Didn´t know this once was thing...

"Growing up, I always heard stories about cowboys roping bears. There were many local stories about grizzly bears being roped on all four points and stretched out by a group of cowboys. As far-fetched as that always seemed, Grizzly roping is documented in newspapers as a sport in the early 1900s in California. This week in Wyoming, there are several documented cases in the museums we have gone through. Frederick Remington and a host of other western artists have also documented this in their artwork. It really has got me thinking. These men were just cut from a different cloth! This clip, although not a grizzly, illustrates just that point! I guess people could say man this sure looks extreme and tough on the bear, but depredation of a bear, without the use of the tranquilizers or simply shooting and killing it is quite extraordinary! Not to mention, getting horses to perform under these circumstances, is also a feat! My guess is once he was moved, and relaxed, the bear was just fine afterwards."

Old Video of two cowboys roping a bear from a tree:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/108466265529391

Wild video …. That’s what I’m going to do to Leftlane if I ever meet him person

I like doing that on weekends, it's a fun way to pass the time...

Jokes aside, that is crazy cool!!!

If u understood Cowboys it wouldn't seemed so far fetched. I doubt there isn't too much within a cowboys reach that hasn't had a rope dabbed on it. That Jim feller on Mutual of Omaha's wild Kingdom show was a Texas Cowboy if my memory is correct and I remember seeing him rope giraffes.

I believe in that video that was the Lee Brothers. They use to climb trees and rope bears and lions then tie them to sell to zoos and circus. The small bears and the lions they'd do it afoot.

I'm always amazed about how scared of getting hurt the general population is.

Heck in all seriousness some of the horses they rode back in those days were just about as dangerous as the bears and some of the cattle were just as wild.

I know an old boy that roped an antelope once

Two guys back in the 70's in CO roped a black bear. Put it in a stock rack in the back of a pickup. Took it to a buddies house that wasnt home and pulled it up into a tree in the front yard. Left a note on his door that said you have a bear in your tree.

My uncle on my Dads side worked as a rider in MT. If he could not do it on horse back he didn't do it. He rode wire back into guys fencing, salt around pastures checked cows and moved cows. He talked about roping deer, antelope and said he roped a black bear. He said when they were branding, he roped deer and drug them in and they were cut (if a buck) and branded. That would have been in the late 40's and early 1950's

It seems like using good catch dogs, while roping a bear would make it easier. I couldn't get the video to come up.

Keith

I heard they crawl back up the rope into the saddle with you.

I've roped a yote or 2 and workex with an Arizona cowpuncher that roped an elk.

I'm no roper, nor a cowboy. But cowboys and houndmen both have different ideas of what is fun (and/or a good idea) than the general public. When you combine the two, like it was in the Lee brothers... well, there isn't a lot they won't consider doing.

I never actually watched the video, since it would require me getting on Facebook, but I've seen old video of the Lee brothers roping bears and lions, and assume this is a clip from one of those videos. Unfortunately with the laws nowadays, most would not admit to doing something like that in print, and so more and more people disbelieve that such things can, have been, and are being done.

As Bearcat2 mentioned I couldn't watch the video as I'm not on Facebook .

However if my memory serves me correctly in the painting of the cowboys roping a grizzly bear they all have rawhide reata's that are at least 120' long or longer as they would use the same rope to rope Texas longhorns .

I also agree from what I've heard the horses back in those days weren't anything like the gentle ones we've got now .

Original

Thank you for posting the video wolfdog 91 , the painting that I was referring to was by Charlie Russell entitled " big loops and fast horses "

This one ?

Good practice for the flighty calves for the fall roundups.

Bryce

Yes that's the one ! A old cowboy I knew worked branding crews throughout the southwest , the men who healed the calves would only pitch a loop that was a bit over 2' in diameter then turn heading toward the fire before the loop caught both hind legs from quite a long distance .

To say they were good with a reata is a understatement !

Getting their horses that close to a large beast was an accomplishment along with the rope work.

Bryce