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Badluck Way( A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West)[BADLUCK WAY][Paperback]
Badluck Way( A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West) <> Paperback <> BryceAndrews <> AtriaBooks
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First published December 3, 2013
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March 4, 2014
It feels something of a privilege to read this acutely observed and deeply felt memoir by a thoughtful, literate, conservation-minded ranch hand in southwest Montana. He worked the Sun Ranch in the upper Madison River Valley of southwestern Montana only one year but did enough thinking for far more than that. In his early twenties, Andrews had experience working summers on a ranch outside of Billings, Montana, and was ready when he saw an advertisement for a six-month position as a Grazing Coordinator and Livestock Manager at the Sun Ranch.
Sun Ranch is centered in an important wildlife corridor in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wolves had been reintroduced to the area, and there were large populations of elk as well as grizzlies, lynx, mountain lion, and wolverines. The idea was to integrate ranching into a functional natural ecosystem.
I have mixed feelings about cattle ranching in the west and Andrews does, too: “Often, I was tempted to construe ranching as nothing more than a protracted act of violence.” The fences needed to manage cattle are barriers to free-ranging wild herds, and cattle, managed properly or not, can cause enormous damage to a fragile landscape. But Andrews allows us to consider all this while he shares with us reminiscences that hallow our history in the west: he was a cowboy in the modern day.
Wolves play an important part in this narrative. Since reintroduction, they had settled in the Madison River Valley, and one pack in particular, The Wedge Pack, lived above the ranch.
But the summer of 2006 was different, and the wolves changed up their diet to include Angus beef rather than just elk. Damage to the herd was responded to in the time-honored way: with a rifle. The revenge-killing of an alpha male wolf seemed to cut both ways for Andrews. Concerned with preservation of the wilderness and wildness of the area, he deplored the necessity of killing the predators in the ecosystem but recognized the necessity for it. “Like the Wedge Pack, we did our best to make a living from a hard place.”
Andrews is a wild thing also, like those wolves he talks about.
Andrews managed to find a job that ordered the priorities in his life: he could be in places and do things he really enjoyed and that matter to him and the larger world. He stepped away from the noise of our everyday lives to observe, think, and write. “I am living at the center of my heart’s geography.” We are lucky he took the time to share his findings and remind us of cowboys and the wildlife corridors left in our hearts.
Marcie Stillman conducts a KUOW radio interview with Bryce Andrews that allows us to understand his motivations: “I was my best self when I was working out-of-doors.” “That landscape had beauty and brutality as its two defining qualities.”
The publishers website has two short videos of Bryce Andrews talking about his work and his reading. I received a galley of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sun Ranch is centered in an important wildlife corridor in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wolves had been reintroduced to the area, and there were large populations of elk as well as grizzlies, lynx, mountain lion, and wolverines. The idea was to integrate ranching into a functional natural ecosystem.
I have mixed feelings about cattle ranching in the west and Andrews does, too: “Often, I was tempted to construe ranching as nothing more than a protracted act of violence.” The fences needed to manage cattle are barriers to free-ranging wild herds, and cattle, managed properly or not, can cause enormous damage to a fragile landscape. But Andrews allows us to consider all this while he shares with us reminiscences that hallow our history in the west: he was a cowboy in the modern day.
“Day followed wild day, and over time amounted to a process of seasonal change. Immersion in that constant cycling was the ranch hand’s highest privilege.”
Wolves play an important part in this narrative. Since reintroduction, they had settled in the Madison River Valley, and one pack in particular, The Wedge Pack, lived above the ranch.
”The Wedge Pack, like most others, was a family unit centered on a single breeding pair. Aerial surveys had reported that two consecutive litters of pups had been successfully raised in the foothills and steep valleys behind the Sun…The ranch had been lucky last year. The wolves had stuck to killing elk, and the cattle had come home fat at the end of the summer.”
But the summer of 2006 was different, and the wolves changed up their diet to include Angus beef rather than just elk. Damage to the herd was responded to in the time-honored way: with a rifle. The revenge-killing of an alpha male wolf seemed to cut both ways for Andrews. Concerned with preservation of the wilderness and wildness of the area, he deplored the necessity of killing the predators in the ecosystem but recognized the necessity for it. “Like the Wedge Pack, we did our best to make a living from a hard place.”
Andrews is a wild thing also, like those wolves he talks about.
”Every night, at or after sunset, I ran the benches and hills of the Sun Ranch. I’ll admit I was looking for trouble. When I saw deer or elk from a long way off, I tried to sneak up on them. Using the features of the land—little dips and swales I had never noticed before—I did my best to get close.
It was wicked, feral fun. I drew near herds of deer, elk, and antelope, sometimes crawling on my hands and knees to stay hidden in the sage and grass. When the animals saw or smelled me, I sprinted toward them, scattering them to the horizon. They always left me in the dust, alone and smiling under a many-colored sky.
I chased everything I could—coyotes, jackrabbits, and a badger who unexpectedly turned to fight. Once, in a moment of extremely poor judgment, I ran a black bear up Moose Creek and then looked over my shoulder all the way back down. There was never any malice in it, only simple joy. I loved to feel the wind, lay claim to my landscape by crossing it, and watch the deer outpace me before disappearing in the rising night.”
Andrews managed to find a job that ordered the priorities in his life: he could be in places and do things he really enjoyed and that matter to him and the larger world. He stepped away from the noise of our everyday lives to observe, think, and write. “I am living at the center of my heart’s geography.” We are lucky he took the time to share his findings and remind us of cowboys and the wildlife corridors left in our hearts.
Marcie Stillman conducts a KUOW radio interview with Bryce Andrews that allows us to understand his motivations: “I was my best self when I was working out-of-doors.” “That landscape had beauty and brutality as its two defining qualities.”
