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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | Lots of guys summer on mountain range, meadows or irrigated pasture up here or even quite a bit further north on the Oregon side, then winter down in the foothills of central CA, two hundred mile spread is pretty common, some are well over 300 I'm sure. Transportation gets expensive, but cheaper than hay. Other guys have had a lot of trouble with predators and other stuff working on the calves, and while all the rain down south makes for green grass, cows calving unassisted in wet weather has its own set of issues.
Friends in NV on the other hand have a spread w high country BLM or FS permits, and they trail down to low meadows and hard grass for winter on deeded ground. Don't know for sure but still probably 30 miles or better from one end to the other. Only time those cows or calves ever see a truck is on their way to a feedlot back east. Very little hay, maybe a little alfalfa or meadow grass when they calve or it snows deep. Drawback is it takes them a couple hundred acres a pair to do it.
How far is too far is all up to you. Good range cows should be fine without any care, my wife's purebred herd gets to stay real close home however... ;)
Edited by Ben D, N CA 10/15/2010 20:17
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How far away from home do pasture cattle?
