played up to the camera. I have no doubt that Ben and co. are expert musterers and can probably get the best out of a Robbie no problem. We all have to get down and dirty and mix it with them every now and then and like the saying goes 95% of the the cattle make 5% of the trouble and 5% of them cause 95% of the trouble so this full on flying shouldn't be happening anything like what we are seeing here. I guess Ben is probably just having a ball ripping about and good luck to him but boys its not all like this.
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but boys its not all like this
especially in these days of Low Stress Stock Handling, not overheating cattle, providing a good look to our meat markets, all that, of which Ben is very much aware.
The industry has changed, no more, scrub bulls, brumbies, clearing the wucka tooks off of Killarney and so on.
But there you go a private operator
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350 bison driven into Yellowstone from Montana to make way for grazing cattle :: The Republic
BILLINGS, Mont. — A state official says livestock agents on horseback and helicopter have hazed about 350 wild bison into Yellowstone National Park as part of the annual drive to get the animals out of Montana to make way for cattle.
Department of Livestock spokesman Steve Merritt said Wednesday all remaining bison outside the park would be driven into Yellowstone Thursday or soon after.
Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle says the park will next push the animals several miles past the state line. That's so they don't return to Montana, where thousands of bison have been killed to guard against the disease brucellosis.
About 500 bison were in the West Yellowstone area earlier this week.
A pending lawsuit from environmentalists seeks to stop the use of a helicopter in the bison drive.
Department of Livestock spokesman Steve Merritt said Wednesday all remaining bison outside the park would be driven into Yellowstone Thursday or soon after.
Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle says the park will next push the animals several miles past the state line. That's so they don't return to Montana, where thousands of bison have been killed to guard against the disease brucellosis.
About 500 bison were in the West Yellowstone area earlier this week.
A pending lawsuit from environmentalists seeks to stop the use of a helicopter in the bison drive.
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A pending lawsuit from environmentalists seeks to stop the use of a helicopter in the bison drive.
There's an old dude that I used to work for once, an American who owned a couple of largish stations out here a while back, Luke Wise. He lived in Billings. Surely he would have to be still alive, he'd be too horrible to die. If someone chased him up and sooled him onto those hairy armpitted protestors they'd soon change their tune I bet. A very entertaining gentleman, he used to work with pappy's mob during WWII, it would only cost a quick flip in the 500.
Speaking of pushing them a few miles further so they won't run back is intriguing. It can be done with Low Stress techniques for sure.
However we have seen judas collared buffalo shift fifty to sixty Kilometres in a night, then return a few days later when the artillery shifted on during our TB and Brusco eradication program.
Another buffalo judas collar was sprung doing about 90 K/hr on the highway in the back of a pet meat vehicle, then two more collars were found hanging in another pet meaters boning room, amazing how they get around.
There's another recent case of a camel with a satellite collar on that has moved from a place called Andodo, (South East of the Alice) up past a station called Tobermory on the Qld border, (that's about 4 hundred K) and then right back to South West of Halls Creek in WA (another 12 hundred K from Andodo in the opposite direction) in the space of about fourteen months. So good luck with holding them if'n there aren't any electric fences to hold them in.
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I was musing what interesting sport it would make if some of these animal activists were to offer themselves up as 'fair game' for being shot at with a net-gun .. preferably while running with a protest placard or something.
They could charge a small fee for this service which could be donated to their preferred animal charity.
This way no 'animals' are traumatised and the copter crews get to keep their hand in when it comes to maintaining hunting skills. People still pay to shoot game in Africa so I don't see why they wouldn't pay to net a few activists .. all for a good cause mind you!
I was musing what interesting sport it would make if some of these animal activists were to offer themselves up as 'fair game' for being shot at with a net-gun .. preferably while running with a protest placard or something.
They could charge a small fee for this service which could be donated to their preferred animal charity.
This way no 'animals' are traumatised and the copter crews get to keep their hand in when it comes to maintaining hunting skills. People still pay to shoot game in Africa so I don't see why they wouldn't pay to net a few activists .. all for a good cause mind you!
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we could do with the curtailment of some of these activists right now, I can comment, with some feeling.
though I did enjoy a recent read, 'confessions of a greenpeace dropout', yes I know another airport bookshop interdicting with my wallet, however their prevailing grace seems litlle other than unreasonable malice. Biggest problem with these vegens is they fart too much.
though I did enjoy a recent read, 'confessions of a greenpeace dropout', yes I know another airport bookshop interdicting with my wallet, however their prevailing grace seems litlle other than unreasonable malice. Biggest problem with these vegens is they fart too much.