The publishers website has two short videos of Bryce Andrews talking about his work and his reading. I received a galley of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 1, 2018
4.5. Can't believe no one in my GR network has read this. Highly recommended. Gorgeous writing. I thought it would be another book about being a cowboy, but it's about trying to reconcile conservation ranching with... well, can you? Is conservation ranching an oxymoron? I had to conclude that it is. The Sun Ranch in SW Montana (near Yellowstone), where Andrews works as a hand for a year, is right on a major wildlife corridor. Its mission is to run cattle while also serving the interests of the elk and other wildlife who need that land. That includes wolves. At first they hope they can somehow keep the wolves out...after all, the elk are in the highlands in the summer, and the cattle are shipped out to the feedlots in the fall and winter.
Soon enough, though, the wolves figure out how easy it is to munch on cattle.
You see, it's hard being a wolf. You're smaller than your prey. It takes a ton of calories to run it down. You don't have claws, only teeth. You can only hunt in collaboration with your family. Pretty much as soon as you eat what you kill, you're hungry again. You don't have the metabolism of a cat, where one kill will see you through a week or more. Think about your dog. He'd eat all day and all night if you let him.
Think about hunter gatherers. Esp the early ones, the mammoth hunters. They were a lot the same. They went up against much larger prey with only spears. Neanderthal bones have so many injuries they match only rodeo cowboys. Hunting buffalo prior to horses was much the same. No doubt because of these parallels, many indigenous North American peoples called the wolf "brother."
Running cattle wasn't paying on The Sun, and not just because of wolves. Yes, the wolves were killing some of the cattle, and causing anxiety and therefore weightloss--decreased profits--among the rest. Andrews didn't think this was SO high a price to pay. However, I don't think cattle ranching has ever paid except in its very early years when rich guys from back east were grabbing up free cattle running loose and grazing them over free land, getting free easements for railroads, etc. Once Lincoln, Greeley, and their heirs sent in the homesteaders as cannon fodder to bust up their empires, it was over. Most ranchers I'm aware of supplement by guiding--elk, mostly. This means they have to guarantee hunters their kills, which means they have to keep their bull elk numbers very high. Which means they can't afford wolves on that front either.
But really all of this is a hobby. They're investing in land, oil, and water. Or they've investing in other things entirely, just holding on to the old place for sentimental reasons or for the subsidies.
Meanwhile, Andrews talks about how cowboys are wired to see themselves as man against nature. "Man" includes the ranch, its animals, including the horses, dogs, and cows, and the humans who live there. Nature includes everythings else. It's a war. So anything that harms the cattle is an enemy. And the wolves do brutally harm the cattle, no matter what the environmentalists may tell you. I'm about as pro-wolf as it gets. (Not in favor of reintroduction, but if they come on their own I'm all about that.) Put a cow right in front of a wolf and it's gonna make steak. I guess. I do wonder about non-reintroduced wolves, though... That pack in California that *no one knew* was there? No one knew, right? So that implies they weren't eating anyone's cows. We've got wolves here in Colorado. There's an argument as to whether they've packed up, but there are enough for at least one pack. No cow depredations so far. Are they better if they come on their own vs being put somewhere? If so, why? I also couldn't help wondering how these wolves got to be so different from Farley Mowat's wolves, though I suppose gray/timber wolves are a different species from arctic/tundra wolves. Finally, as an energy worker, I couldn't help thinking, why don't they bring in an animal communicator? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwHH...
Back to the ranchers' wiring... Andrews describes an incident in which a cow will not cooperate and train up with the other cattle. One of the other cowboys ends up beating her half to death with a knotted rope.
There really is nothing humane about any of this. As Andrews notes... you're killing wolves to keep a few extra cows alive so they can be slaughtered within a year anyway.
And don't even get me started on the separation of the calves from the mothers before they're ready, which happens on these ranches.
Though there are a lot of things that The Sun does right, like watering the cattle separately instead of along natural streams, which they would destroy. Nothing drives me more nuts that hiking through fragile high-altitude "wilderness" areas that for some reason have grazing allotments, where the streams are full of cow shit.
The problem, though, is what other options are there? Quit the ranches and develop the land for millionaires instead? What would happen to the wildlife then? Something tells me the wolves would fare no better. I was talking to an environmental analyst for energy companies about wind siting--he said the ranchers in the upper Rockies would LOVE to have wind up there. They'd like nothing better to get out of livestock in the montane environments, but putting wind power is dicey in these wildlife-rich corridors for all the same reasons. Wind needs to go in the corn fields of the midwest, where everything has already been killed off.
So I dunno. Ranchers seem to have painted themselves into a corner, having held on to this land far too long. What this means for the wolves is nothing good.
All this is the backdrop for Andrews's personal story, which is moving and beautifully told.
Soon enough, though, the wolves figure out how easy it is to munch on cattle.
You see, it's hard being a wolf. You're smaller than your prey. It takes a ton of calories to run it down. You don't have claws, only teeth. You can only hunt in collaboration with your family. Pretty much as soon as you eat what you kill, you're hungry again. You don't have the metabolism of a cat, where one kill will see you through a week or more. Think about your dog. He'd eat all day and all night if you let him.
Think about hunter gatherers. Esp the early ones, the mammoth hunters. They were a lot the same. They went up against much larger prey with only spears. Neanderthal bones have so many injuries they match only rodeo cowboys. Hunting buffalo prior to horses was much the same. No doubt because of these parallels, many indigenous North American peoples called the wolf "brother."
