Branding day on the Paulton Ranch

The smell of cinnamon rolls filled the house with a sweet, delightful smell. I woke up ready for the big day ahead. It was branding day at the Paulton Ranch, and I was ready for my favorite day of the year, our branding.
Outside my pony stood saddled, ready for the morning gather. The air was crisp and cool as we rode to the hay yard to meet with the other riders. Once in the pasture, the cows mooed for their calves, and the horses pranced through the pine trees and across the open meadows as we gathered the pasture.
All of the cattle started walking slowly toward headquarters, but the horses were frisky, not willing to stop. Thankfully though, all went well and nobody got hurt. Without even sorting the cattle, we left to gather the next group.
The first group was the heifers, or first-time momma cows. The second group we gathered was the experienced cows. When our cows go out to summer pasture, branding the calves is a way that anyone can identify to whom the cow belongs. This is why we have a branding every year.
There are many different methods ranchers use to brand their cattle—the main two ways being old-fashioned rope-and-drag branding and the other, using a small chute that tilts on its side, or a calf table. Our family uses the rope-and-drag method, and we invite a lot of friends, family and neighbors out for the event. In the weeks to come, we will return the favor and help at other ranchers’ brandings.
Our branding is usually one of the first of the spring, and I absolutely love having everybody out to our ranch to work cattle together. I thought about this as I sat on my pony and watched the guys start to sort the calves from their mothers. My dad, uncle and a few other men sorted the calves from the cows on foot in our corral system. Finally, a group of calves was walked down the alley to the branding pen.
The morning had been cool and misty, with a light rain. The calves were still soggy, so all of us — about 50 in total — walked up the hill to our shop where my mom had fresh cinnamon rolls and hot coffee waiting. Conversations echoed in the building as kids ran around and we waited for the sun to come out to begin.
About 40 minutes went by, and we decided it was time to start. Eager hands lined both sides of the branding pen opening, ready to team up to wrestle calves. Every person in the corral had a job, knew their place, and like a magnificently choreographed dance, the branding began. One by one, calves were roped by skilled cowboys — both heels for safety and comfort—dragged out of the pen, flanked by wrestling teams and quickly a hot iron branded the calf with a mark that showed ownership. We have three families on our ranch, so everybody was checking to make sure the correct brand marked the hip or the shoulder.
Three vaccinations were also given to each calf as knowledgeable people did once-over wellness checks. If the calf was a bull, it was castrated. Then the calf was let up and went into an alleyway were he was held until it was time to reunite the calves to their mothers.
This process was repeated until there were no more calves to brand. This day, we worked around 300 calves, but we do have 60 or so left to do later. I wrestled many calves, but mainly they were small ones. I didn’t want to wrestle the bigger calves, because they were a lot bigger than me! There were also shoulder-branded calves that were not my favorite to do because I had to stretch their front leg out for the brand to fit, and it’s just a little awkward.
I wrestled the head of the calf, which means that my right leg was on the calf’s neck, and I held on to the left front leg of the calf. While I was wrestling the calf, the smoke from the branding iron hit my nose, bringing out a smell of burning hair. All the time, we were laughing and talking with each other, enjoying the day and the fellowship. I looked at my partner and said, “Three shots and a brand? OK!” And together, we released the calf. Each calf ran off without a limp toward the waiting cows.
When both sets of calves were done, all of the branding help went back up to the shop and we all went through a line for a great meal that my aunt, mom and friends had provided. We ate until we were full, and maybe a little extra, too…and there was a lot of food!
Our branding is my favorite day of the year because I get to be with all my friends and work with one of my favorite animals—cows! Our branding was very exciting and fun this year, and I definitely got a workout! I also love the yummy food and working with the baby calves at the branding. I love helping with our family’s fourth generation ranch and all of the responsibilities that come with it.
As a 2025 South Dakota Junior Beef Ambassador, I love to share the stories and facts of our ranch life with others. Like my mom always says, “Know your rancher…know your food!”