Saturday, February 19, 2011

PRIZED CATTLE

The Texas Longhorn was brought into the Wildlife Refuge in 1927. Gathered for their pure blood from South Texas and Northern Mexico the descendents of these original animals thrive in their surroundings. It is the responsibility of this Guy, along with many other Herd Bulls, to make sure the herd thrives.



Nice specimen of a mama cow with her horns beginning to form the natural twist as they grow. All Longhorns are branded with the WR on their left shoulder.
These little bull calves will be evaluated for symmetry, conformity, color and need to see if they will be the next sires for the WR Brand, or whether they will go to work for another rancher. The Wildlife Refuge maintains a healthy herd by selective breeding and carrying capacity of the land. Surplus animals bring a premiun price at an annual sale held in the fall of each year. The bloodlines of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge herd are a desired quality among Longhorn Breeders nationwide!
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3 comments:

  1. Great set of pictures and informative commentary to go with!
    I really like the middle picture in this set, though it is entirely in beige colours your subject stands out perfectly from the background!

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  2. Update! The longhorns are no more.

    I was told just this past week that the refuge is going to phase out the longhorns. They aren't indigenous to this area specifically and some government pinhead has decided they don't need to be here.

    All three of these shots are very good. Clean, crisp and perfect lighting. I'm with Paul on the middle one, although the "colours" are all about the same there is something about the shot that makes it stand out. I like the fact you got the brand in the shot too.

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  3. Thats sad news. Something the people enjoy, so eliminate it! I started to go off on a rant but will refrain from doing so on our blog. I have a feeling when this news hits the media the Fireworks will begin!

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