Running cattle wasn't paying on The Sun, and not just because of wolves. Yes, the wolves were killing some of the cattle, and causing anxiety and therefore weightloss--decreased profits--among the rest. Andrews didn't think this was SO high a price to pay. However, I don't think cattle ranching has ever paid except in its very early years when rich guys from back east were grabbing up free cattle running loose and grazing them over free land, getting free easements for railroads, etc. Once Lincoln, Greeley, and their heirs sent in the homesteaders as cannon fodder to bust up their empires, it was over. Most ranchers I'm aware of supplement by guiding--elk, mostly. This means they have to guarantee hunters their kills, which means they have to keep their bull elk numbers very high. Which means they can't afford wolves on that front either.
But really all of this is a hobby. They're investing in land, oil, and water. Or they've investing in other things entirely, just holding on to the old place for sentimental reasons or for the subsidies.
Meanwhile, Andrews talks about how cowboys are wired to see themselves as man against nature. "Man" includes the ranch, its animals, including the horses, dogs, and cows, and the humans who live there. Nature includes everythings else. It's a war. So anything that harms the cattle is an enemy. And the wolves do brutally harm the cattle, no matter what the environmentalists may tell you. I'm about as pro-wolf as it gets. (Not in favor of reintroduction, but if they come on their own I'm all about that.) Put a cow right in front of a wolf and it's gonna make steak. I guess. I do wonder about non-reintroduced wolves, though... That pack in California that *no one knew* was there? No one knew, right? So that implies they weren't eating anyone's cows. We've got wolves here in Colorado. There's an argument as to whether they've packed up, but there are enough for at least one pack. No cow depredations so far. Are they better if they come on their own vs being put somewhere? If so, why? I also couldn't help wondering how these wolves got to be so different from Farley Mowat's wolves, though I suppose gray/timber wolves are a different species from arctic/tundra wolves. Finally, as an energy worker, I couldn't help thinking, why don't they bring in an animal communicator? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwHH...
Back to the ranchers' wiring... Andrews describes an incident in which a cow will not cooperate and train up with the other cattle. One of the other cowboys ends up beating her half to death with a knotted rope.
There really is nothing humane about any of this. As Andrews notes... you're killing wolves to keep a few extra cows alive so they can be slaughtered within a year anyway.
And don't even get me started on the separation of the calves from the mothers before they're ready, which happens on these ranches.
Though there are a lot of things that The Sun does right, like watering the cattle separately instead of along natural streams, which they would destroy. Nothing drives me more nuts that hiking through fragile high-altitude "wilderness" areas that for some reason have grazing allotments, where the streams are full of cow shit.
The problem, though, is what other options are there? Quit the ranches and develop the land for millionaires instead? What would happen to the wildlife then? Something tells me the wolves would fare no better. I was talking to an environmental analyst for energy companies about wind siting--he said the ranchers in the upper Rockies would LOVE to have wind up there. They'd like nothing better to get out of livestock in the montane environments, but putting wind power is dicey in these wildlife-rich corridors for all the same reasons. Wind needs to go in the corn fields of the midwest, where everything has already been killed off.
So I dunno. Ranchers seem to have painted themselves into a corner, having held on to this land far too long. What this means for the wolves is nothing good.
All this is the backdrop for Andrews's personal story, which is moving and beautifully told.
December 23, 2013
Saddle up cowpokes, it’s time to ride! Badluck Way by Bryce Andrews recounts his year spent on a remote ranch in Montana, living the life of a modern day cowboy and learning about what kind of man he really is. In the beauty of Montana, the author learned that looks are not everything, there could be danger lurking around the bend, for himself, his cattle and the land itself.
Mr. Andrews admits he had no idea what he was getting into, from the long hours working hard to the freezing temperatures, the wild animals, but that for all he gave of himself, he received back so much more. Beautifully written, the pages come to life and sweep the reader into the saddle, out under the stars, doing whatever it takes to keep his charges safe from harm. As he watches the wonders of nature and the hierarchy of the predators and prey, you can feel his love for the land, for what he is doing throughout. To imagine that this was someone’s life, and the type of personality it takes for this job, and the life experiences learned is fascinating.
This is not an action and adventure trip to the Old West, this is a modern day story of a man tough enough to learn to live with nature and really learn what it takes to be a cowboy in love with the land and the life.
I received an ARC edition from Atria Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781476710839
Genre: Memoirs/Nature
Number of pages: 256
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Mr. Andrews admits he had no idea what he was getting into, from the long hours working hard to the freezing temperatures, the wild animals, but that for all he gave of himself, he received back so much more. Beautifully written, the pages come to life and sweep the reader into the saddle, out under the stars, doing whatever it takes to keep his charges safe from harm. As he watches the wonders of nature and the hierarchy of the predators and prey, you can feel his love for the land, for what he is doing throughout. To imagine that this was someone’s life, and the type of personality it takes for this job, and the life experiences learned is fascinating.
This is not an action and adventure trip to the Old West, this is a modern day story of a man tough enough to learn to live with nature and really learn what it takes to be a cowboy in love with the land and the life.
I received an ARC edition from Atria Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781476710839
Genre: Memoirs/Nature
Number of pages: 256
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
March 4, 2014
I won this book (an ARC copy) on a Goodreads giveaway and what luck that was. I was blown away by what a fantastic writer Bryce Andrews is. For a good memoir, the writer needs to have a story to tell and the skill to tell it well. Andrews has both in spades. The reader gets to spend a year with Andrews on a cattle ranch on acres and acres of wild land in Montana. He has just the gift to be able to say what is in his heart and to bring the reader right to the edge of his thinking. This is a conflicted story of the clash between ranching and its encroachment on the existing wildlife, in particular wolves that have been reintroduced to nearby Yellowstone and have spread into human-inhabited lands. The author is as impartial as possible in such a setting, but you feel his anguish at doing what is necessary to protect his cattle. We all really live in a dance with nature, but it is thrown into vivid relief in that wide-open land. I really loved this book and loved the fact that Andrews was able to show that there are no easy answers; life is full of ambiguities. We do the best we can and, in our quiet moments, ponder the morality of our paths.
