Meet Ranger, The Wyoming Cowdog That Chases Grizzlies At Brooks Lake Lodge

Trudging back from an early morning snowshoe adventure, the view of Brooks Lake Lodge is always Norman Rockwellesque.

Winter perpetually covers the log cabin structures with a generous heap of snowy icing, like frosting on a gingerbread cake. Guests wander between the lodge and ski shop to get a snowsuit for the day, before climbing on the snowmobile of their choice.

One other sight is common — the five official lodge dogs playing in front of the lodge.

On a recent weekend, as this reporter was returning from a snowshoeing adventure, there was Remy, a 3-year-old border collie, playing rough and tumble with Newt, an 18-month-old mini-Australian shepherd. They tussled and raced each other in the snow, ignoring everyone around them.

That was the same morning Newt found himself a wrist-sized log with a small limb attached — perfect for easy carrying.

So, he stopped his hot pursuit of Remy just long enough to pick the log up. Then he scooted across the snow, faster than before, easily getting out in front with his prize. He held his head up higher, showing Remy what he had missed.

And Remy couldn’t stand it. He dove for the stick, and their race came to an abrupt end in a tangle of fur, rolling over and over and over again in the snow.

Rockwell couldn’t have posed this all-Americana scene better if he’d tried.

Into that scene trotted Ranger, the dog who’d followed Cowboy State Daily and a guide out. Ranger simply ignored the two dogs clowning around in front of the lodge, his head and tail held high.

Remy and Newt are just babes in the wood compared to Ranger, and clearly the veteran 8-year-old Hangin’ Tree Cowdog knew it.

Let’s Have An Adventure

Ranger loves to tag along with guests on their adventures large and small. He’ll follow snowmobilers down to the ice hut or lead snowshoers up the hill.

He’s game for anything, like the dog that eats a whole bag of espresso beans for breakfast.

He will run far out ahead of snowshoers, sniffing the air for danger this way and that, before turning back to wait, head cocked to one side as if to say, “You can come ahead now. It’s all clear.”

Not a grizzly bear in sight — or, in this case, within scent.

Guides at Brooks Lake Lodge affectionately call this black-and-white pooch “Ranger Danger” — and with good reason. Ranger has proven himself time and again by fearlessly chasing off grizzly bears.

It’s not what Hangin’ Tree dogs were bred for, nor is it what Ranger was trained to do.

With him, it’s instinct.

Ranger used to live on a ranch, where he worked cattle for snowmobile guide and Best of the West outfitter Kacy Conner on Conner’s dad’s place. Kacy needed a dog to go out hunting with him one day, and from then on, Ranger’s mission began to evolve.

What Is A Hanging Tree Cow Dog

Hangin’ Tree Cowdogs have developed a reputation as the ultimate cowboy companion. The dogs were bred to find and trail cattle by the late Gary Ericsson on his Hangin’ Tree Ranch in Idaho.

Ericcson created the line from four breeds in a distinct and purposeful mix. Three-eighths border collie for herding instinct and intelligence, an eighth Catahoula leopard dog for finding and trailing cattle plus slick hair (to shed burrs) and overall toughness, and one-quarter Kelpie for endurance plus their herding instinct and short hair.

The rest of the mix is Australian shepherd. But not just any Australian shepherd. The name of the dog who sired Ericcson’s Hangin’ Tree Cowdog line was Hanging Tree Black Bear, an extremely tough dog that demonstrated enormous capabilities in the field. He and a sibling, Hangin’ Tree Red Zephyr, are the backbone of the line.

Hangin’ Tree Cowdogs that trace their lineage directly back to Ericcson’s breed are known for being fearless dogs, capable of handling cattle much larger and meaner than themselves. They go for the head, more so than the heels, and are able to anticipate animal movements even in unpredictable situations.

The dogs are big-boned and husky, too, so they can take being kicked in the line of duty. They also have great endurance and a protective nature.

To be registered as a Hangin’ Tree Cowdog, a dog must pass a series of efficiency tests proving its capabilities in the field, and it must prove its lineage to the Ericcson line.

“My dad had trained Ranger to be more of a cow dog, but once he got to be with me, he’s more like a protector,” Conner said.

When not with Conner, though, Ranger seems content to hang around Conner’s wife Victoria and their young daughter Aspen. He’s almost always within eyesight of the two.

“He follows those two around like they’re glued together,” Conner said. “Aspen not as much, but if a guy walks in that he doesn’t know, he will put himself between her and him.”