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Judge says: Let the Helos Chase Bison!
Judge says: Let the Helos Chase Bison
Judge says: Let the Helos Chase Bison!
Saying that hazing bison back into Yellowstone National Park via helicopter is better than the alternative -- having the state of Montana kill them -- a federal judge denied a request to halt the practice, at least on a temporary basis.
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Charles Lovell denied a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, which argued helicopter hazing should be halted because it has a negative effect on grizzly bears, an endangered species.
Lovell denied the TRO both on procedural and substantial grounds, holding that the Alliance did not properly name the state of Montana in its filings. He also held the state of Montana had legitimate reasons to haze the bison back into Yellowstone: hazing is a way to ensure brucellosis won't be passed from bison to cattle. (Yes, he did, despite the lack of any evidence that any cattle has been injected by bison; the more likely culprit for brucellosis transmission is the elk.)
The case is not done, however as the Alliance tried to withdraw its application for a TRO and Lovell denied that request. He further ordered the U.S. Forest Service to prepare an answer to the lawsuit, saying the issue should be decided before the next round of hazing begins.
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Charles Lovell denied a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, which argued helicopter hazing should be halted because it has a negative effect on grizzly bears, an endangered species.
Lovell denied the TRO both on procedural and substantial grounds, holding that the Alliance did not properly name the state of Montana in its filings. He also held the state of Montana had legitimate reasons to haze the bison back into Yellowstone: hazing is a way to ensure brucellosis won't be passed from bison to cattle. (Yes, he did, despite the lack of any evidence that any cattle has been injected by bison; the more likely culprit for brucellosis transmission is the elk.)
The case is not done, however as the Alliance tried to withdraw its application for a TRO and Lovell denied that request. He further ordered the U.S. Forest Service to prepare an answer to the lawsuit, saying the issue should be decided before the next round of hazing begins.
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Today the Gillard government has suspended the export of live cattle to Indonesia, I am sure this will have a serious knock on effect to the mustering community up north.
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Just watched the BBC clip, "Cowboy's" is right... it represents pretty much what everyone hates about mustering cattle by helicopter. Cattle running all the time, Pilots are just pushing the f#*k out of the cattle, flogging the f#*k out of the helicopters.
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I reckon some of the mustering community will be sitting idle for a while with the life export debacle...especialy those two clowns in the BBC flic...If Mr Brant (Greens Menber ) from "Latte street" in Melbourne, saw that he would be calling for a ban on mustering cattle by helicopters.
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Yep the first one may be looking for something soon, the second one who showed that he can actually hold a hover in a stationary position for a fleeting second, is now working for someone else.
He did of course have a salutory experience last year or so when he decided to stuff up a dramatic quick stop "or something" on a maintenance test flight and rolled about 150 yards across the flat.
Pretty much rooted the flying machine they reckon, along with his ego.
Re the TV program, a mate of mine (not a mustering driver) reckons that on that discovery channel if you miss the program first time, just grit your teeth and it will roll around again in four months or so for everyone to see what dills they are in the Australian mustering game.
Heard on Radio National today how a mustering operator in Queensland had already put off three drivers. It will be tough for sure. Hopefully we will get a full weaning round in, but that will be it for sure.
There's ten thousand cattle (a boatload) that is sitting in depots around Darwin, was to load tomorrow. Ol' mate says that the price offered to unload them somewhere on the mainland has already dipped from what he paid, $2 /kg to $0.80. Av weight at 320 kg work it out, its quite a chunk out of the hip pocket for a days work.
Actually its 25,000 between Darwin and WA, all cattle crimped and ready to go. that is they can't be let out at the moment from the quarantine. Their market value at the moment is virtually zero. Plus feed everyday, demurrage (spelling?) for ships coming in etc We can't believe the incompetance of the organisers of this event. You can keep current on this thread www.breakfastpolitics.com
I now think that musterers will fare a lot worse than I thought yesterday, certainly only a lunatic would buy a new machine at the moment. Maybe the musterers come Canadanian drifters will be back to Canada shovelling snow soon.
Funny you should mention those cowboys going around that waterhole, been around it myself a few times without any need of a second machine. There's a fence just over a hundred yards or so that they walk along quite contentedly without having to swim or stress out at all. Usually I sit and have a cup of coffee while they waddle on past me, and, the waterhole with their calves. It was a different station owner then so please don't tell him about my little coffee break interludes.