March 4, 2014
Bryce Andrews may have had an impossible dream. A Seattle boy who had a bit of wanderlust in his early 20s, he got a job on a ranch in Montana, hard by Yellowstone Park, where there was a commitment both to honoring wildlife and to caring for livestock. His coworkers teach him how to perform all the ranch tasks – a lot of time goes into fence maintenance – and he is an apt pupil. I think it was particularly appropriate that I read this during a snow storm. The passages describing his long days of winter maintenance could only increase my awe for his coping with the physical demands of his work.
Early on in the book, Andrews telegraphs two big issues in the West: wolves versus cattle; development versus preservation. He loves the land, the animals wild and domesticated, and the work; and it is clear which values he wants to embrace. But ranches lose money, and the lure of development dollars puts forth a siren call to landowners.
Even more germane to the book, the conflict between wolves and cattle is a delicate dance, very difficult to manage even with vigilance. As long as the wolves remain in the high country and pursue elk, the cattle are safe. As soon as they have the taste of a heifer, the herds are in danger. Because he has sympathy for all the four-footed creatures, Andrews has a particular dread for the time when they might collide. And because he does not wish to take sides, he also writes passages from the standpoint of the wolves, to give them a narrative as well.
Andrews writes with great skill of the landscape and the work. His personal story is a beautiful and brutal reflection of the larger issues and of the depth to which the Western landscape is embedded in our consciousness.
Early on in the book, Andrews telegraphs two big issues in the West: wolves versus cattle; development versus preservation. He loves the land, the animals wild and domesticated, and the work; and it is clear which values he wants to embrace. But ranches lose money, and the lure of development dollars puts forth a siren call to landowners.
Even more germane to the book, the conflict between wolves and cattle is a delicate dance, very difficult to manage even with vigilance. As long as the wolves remain in the high country and pursue elk, the cattle are safe. As soon as they have the taste of a heifer, the herds are in danger. Because he has sympathy for all the four-footed creatures, Andrews has a particular dread for the time when they might collide. And because he does not wish to take sides, he also writes passages from the standpoint of the wolves, to give them a narrative as well.
Andrews writes with great skill of the landscape and the work. His personal story is a beautiful and brutal reflection of the larger issues and of the depth to which the Western landscape is embedded in our consciousness.
May 2, 2018
When we think of the West we often think of the past...or at least those of us suffering from incurable East Coast bias do. Andrews memoir of his first year as a ranch hand is a concise and clear-eyed look at what a modern Western life entails. There is no sugarcoating, no romanticism, just the land, the grind, and the moving and often violent life among animals tame and wild. Somehow Badluck Way made me both glad to live in a city and had me yearning for the country...
June 3, 2017
A well written story of a young man spending a year working a cattle ranch in Montana. Andrews gives a glimpse into the life of a ranch hand, but also captures the conflicting interests facing ranching in the west of conservation, economics, development, and tourism. Not sickly sweet like some authors who romanticize nature, the writing is clean and makes you want to enjoy a sunny day outdoors in the west. Recommended.
January 20, 2018
3.75 stars. A spare, eloquent memoir of ranching and wolves in Montana. The author balances the dynamics of a fraught topic and the different perspectives of the various parties in a sensitive way. This book felt contemplative and thoughtful. It’s not a rollicking adventure story, rather a series of essays about life in this part of the world.
April 21, 2021
The writing is exquisite on a topic for which I have little interest. I can't even remember how I came to this book. I'm glad I did.
Andrew manages to include many perspectives about wolves living in cattle country Montana; all, of course, through his lens. Actually it's more like cattle living in wolf country.
Andrew manages to include many perspectives about wolves living in cattle country Montana; all, of course, through his lens. Actually it's more like cattle living in wolf country.
March 22, 2021
I liked it more than I thought I might!
June 13, 2023
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book but I actually really liked it. It was a simple memoir that definitely wasn’t a page turner but was a good palette-cleanser of a book. It was interesting to hear perspectives on land management from ranchers in the West.
October 12, 2020
Excellent book about ranches and wolves and wilderness. I read his book about grizzlies (Down From the Mountain) and enjoyed it... this was even better. Andrews does a great job tackling controversial topics by following the adage of "Show, don't tell."
September 14, 2016
Badluck Way: A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West by Bryce Andrews (Atria Books 2014) (Biography). When this story opens, author Bryce Andrews is living as a ranchhand on the twenty thousand acre Sun Ranch in southwest Montana above Yellowstone. As described by Andrews, the Sun Ranch practices sustainable ranching and incorporates mostly environmentally conscious farming methods. The ranch is part of the migration route and the winter range for thousands of elk, deer, and other wild ruminants. The ranch itself served as the summer host for thousands of cattle from another ranch on a “per head” feeding basis. All seemed well in this vast western kingdom – until the wolves moved into the territory and began killing cattle. When the ranch owner had clear eyewitness proof that the cattle had been killed by wolves, the rancher went on the offensive. With the permission of the Fish, Wildlife & Park Service, an order was issued which authorized the Sun Ranch to kill two wolves in an attempt to control the predation. Soon thereafter the author shot and killed a big adult male wolf on the ranch. After a second wolf was shot and killed, the wolfpack withdrew from the ranch and retreated into the depths of the neighboring Lee Metcalf Wilderness. This then becomes the story of how the deaths of the wolves affected both the wolfpack and the author/wolf killer. This is a very effective piece of writing. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 9/13/16.
