Cowboy Stories

Verland King is a fifth generation rancher. He and his wife, Terri currently live in Bicknell, UT. Together they ranch and run their veterinary practice. Throughout this episode he shares his family's history of running sheep and eventually cattle. He talks about all the aspects of ranching and veterinary work and I'm excited for you all to listen to it.

Freddy Prather is 80 years old and lives in Paduka, TX. He didn't grow up with a ranching background but he knew it was what he wanted to do and he stuck with it. His first job as a cowboy paid him $140/month and he had to make that work to support his young family. He's worked on places like the 6666's, Triangles, Moorhouses and a few others. In 1985 he won reserve world champion in the NCHA on a...

Sam Dove and his wife Catherine live in Alpine, TX. His family ranched in central TX and he grew up admiring his grandfather. Ranching runs in his blood on both sides of the family. He went to college for a short time and received a degree in range animal science with a minor in chemistry. Throughout this episode, he talks about being involved in some of the last times the big ranches pulled the c...

Clint Jones grew up as a carpenter's son in Ropesville, TX. He got a taste for being a cowpuncher at a young age and never looked back. He has worked in multiple states, but currently works at the Pitchfork Ranch. We had a great conversation and I hope you all enjoy.

Shawn Jack is from Blanding, UT and has always had a desire to be a rancher. In 2000 he got his foot in the door and from there he has been able to be successful in the industry. Shawn and his family run their cattle in some of the neatest country and if you haven't already, you need to check out their YouTube channel. It's called 1880 Drifters. Throughout this episode you'll understand how much h...

Rod Devoll is from Alpine, TX and when he was growing up, he always wanted to be a cowboy. He day-worked for a lot of different outfits before ending up on the '06 ranch where he stayed for 30 years. Now, at 68 years old, he helps out the local rodeo team. My favorite quote from our conversation is, "Everybody can teach somebody something. And I believe that if you ever get too old to quit learnin...

Mike Capron is an 80 year old Texan who is a well-known artist and cowboy. He says he's always been fascinated by three things; ridin', ropin ', and paintin'. Throughout this episode you'll hear stories about his time in Vietnam, his relationship with God, his courtship with his wife, and some cowboy stories. My favorite quote from our conversation was, "If you can't live it baby, you can't paint...

Today we talk about Shad's history in agriculture and the reason he became so heavily involved in the politics that surround the beef industry. Shad is a 5th generation rancher who grew up in Colorado but currently lives in Texas. He's a HUGE advocate for liberty, freedom, and the beef industry. He says, "Where there is beef, there is freedom." As you listen to his episode, you'll understand what...

Brad Good spent most of his childhood in New Mexico but currently lives in Texas and works on the Waggoner Ranch. Throughout our visit, you could tell he has a lot of respect for the people that he has been influenced by; especially his dad and uncles. When I asked him what the best part about living this kind of lifestyle was he said, "Getting to be in the middle of God's creation." He also share...

Today I visited with Hayden Ballard and Chris Heaton. We discussed the issues that come along with trying to make a living running cattle on federal lands. We spent the majority of our time talking about why ranchers care about the policies associated with national monuments and how they directly affect them. We talked about the abuse of the Antiquities Act that the Grand Staircase-Escalante Natio...

In today’s episode, we talk about Pratt’s life and the memories he has of running cattle in the Escalante area, some of his best horses, and how he got started in ranching.

PeeWee Peebles grew up in Texas but currently works on a ranch in Arizona. Throughout this episode he talks about the importance of a good cow dog, the rough terrain and type of cattle he manages, and one of the worst wrecks he’s ever been in. He loves his family and he loves Christ. When speaking about his family he said, “I couldn’t do it without them.” When asked about the coolest places he’s e...

In part 2 of my conversation with Ray, he talks about a couple more places he worked at before he ended up in South Dakota. He tells us about his time in South Dakota and how he has helped with the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. Another notable thing about Ray is he is 62 years old and this year he entered the ranch bronc riding for his team at the Murdo Ranch Rodeo. That is the picture that y...

Ray Chanley grew up in California but currently lives in South Dakota. In Part 1 of our conversation, Ray talks about working at a sale barn while he was in school and how that led him to live the kind of life he lives. He also talks about his cross country pack trip that started on a beach in California and ended in New Mexico. That trip allowed him to have some cool experiences working for diffe...

In this episode with Skeet Gould he talks about family, his time in California, and the differences he noticed in California versus Arizona. If you've listened to Part 1 and Part 2, you know that he has also written a book. If you'd like to read more about his life and hear more stories, you can contact Skeet directly via Facebook to get a copy. Look up Skeet Gould on Facebook and send him...

In part 2 of our conversation we talk about the longest place he ever stayed, learning how to AI cattle, a horse named Joe Lewis, and things he learned from Bill Howell at the Babbitts. If you like listening to his stories, you can purchase on directly from Skeet on Facebook.

Skeet Gould was born in Prescott, AZ but currently lives in Red Bluff, CA. In part 1 of our conversation, we talk about his childhood, classing cattle horseback, horsemanship, and family. When talking about eradicating screwworms he said, ““The best thing for cowmen. The worst thing for cowboys. It also affected the horses. A horse used to be taught to run to cattle….” He tells a lot of cool stori...

In part 2 of my interview with Greg Snow we talk about the best part of living this lifestyle, the hardest place he’s ever left, and ranch horses. He also answers the question, “Are cowboys as good today as they were back in the day?” If you haven’t had a chance to listen to part 1, head over there first because we dive right in where we left off. Enjoy!

Greg Snow was raised in Twin Falls, ID. He grew up in sports; baseball, basketball, and football. He got a job at the stockyards and that was when he first became interested in cattle. He found out there were full time cowboy jobs from Kurt Marcus articles in the western horseman and he has had the “cowboy bug” ever since. After high school, he turned down a few football scholarships and instead b...

In part two of our conversation, Steve talks about some of the best parts of living the kind of lifestyle he lives. One of which is having the opportunity to work day to day with your family.

Steve Layton has been ranching on the Arizona Strip his entire life,  his family bought the ranch and moved from Southern Arizona in 1949. His grandkids are now the 5th generation on the ranch. I hope you enjoy part 1 of his story.

Part 2 of my conversation with Johnny Hill. In this episode, we continue our conversation about good horses and he also gives his definition of a cowboy, “Somebody that can take a horse and go work a cow and do what he needs to do without stirrin a bunch of stuff up.” Enjoy!

Johnny Hill is from the pan handle of Texas and one of the pieces of advice that he offers the younger generation is to, “Keep your mouth shut, your eyes open and leave your phone in your pocket.” Enjoy!

Today we dive right in to Part 2 of my interview with Tyson Johnson. If you haven't had a chance to listen to Part 1, I recommend starting back there. In todays episode, Tyson shares a little bit more of his background, some of the things he enjoys about this lifestyle, his definition of what makes a good hand, and a few "cowboy stories."

Tyson Johnson grew up in Kanab, UT and currently lives in Oklahoma where he is the manager of Sooner Cattle Company. In Part 1 of this episode, he talks about how he fell in love with this way of life and some of the early events that led him to where he is today.