Plenty of people are going to be absolutely terrified at the moment as there's mostly nowhere else to go with the cattle or the flying machines for that matter.
But the message remains, the hairy armpitters certainly did pay for quite some footage, as we can see through it or remember it from some of their other escapades like Egypt, but the few grabs of real footage show situations which have to be fixed up for sure. Why we were never told about the real problems I have no idea and many producers are proper cranky about.
No stun , no deal, is the message.
He did of course have a salutory experience last year or so when he decided to stuff up a dramatic quick stop "or something" on a maintenance test flight and rolled about 150 yards across the flat.
Pretty much rooted the flying machine they reckon, along with his ego.
Re the TV program, a mate of mine (not a mustering driver) reckons that on that discovery channel if you miss the program first time, just grit your teeth and it will roll around again in four months or so for everyone to see what dills they are in the Australian mustering game.
Heard on Radio National today how a mustering operator in Queensland had already put off three drivers. It will be tough for sure. Hopefully we will get a full weaning round in, but that will be it for sure.
There's ten thousand cattle (a boatload) that is sitting in depots around Darwin, was to load tomorrow. Ol' mate says that the price offered to unload them somewhere on the mainland has already dipped from what he paid, $2 /kg to $0.80. Av weight at 320 kg work it out, its quite a chunk out of the hip pocket for a days work.
Actually its 25,000 between Darwin and WA, all cattle crimped and ready to go. that is they can't be let out at the moment from the quarantine. Their market value at the moment is virtually zero. Plus feed everyday, demurrage (spelling?) for ships coming in etc We can't believe the incompetance of the organisers of this event. You can keep current on this thread www.breakfastpolitics.com
I now think that musterers will fare a lot worse than I thought yesterday, certainly only a lunatic would buy a new machine at the moment. Maybe the musterers come Canadanian drifters will be back to Canada shovelling snow soon.
Funny you should mention those cowboys going around that waterhole, been around it myself a few times without any need of a second machine. There's a fence just over a hundred yards or so that they walk along quite contentedly without having to swim or stress out at all. Usually I sit and have a cup of coffee while they waddle on past me, and, the waterhole with their calves. It was a different station owner then so please don't tell him about my little coffee break interludes.
Plenty of people are going to be absolutely terrified at the moment as there's mostly nowhere else to go with the cattle or the flying machines for that matter.
But the message remains, the hairy armpitters certainly did pay for quite some footage, as we can see through it or remember it from some of their other escapades like Egypt, but the few grabs of real footage show situations which have to be fixed up for sure. Why we were never told about the real problems I have no idea and many producers are proper cranky about.
No stun , no deal, is the message.
Last edited by topendtorque; 9th Jun 2011 at 11:52.
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Cattle musterer awarded additional $600,000 in damages
Chopper musterer gets more crash compo
17 years after the event!
Cattle musterer awarded additional $600,000 in damages
Archie Stephen St Clair, 53, was mustering cattle at Curtin Springs Station in the Northern Territory in June 1994 when his helicopter lost power.
When it crashed he suffered severe injuries including multiple bone fractures, and has spent a lengthy period in rehabilitation.
Mr St Clair successfully sued Aircraft Technicians of Australia (ATA) in August last year over claims they had botched a service on the helicopter in 1993.
Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Glenn Martin found that ATA had breached its duty of care by not replacing a non-standard bearing in the helicopter, which ultimately led to the crash.
Justice Martin ordered ATA pay Mr St Clair $1.73 million in damages.
In a written judgment handed down on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal awarded Mr St Clair an additional $600,000 in damages for personal injuries.
Mr St Clair currently works as a sculptor in the US state of Texas.
When it crashed he suffered severe injuries including multiple bone fractures, and has spent a lengthy period in rehabilitation.
Mr St Clair successfully sued Aircraft Technicians of Australia (ATA) in August last year over claims they had botched a service on the helicopter in 1993.
Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Glenn Martin found that ATA had breached its duty of care by not replacing a non-standard bearing in the helicopter, which ultimately led to the crash.
Justice Martin ordered ATA pay Mr St Clair $1.73 million in damages.
In a written judgment handed down on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal awarded Mr St Clair an additional $600,000 in damages for personal injuries.
Mr St Clair currently works as a sculptor in the US state of Texas.
17 years after the event!
Kiwi Mustering - Kaimanawa Wild Horses