November 16, 2015
Subtitled: A year on the ragged edge of the west.
Andrews was out of work and relationships when he applied for a job that took him from Seattle to Montana. He'd previously worked summers on ranches, so the prospect of doing this for decent pay was alluring.
The Sun Ranch was next to Yellowstone National Park which had reintroduced wolves in 1995, as the top predators in the ecosystem. As the land was particularly rugged some work was done on horseback and some on four-wheeled bikes. Wooded canyons and mountainsides were home to elk and bear, so the cattle were grazed only during summer and moved around to mimic the ecosystem, in the hope that predators would keep down elk during winter and leave cattle alone. Some local wolves were radio-collared to try to keep track of the pack.
Andrews describes the hard, repetitive physical labour, fence-mending and driving, and how he came to feel like a steward of the cattle which depended on him for safety. There were bones of elk scattered everywhere. Occasionally he saw large predators and wildlife was abundant. At length the wolves resident in the area had culled the elk sufficiently that they started preying on cattle, and then their days were numbered.
I read this thinking of various things that could have been done differently. The cattle were managed with absolutely minimal staff, often two or three persons on the whole large spread. Cheapness costs, and people need jobs. If every lost heifer cost a thousand dollars, and weight was run off the rest, why not hire another few hands for summer herding? Nobody knew where individual heifers were most of the time. Why not radiocollar some of them? The cattle were only destined for beef at the end of the year, unlike the wolves which had irreplaceable genetic stock and did the ranch a favour weeding out the grazing elk. Is four or five heifers too big a loss? Could eco-tourism, instead of the few rather pathetic unfit hunters who came in search of a nicely set up elk during winter, compensate?
Andrews doesn't make any such suggestions, noting merely that his fear of development died with the economic crash and that instead of staying there for a permanent job, as had occurred to him, he moved on. This is a somewhat one-sided memoir as we get no sense of growth of the narrator in relation to personal relationships. Nothing personal of that nature is revealed. His admiration for nature however remained.
Andrews was out of work and relationships when he applied for a job that took him from Seattle to Montana. He'd previously worked summers on ranches, so the prospect of doing this for decent pay was alluring.
The Sun Ranch was next to Yellowstone National Park which had reintroduced wolves in 1995, as the top predators in the ecosystem. As the land was particularly rugged some work was done on horseback and some on four-wheeled bikes. Wooded canyons and mountainsides were home to elk and bear, so the cattle were grazed only during summer and moved around to mimic the ecosystem, in the hope that predators would keep down elk during winter and leave cattle alone. Some local wolves were radio-collared to try to keep track of the pack.
Andrews describes the hard, repetitive physical labour, fence-mending and driving, and how he came to feel like a steward of the cattle which depended on him for safety. There were bones of elk scattered everywhere. Occasionally he saw large predators and wildlife was abundant. At length the wolves resident in the area had culled the elk sufficiently that they started preying on cattle, and then their days were numbered.
I read this thinking of various things that could have been done differently. The cattle were managed with absolutely minimal staff, often two or three persons on the whole large spread. Cheapness costs, and people need jobs. If every lost heifer cost a thousand dollars, and weight was run off the rest, why not hire another few hands for summer herding? Nobody knew where individual heifers were most of the time. Why not radiocollar some of them? The cattle were only destined for beef at the end of the year, unlike the wolves which had irreplaceable genetic stock and did the ranch a favour weeding out the grazing elk. Is four or five heifers too big a loss? Could eco-tourism, instead of the few rather pathetic unfit hunters who came in search of a nicely set up elk during winter, compensate?
Andrews doesn't make any such suggestions, noting merely that his fear of development died with the economic crash and that instead of staying there for a permanent job, as had occurred to him, he moved on. This is a somewhat one-sided memoir as we get no sense of growth of the narrator in relation to personal relationships. Nothing personal of that nature is revealed. His admiration for nature however remained.
June 13, 2014
The title has nothing to do with Bryce Andrews' luck, in fact I think his year's experience working on the 18,000 acre Sun Ranch in Montana was pretty marvelous. But a federal government regulation, the Postal Service's requirement that all those nameless private ranch roads be named, inspired Roger, the Sun Ranch owner, to choose the name of a nearby creek coming from a small canyon that had been named in the rather joking manner of cowboys many years past. And the story of that naming deals with the ways wildlife can surprise us, throw us off balance. Western ranchers today, especially those with such vast lands at the base of great mountains and just below designated wilderness, are squeezed between laws that reflect the interests and sentiments of many Americans and traditional ranching lifestyle and values. The law and those values clash when wolves begin hunting the ranges again. I could really identify and sympathize with Bryce, who seems like such a quiet, confident, skilled young man. I'm familiar with the Madison Valley, at least from having driven the highway through the valley and along the Madison Mountains many times. He describes the natural beauty and the harsh work beautifully and accurately. He really appreciates all the animals, domestic and wild, respects them and wants them to enjoy their lives. Like him, I've walked along the Madison River just inside the boundary of Yellowstone Park and wondered at the hundreds of scattered white elk bones and carcass remains along its banks. My experience there was long before the wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone and so quickly thrived and spread widely. Most Americans love the idea of the wolf free and wild, and Yellowstone has more visitors now who hope to spot a wolf than ones who want to see a geyser. But wolves do what they have to do to live, and within careful government regulation, ranchers deal with them. Bryce was very conflicted in his experiences, not just with the wolves and other predators, but with how ranches with so much habitat can be preserved and still be ranches. There is no preaching or formula answers, just lovely description of his experiences and calm reflection. The ending is a mix of good and bad news, like so much of the modern world trying to deal with the wild world. (But why oh why did the publisher choose for the cover a stock picture of the Bridger Mountains instead of the Madisons? And yes, I know authors have no control over that).
