Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
A cowboy and cowgirl herd a runaway cow down a fenced-off alley into a waiting trailer. This photo was a bit late in the tale, but I wanted to start with one of the better images, so you'll have to click on the arrow at top right to get the whole story.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
When I arrived at the alley between Minnesota and First Avenue South, just off South 30th Street, a woman on a four-wheeler and two lasso-slingers in a pickup were trying to catch the cow. I was told the cow had escaped from the Public Auction Yards, about half a mile east of there.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
The folks in the pickup try herding the cow down the alley.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
One of the people in the bed of the pickup misses an attempt at lassoing the cow.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
Walking down the alley, the cow elects to look at the photographer, when it could have looked over its left shoulder at the tallest building in Montana.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
A couple more people arrive to help with the capture, shortly after which a police officer, the first of three, also shows up.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
A horse trailer from the Public Auction Yards arrives with reinforcements.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
The fellow at left, who had been trying to lasso the cow from the back of the pickup, confers with one of the cowboys who showed up on horseback.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
This dog, sitting in one of the pickups involved in the capture, seemed to want desperately to get involved.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
I jumped up on the bumper of one of the pickups to photograph the cowboys when I saw this dead raccoon. I'm afraid I don't know his story.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
One of the cowboys rides toward the wary cow.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
The cow was excited enough to jump up with all four hooves off the ground.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
After making several unsuccessful attempts to squeeze between the vehicles and the fence, the cow finally runs into the waiting trailer, just ahead of the cowgirl.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
Who then tries to close the gate on the trailer.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
Things get a bit hectic when the cow starts ramming the gate, which had not yet been secured.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
With help from the ground crew, the gate is finally shut tight.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News permalink
Because the cow was now in the horse trailer, these two cowgirls have to ride the horses back to the auction yards. On Minnesota Avenue, they high-five each other over a job well done.
And some people think living in downtown Billings is uneventful.
My daughter called me about 3 in the afternoon Sunday to let me know that a cow was running loose on South 30th Street a block west of the Montana Rescue Mission. Since I live nearby, I raced down with my camera.
I took photos of several attempts to lasso the cow in a fenced-off alley that dead-ends at Montana Rail Link property, followed by the arrival of several police officers and then by some reinforcements equipped with horses and a horse trailer, who managed to get the recalcitrant cow into the trailer pretty quickly.
Everyone was too busy to give me much information, and frankly I was too busy to worry about the details. The photos tell the story, I think, though I do still wonder about the dead raccoon.
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