Cattle Work Is What Sets Us Apart
Cattle
work is the signature activity of The Hideout. The Hideout legitimately
boasts more genuine and necessary cattle work than any other guest
ranch, bar none. Whatever cattle work -- branding or cattle drives -- that you might participate in, there is no make-believe or pretend about
it on our ranch. With a couple thousand cows, their calves, and
yearlings, spread over more than a quarter million acres there is always
some cowboying to do.
The
hands at The Hideout are not your typical dude ranch wranglers. Not only
are they personable and attentive with guests, they also shoulder much of
the responsibility with the care of the cattle. This means you ride with
real cowboys and cowgirls and participate in day-to-day ranch
activities. The horses you ride are the horses we ride. However, we take
great care in matching horse and rider to assure a safe and enjoyable
experience for our guests.
Ranch work varies with the season. When we say you'll get to do real
cattle work, this is what we mean:
Branding (late April - early May)
We brand calves in the spring and guests are welcome to do the
wrestling. If you want a hands-on cowboy branding experience, then late
April and early May is the time for you.
Cattle Drives into the Mountains
(late May - June)
Late May and June (after the snow has melted), we herd yearlings and
younger cows up into the mountains, so if you like cattle drives this is
a good time for you to come to The Hideout.
Gathering & Sorting Cattle (July)
Early July is the time of year we move our older cows and their calves
from the high desert in the basin to our high mountain pastures.
Keep in mind:
our cows share over 100,000 acres with wild horses.
We gather and sort cow/calf pairs by the truckload. Sorting cattle on
open range is an art form. Then the cattle make the 40-mile trip up the
mountain via Flitner Ranch semi-trucks. Upon arrival, the cows and
calves need to be 
paired back up and herded in bunches by horseback to
various alpine meadows.
High Mountain and National Forest
Cattle Work (July– mid September)
During the summer we are always driving cattle, as we continually push
the cattle up the mountain to fresh meadows. We call it gaining altitude
with the cattle.
Autumn Roundup & Indian Summer
(mid September - October)
Mid September through October is roundup time in the high country.
Cowboys yearn for these crisp fall mornings, aspen trees changing
colors, the smell of bacon and fresh coffee. The elk and wildlife come
down from the high country while we are rounding up the sassy calves and
drive them back down to the valley basin.
About Cattle Drives and Cattle Work
Speaking
of cattle drives, you've likely noticed how many guest ranches like to
mention cattle drives in their ads, literature, or on their websites.
"Cattle drive" is certainly a popular search term on the internet. But
what is a cattle drive really? Historically, a cattle drive meant
trailing cattle a great distance, say from Texas to Wyoming. Cattle are
still trailed from place to place in the American West, but no longer on
quite so vast a scale.
Keep in mind that all things cattle hinge on range conditions and
weather, and sometimes even government regulations. When a guest ranch
is able to designate a date for a cattle drive far in advance, it may be
made up or pretend for spectator entertainment and/or guest
participation. We are seldom able to say in advance exactly when we'll
do a long distance drive.
However, on a ranch as large as this one, we move, doctor, or sort
cattle almost on a daily basis. This is why we can tell 
you that you'll
have to opportunity to do more real cattle work at the Hideout than you
will on any other guest ranch.
You have no doubt heard it said, "cowboys are a dying breed." Well, the
cowboys at Flitner Ranch are alive and as real as 100 years ago. Cattle
work of course is just one of many activities we offer. But it is
probably the most defining activity at The Hideout. If you sign up for
cattle work, expect to step back in time and come away with a better
understanding of what it means to be a cowboy.
Stewart Reed, Head Wrangler
Fax 307-765-2681