February 16, 2020
I have my degree in Rangeland Ecology, and found myself drawn to this book. His time and description of the ranch reminds me of my days in South Dakota working cattle, which are some of the best memories of my life so far. Something about the work just makes you feel alive, and I was constantly amazed by the beauty of the earth.
I can relate to his struggles with the two sides of himself. The one that understands that raising animals is hard, dirty job, but very rewarding. The other the wonders if we have made a mistake with letting livestock dictate where wildlife belongs.
While it is a thought provoking book, the writing is still pretty amateur and I just didn’t feel like it reached its full potential.
I can relate to his struggles with the two sides of himself. The one that understands that raising animals is hard, dirty job, but very rewarding. The other the wonders if we have made a mistake with letting livestock dictate where wildlife belongs.
While it is a thought provoking book, the writing is still pretty amateur and I just didn’t feel like it reached its full potential.
February 10, 2014
A soulful memoir by a young man in which the mythic and romantic West collide with the harsh reality of the place-beauty and brutality in full spectrum. Bryce is a city kid from Seattle who gets a job as a range hand on the beautiful Sun Ranch south of Ennis, Montana. He chronicles his apprenticeship of hard work and his thoughtful introspection of the land he works. It's a lot like the 2011 book, Fire Season by Philip Connors-an ode to nature. But Andrews' reverie is cruelly jolted when the wolves he has admired fleetingly and from afar creep up and start killing the cows instead of the elk. These cows are his responsibility. He is their protector. Reluctantly he realizes he must do the unthinkable. His compatriots wonder if he is up to the challenge to go after the wolves and kill them. Andrew is no shirker. He does his duty and it continues to haunt him. Just a beautiful but also at time an elegiac book on man and nature.
June 30, 2014
I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway! This a great, quick little summer read. Andrews starts his adventure off as a summer hand on a eco-ranch in Montana. In between physical tasks such as mending fences and learning to care for cattle, a tense situation occurs when a wolf pack who was reintroduced to Yellowstone moves into the area and begins killing cattle. The author must weigh his ecological beliefs and great respect for the wolves with protecting the heard of cattle and the good of the ranch. Andrews is a talented writer and paints a vivid picture of the wide-open Montana scenery. He is great at explaining the delicate balance of cattle ranching, respecting the environment, and the consequences of developing the rural farms in the plains.
December 1, 2015
This was a wonderful read. Andrews has a way with words that will capture the reader's imagination and put him/her in his boots. I love the way he lays out the facts in such an honest way. Ranching is not all happy campfires and rides into the sunset. I'm glad that I was able to read this book and live what he lived. I got just a taste of what it is really like to work a ranch. I loved this book, but it isn't for everyone; if you have a weak stomach or a soft heart for animals you may want to pass this one by. Otherwise, I would recommend it to everyone. Five out of five stars for Badluck Way!
May 29, 2015
I listened to this on audio while driving across Wyoming. Maybe it was the scenery or my many trips to Wyoming and Montana, but when Bryce Andrews wrote of the ranch as his heart's geographical center, I found myself entranced by my own love for and the many miles I have driven around the West. Perhaps what I liked best about this book was Andrews' very real, very personal struggle with wolf conservation. It is never black-and-white with him, except perhaps in one -fateful- instant. This was one of those books that made me homesick with love for this hard landscape, even while I was driving through it. Beautifully told.
July 7, 2016
There's something about the west that speaks to me and feels like meditation. These types of books really bring out the need I have to see this country. Well written and bring to mind the very interesting conversation about the coexistence of man, livestock and nature.
April 16, 2019
Enjoyable recounting of a year in the Madison Valley of Montana working as a ranch hand. The writing about the wolf encounters was the most gripping but overall this was a good but not spectacular book.
March 10, 2016
It was good and maybe if I didn't live in Montana I would have appreciated it more. I felt he romanticized so much of it and I had a hard time relating when he did that.
December 11, 2019
3.5 stars
some gruesome, brutalizing scenes with animals
yet decent writing
This is ranching! Fixing fences and tending the livestock, cattle. And, keeping the predators at bay.
some gruesome, brutalizing scenes with animals
yet decent writing
This is ranching! Fixing fences and tending the livestock, cattle. And, keeping the predators at bay.
June 30, 2016
The book Badluck Way by Bryce Andrews has an interesting perceptive on the circle of life. This story starts off about a young boy who is confused on what he wants to do in life. He took many adventures trying to find what would suit him best. He finally saw an advertisement about working on a ranch. He knew from past experience that this would be a gig he could enjoy. This was the first step of him finding a hobby he could settle down and finally relax. However, when he first arrived on the ranch there was a massive wolf problem. A pack of wolves had been killing heifers, sheep and other animals such as elk. Throughout the story the main character starts to get to know the ranch very well. He starts to adventure throughout the ranch getting to know trails. He also explores the ranch to get a better feeling of the moves these animals would make. This character had run ins with a couple wolves but had never killed one. Finally, after many dead animals, the character was forced with the decision to kill the pack of wolves. When the time came and they had there first run in, they believed they had killed the alpha wolf. This killing of the wolf didn’t seem to stop the pack. The crimes these wolves committed continued to grow. This led the decision by Jeremy and Rodger, who ran the ranch, to call in Wildlife services. A man named Chad was assigned to the job. He had to fill 3 permits of dead wolfs and he did, indeed, fill all 3. After this the rest of the pack vanished and there had been no more wolf kills. The main character was ready to move on from the ranch after many years of hard work. But just before his departure, there had been another wolf spotting. When he went to explore this, he checked a wolfs’ dens and found a whole new baby pack of wolves. The Sun Ranch was about to experience another wolf problem.
