Mustering at Kilcowera

[zenonie]

It's that time of year again when we start our annual muster. Started yesterday in a 10,000 ha paddock that had some rogues in it. usually they hear the plane and head for the thick mulga and plant under it and I can't see them. I had 2 blokes on the ground on motorbikes and we got about half of them. We have turned the waters off in the paddock, so we will see what else appears out of the scrub in the next week or so looking for a drink.

 

Today we start in Kimberley paddock ( 11,500 ha )and will have a bit more joy in there as there are nice quiet cattle in there, not the neighbours idiots. Going to be selling a lot of cattle once again as the drought continues on here for the eighth year in a row.

 

I do a fair bit of flying in the next two weeks as well as out on the motor bike when necessary. busy time of year. See ya all!! zenonie

 

 

[Tim E]

Enjoy your flying and mustering..hope you get 'em all in without too much fuss! Tim :D

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Makes my 100 acre place look tiny!

 

Drought or not, the country is still the best place to be :)

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

What is involved with mustering?

 

I gather it is a lot of low and slow high bank turns and so forth to scare the cattle into the direction desired? Is that about right?

 

Is it basically instead of using people on horse back using whips?

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

I could look through all your posts and possibly find the answer ... too lazy!

 

What are you flying? Chopper or aircraft?

 

And; where is kilcowera

 

 

[Tim E]

Perhaps we could get or make a vid clip of you mustering from your plane one day? Though no doubt your mind would be on the job..thought a suitable theme would be from the "olde" tv series from the early 1960's..anyone rememebr the theme from "Rawhide" with Clint Eastwood etc.

 

"Move em on head em up..Rawhide?" :D

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Your showing your age Tim :P

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

So are you Glenn :twisted:

 

Den, she said what she pilots in another thread - fixed wing, but I can't remember what it is. All I know is that she loves it! (and why wouldn't she)

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Yeah I must be too because I remember that tune :roll:

 

I would love to be up there photographing from the ground and the air. Would be great.

 

 

[Tim E]

LOL..yes remembering that tune is a giveaway on our ages! Yes would be great getting some pics of the muster and especially of the work the plane and the pilot do..maybe Channel 7 or another production team should do a tv series or doco up there zenonie? nEnjoy yoruself..hope its a successful roundup. :D

 

 

[zenonie]

Hi fellas and girls. DId 4 hours in the Skyfox Gazlle yesterday and yes basicly flying low and slow , moving the cattle in the direction you want them to go. Sometimes blocking the lead if they are going too fast for the stragglers. But the hard job is finding them in the scrub for a start. They get very cunning and duck under trees and stand so still you can't see them. When you do find some by the time you turn around to have another look or to get them moving it's hard to know which patch of scrub to dive bomb or look at.

 

I'll get some images from the air again sometime soon. Should be a big day today as we have to try and finish this first paddock and truck the fat cattle tomorrow for sale in Toowoomba Monday. c ya zenonie

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

Sounds like a pretty cool job!

 

 

[zenonie]

Beautiful flying here yesterday, autumn is the best time of year out here, where it is usually so hot. sixtiesrelic asked where Kilcowera is - it's far south west Qld. Check out our website!

 

Got most of the cattle in yesterday and trucked 4 decks away today, so a day off flying today, back into it tomorrow. The Gazelle is a fantastic little plane for mustering. I used to use a Piper 140 and the difference between the two for the same job is like whether you would rather drive a truck or a motorbilke around in the scrub. cheers zenonie