The Biggest, Baddest Thing In The Forest

Grizzly bears are common certain times of the year in the Brooks Lake Lodge area, and one of those times is hunting season.

“Grizzly bears are the biggest, baddest thing in the forest,” Conner said.

Multiple guides told Cowboy State Daily of the times they have themselves encountered grizzly bears in the area.

Guide Isaac Jones, for example, was charged by a grizzly one snowy afternoon while packing elk quarters back to camp on a team of mules.

It all happened so fast, Jones never actually saw the grizzly. What he saw was the mules “exploding” every which way in a total panic to get away.

Next thing Jones knew, he was on the ground, as were the folks he was guiding. All but one of the mules had fled the scene, headed straight back to camp, with a grizzly bear on their tail.

When Jones got back to the trail, the folks he was guiding were on the ground, hiding their lamps, playing dead.

Jones asked them what they were doing that for, puzzled.

“Didn’t you see the grizzly bear?” one of the clients asked.

Jones had not, but when he scouted around the area, he soon found the tracks that told the rest of the story.

Based on those tracks, Jones realized that the grizzly bear had been watching them the whole time. He’d seen them down the elk, and in its bear mind, reasoned that these puny humans and mules should be relatively easy to scare into dropping their kill for him to eat.

But, unfortunately for the bear, the elk quarters were lashed to the mules so that they couldn’t be dropped. The frightened mules were also much faster than the bear, leading it away from the humans.

Ultimately, the bear had to give up on getting any of the elk meat.

That still left Jones and his charges walking back to camp with only one mule in a place where there was a hungry grizzly bear wandering around. They made it back to camp in one piece, and all of the mules were there waiting for them safe and sound.

Jones is a big fan of Ranger Danger, as he likes to call him, and has personally seen him chase grizzly bears away.

Better Than Bear Spray

Conner, too, has seen a lot of grizzlies while serving as a guide for Brooks Lake Lodge and outfitter for Best of the West.

Despite that, he’s never had to shoot at one or use bear spray. He has his own bear repellent, and he calls that repellent Ranger.

“That dog loves chasing bears, it’s ridiculous,” Conner said. “I have several stories where we’ll be riding out across one of the plateaus scouting for (bighorn) sheep, and that’s about the time those bears are up there tipping rocks to get moths and stuff.”

Conner uses the same command for bears that he once used with Ranger for herding in cows. One simple “get him,” and Ranger will head straight after the grizzly with no thought of backing down.

Nine times out of 10, he chases the bear away.

“That one time out of 10, the bear’s on his ass, coming back,” Conner acknowledged.

But in those instances, Conner is right there on a big horse, yelling and making noise alongside Ranger.

“When you’re on a horse or mule, bears see you and they take off,” Conner said. “You’re bigger than them, and they don’t want to mess with anything bigger than they are.”

Man’s Best Friend

Ranger’s not just good for chasing away bears. He’s also great at chasing away bad moods, Conner said.

“He’s the one that keeps me from losing my mind when I’m out there, whether it’s just stock that isn’t cooperating or somebody’s head isn’t on straight for some reason,” Conner said.

In those moments, all he has to do is glance at Ranger, who will look back at him with that cocked head, as if to say, “I know, right?”

After that, everything is A-OK, Conner said.

And at home, Ranger is the world’s biggest puppy, sometimes almost to the point of annoying his housemates.

“He’s always laying right where you want to get out of bed,” Conner said. “And he will just, like, lay there.”

If there’s an open lap, Ranger doesn’t need much, if any, invitation to occupy it.

“He thinks he’s the biggest damn lapdog on the face of the planet,” Conner said. “If you’re on the couch, he’s going to cuddle. He’s just a big pet.”

Even with those who aren’t dog people, Ranger wins them over pretty quickly, Conner added.

“My grandma’s not a dog person,” Conner said. “But one time I had to leave for something and he needed a place to stay, so he stayed with my grandma for a week.”

By the end of the week, grandma was Ranger’s biggest fan.

“She just absolutely loved him,” Conner said. “He just laid there at the foot of her chair, and then, when it was bedtime, he’d go lay in my bedroom and just wait there.”

And so it goes for man’s best friend at Brooks Lake Lodge. All the world’s a Norman Rockwell home, grizzly bears and all.

Renee Jean can be reached at: Renee@CowboyStateDaily.com