One thing the author, Bryce Andrews, does a good job of is showing imagery through words. He is able to make this book seem as if it were a picture book. He uses quotes, such as, “Panting, bleeding from a half dozen cuts, and stretching wire like a maniac, I would look up to see James’s battered cowboy hat, red goatee, and broad shoulders pop over a ridge.” (Andrews 37). Throughout the book Andrews is able to do a good job at describing peoples looks. He gives you a good idea at what the character wore and how the character acted. “With this, he delivered the most savage beating I had ever witnessed. Leaning back, James swung the knot in circles, fast enough to make it hiss.” (Andrews 109). Andrews is describing the time James beat his horse because it wasn’t moving. He is showing the actions that James as a character would take. But, these are actions that the main character would not have taken. It makes you feel as if you are right there while the horse is getting beat. I got a sick stomach just reading the whole paragraph. Then Andrews would go into little details, “They looked even worse. In addition to being yellow, my palms were torn to pieces. A number of calluses, softened by sweat or the tanning agent, had torn loose. The raw, new skin beneath them oozed clear liquid with a slight red tint. Andrews described something as little as a blister, to make it feel like they were on your own hands. Not only is Andrews able to describe a characters features and actions well. But, he is also able to describe the features of the place they’re at extremely well. Andrews would say things, such as, “I hiked uphill toward the gorgeous, rock-sided slit in the mountains that gave birth to Squaw Creek. Low clouds blew in from the southwest, and the canyon gobbled them up.” (Andrews 94). He also said, “The wolves were relentless, churning through six inches of fresh power and taking turns pushing the pace.” (Andrews 125). In the first quote, Andrews is describing a scenery that the character sees. He is painting a picture in your mind, so that you can get the same feel as the character. The second quote talks about the time he witnessed a real life wolf attack. He described in words, how the wolves would hunt there pray. He talked about the things wolves did to stalk the pray. Then he finished with how the wolves attacked the pray, such as, biting the neck. This not only gave an image to the reader of what the character was seeing. But it also informed the reader of how wolves actually hunt their pray in real life. Finally, the last thing I enjoyed was the ending to the book. He talked about how there had been a wolf spotting. Little did he know there was a whole new baby pack of wolves, “With my heart beating in my throat, I scooted backward toward daylight and safety, pulled free of the den, and was about to flee when the second sound reached me. Though at first I couldn’t believe it, I heard the pups mewling from the underground dark.” (Andrews 228). This makes the reader want to know what is to come. You want to keep reading to know what is about to happens next, but there is no next.
There is not a lot I could say Andrews did wrong when writing the book Badluck Way. I thought he describes things that were happening on the ranch and around the ranch really well. He kept you informed and if not he informed you on things you needed to know. He put pictures in your head to make you feel as if you were there. But, when reading this book there was one part I came across that upset me. I felt like this whole book was about the wolves and how they affected Sun Ranch. So when the time came and Chad, the wildlife services employee, came to get rid of the wolves, it seemed as if it just ended. All they said was, “Chad filled all three permits. The bodies of the Judas wolf and the two others were collected and flown to Bozeman. The rest of the pack vanished, so far as anyone could tell, into the wild folds of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. That was the end of it.” (Andrews 207). Andrews only explained how one wolf got caught and they placed a transmitter on her. He explained how the wolf was being tracked and that he had hoped the rain would wipe out the signal. Then next thing you know three wolves are dead and the pack had fled. I just wish at this time of the book they had explained how the wolves had been killed. I felt like throughout the book, Andrews used such key detail when describing what was happening with the wolves. But, when the most important key part came, he lacked attention to detail. I was disappointed in this because of the part the wolves had played through out the book, and the job Andrews had done at describing things. Beside that little part I thought Andrews had over all written a truly specially book. A book that described detail and gave imagery like no other book I have read.
One thing the author, Bryce Andrews, does a good job of is showing imagery through words. He is able to make this book seem as if it were a picture book. He uses quotes, such as, “Panting, bleeding from a half dozen cuts, and stretching wire like a maniac, I would look up to see James’s battered cowboy hat, red goatee, and broad shoulders pop over a ridge.” (Andrews 37). Throughout the book Andrews is able to do a good job at describing peoples looks. He gives you a good idea at what the character wore and how the character acted. “With this, he delivered the most savage beating I had ever witnessed. Leaning back, James swung the knot in circles, fast enough to make it hiss.” (Andrews 109). Andrews is describing the time James beat his horse because it wasn’t moving. He is showing the actions that James as a character would take. But, these are actions that the main character would not have taken. It makes you feel as if you are right there while the horse is getting beat. I got a sick stomach just reading the whole paragraph. Then Andrews would go into little details, “They looked even worse. In addition to being yellow, my palms were torn to pieces. A number of calluses, softened by sweat or the tanning agent, had torn loose. The raw, new skin beneath them oozed clear liquid with a slight red tint. Andrews described something as little as a blister, to make it feel like they were on your own hands. Not only is Andrews able to describe a characters features and actions well. But, he is also able to describe the features of the place they’re at extremely well. Andrews would say things, such as, “I hiked uphill toward the gorgeous, rock-sided slit in the mountains that gave birth to Squaw Creek. Low clouds blew in from the southwest, and the canyon gobbled them up.” (Andrews 94). He also said, “The wolves were relentless, churning through six inches of fresh power and taking turns pushing the pace.” (Andrews 125). In the first quote, Andrews is describing a scenery that the character sees. He is painting a picture in your mind, so that you can get the same feel as the character. The second quote talks about the time he witnessed a real life wolf attack. He described in words, how the wolves would hunt there pray. He talked about the things wolves did to stalk the pray. Then he finished with how the wolves attacked the pray, such as, biting the neck. This not only gave an image to the reader of what the character was seeing. But it also informed the reader of how wolves actually hunt their pray in real life. Finally, the last thing I enjoyed was the ending to the book. He talked about how there had been a wolf spotting. Little did he know there was a whole new baby pack of wolves, “With my heart beating in my throat, I scooted backward toward daylight and safety, pulled free of the den, and was about to flee when the second sound reached me. Though at first I couldn’t believe it, I heard the pups mewling from the underground dark.” (Andrews 228). This makes the reader want to know what is to come. You want to keep reading to know what is about to happens next, but there is no next.
There is not a lot I could say Andrews did wrong when writing the book Badluck Way. I thought he describes things that were happening on the ranch and around the ranch really well. He kept you informed and if not he informed you on things you needed to know. He put pictures in your head to make you feel as if you were there. But, when reading this book there was one part I came across that upset me. I felt like this whole book was about the wolves and how they affected Sun Ranch. So when the time came and Chad, the wildlife services employee, came to get rid of the wolves, it seemed as if it just ended. All they said was, “Chad filled all three permits. The bodies of the Judas wolf and the two others were collected and flown to Bozeman. The rest of the pack vanished, so far as anyone could tell, into the wild folds of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. That was the end of it.” (Andrews 207). Andrews only explained how one wolf got caught and they placed a transmitter on her. He explained how the wolf was being tracked and that he had hoped the rain would wipe out the signal. Then next thing you know three wolves are dead and the pack had fled. I just wish at this time of the book they had explained how the wolves had been killed. I felt like throughout the book, Andrews used such key detail when describing what was happening with the wolves. But, when the most important key part came, he lacked attention to detail. I was disappointed in this because of the part the wolves had played through out the book, and the job Andrews had done at describing things. Beside that little part I thought Andrews had over all written a truly specially book. A book that described detail and gave imagery like no other book I have read.
July 6, 2021
This is a book that everyone should read. It is especially relevant today with the controversy of introducing wolves back into Colorado in the near future. Bryce writes so very well and you will get both sides of the story - from the ranching/farming standpoint and from the environmentalist point.
Bryce works on a large ranch with two other men doing all the very hard work of ranching. Fixing fences that elk have run through during the winter, rounding up cattle to make sure that they are healthy, and......making sure that wolves do not kill, maim, and harass cattle. He finds himself drawn to the wolves in different ways but he also sees the devastation that can happen when wolves decide that hunting heifers is way better than elk.
This book is a quick read and you will gain much information in a short time. I really loved the descriptions of the landscape, wolves, and ranch were written. Getting both views isn't always an easy thing to do and he accomplished that for me.
Bryce works on a large ranch with two other men doing all the very hard work of ranching. Fixing fences that elk have run through during the winter, rounding up cattle to make sure that they are healthy, and......making sure that wolves do not kill, maim, and harass cattle. He finds himself drawn to the wolves in different ways but he also sees the devastation that can happen when wolves decide that hunting heifers is way better than elk.
This book is a quick read and you will gain much information in a short time. I really loved the descriptions of the landscape, wolves, and ranch were written. Getting both views isn't always an easy thing to do and he accomplished that for me.
June 22, 2024
Taken from the Goodreads description page. "In this gripping memoir of a young man, a wolf, their parallel lives and ultimate collision, Bryce Andrews describes life on the remote, windswept Sun Ranch in southwest Montana. The Sun’s twenty thousand acres of rangeland occupy a still-wild corner of southwest Montana—a high valley surrounded by mountain ranges and steep creeks with portentous names like Grizzly and Bad Luck. Just over the border from Yellowstone National Park, the Sun holds giant herds of cattle and elk amid many predators—bears, mountain lions, and wolves."
I am giving this book five stars because of its very raw real look at the life of a modern cowboy. Do I agree with everything done and about this life, no I don't, there is a lot more to this lifestyle and work. If you don't like reading about death of animals and humans making stupid choices, then skip this book.
I am giving this book five stars because of its very raw real look at the life of a modern cowboy. Do I agree with everything done and about this life, no I don't, there is a lot more to this lifestyle and work. If you don't like reading about death of animals and humans making stupid choices, then skip this book.
October 5, 2017
I'm a sucker for a good ranch-hand story. (Notice I didn't say cowboy.) Bryce is truly a gifted storyteller, too. He writes of the collision between agriculture and wildlife (cows and wolves) in a way that, whether you are on the side of the wolf or the side of the cattle business, you'll be moved and confused in the end. I loved his guilt. I loved his distaste for expansion. I loved his descriptions of fence-mending and misanthropic cows and adaptability and gumption. I hated that the cows were off to feedlots and corn finishing after so much hard work in such an unforgiving place.... another story, though. Worth the read!
November 17, 2020
This was a well-written book. The author's use of language was well used and intelligent. I had a hard time staying interested since it was so slow moving. The premise of the book was a good idea. Maybe it is because I live in the west and am very familiar with what the author is writing about as well as the conflict of ranching and conservation that this book did not seem as exotic to me as it may to many others. I kept waiting for some climax to occur and felt it never happened. It simply petered out to the end.
July 28, 2024
This book was a slow start. But once I got to about pages 60/70 it picked up. The author wrote very well, used great word choices and described the landscape extremely well. I imagine readers would get the sense that this is a hard life to live in an unforgiving location. Even if the author didn’t try to paint the rich in a negative way, I felt it. How amazing it must be to be able to afford 18,000 acres and an amazing home in Montana. I think this story would appeal to people who love the west and are interested in the real challenges between man and the wild things.
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