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On a quiet afternoon in January, Jeff Mundell’s voice calls out a simple melody in the countryside. A herd of calves follows his familiar call as they make their way across new and unknown territory.
Gabilan Ranch’s crew started down Fremont Peak Tuesday morning with 187 head of cattle. Using PG&E utility roads and neighbors’ private roads, the crew navigated a path down the steep mountainside towards Paicines Ranch. In coming weeks, the cattle will move on to a third ranch across Highway 25.
For the first time, Paicines Ranch and its neighbors are moving livestock across three properties in a cross-country cattle-drive, rather than hauling them in livestock trailers. It’s an effort they’re calling Cowboy Corridors.
“This is ‘transhumance,’ which is the action of moving animals seasonally from one landscape to another,” said Martha Skelley, Paicines Ranch’s Livestock and Farm Manager. “This is a very ancient practice of pastoral people.”
The move is mutually beneficial for the ranchers. Gabilan’s cattle can access and feed on grasses at Paicines without the cost of transport. By following the forage at nearby ranches, the ranchers can take advantage of the natural resources.
Paicines Ranch’s goals include diversifying their land’s habitat and encouraging an increase in perennial plants. As the cattle graze across Paicines, they fertilize the soil, eat old feed, and cultivate the dry earth.
According to Mundell, Gabilan Ranch Manager, as the herd grazes, the cattle crush old brush under their hooves, pressing it down into the earth and feeding the soil life. The process allows native plants to compete with invasive grasses. The weight from the herds also breaks up the ground’s dry surface, allowing water to seep into the soil.
“While doing that, that also reduces the fire fuel load so the fires are smaller, slower and cooler.” He said they also raise the “browse line,” a separation from the tall grass and low-hanging branches, which can prevent fires from spreading up into trees.
Grazing for healthy landscapes
“We use something called planned grazing which is part of holistic management,” Skelley said. By monitoring the health of pastures, ranchers can prevent overgrazing, allowing landscapes to have the recovery period necessary for new growth to develop.
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Will and his mom, Julie Baldocchi, look out over the cattle before taking them on the second stretch of the journey through Paicines Ranch. Photo by Jessica Parga ![]()
Brothers, Billy and Mike Reeves monitor the herd during their trip to their new pasture. Photo by Jessica Parga ![]()
Garrett Mckee, the Sheep Enterprise Lead with Paicines Ranch, keeps an eye on the herd with his mule, Luna. Photo by Jessica Parga ![]()
Mike Reeves, one of the third generation owners of Gabilan Ranch, helps herd the cattle on Jan. 21, 2025. Photo by Jessica Parga ![]()
Jeff Mundell acts as the point rider during the move, leading the herd and his crew. Photo by Jessica Parga ![]()
Donnie Baldocchi, one of the third generation owners of Gabilan Ranch, watches the cattle stop for water after their trip down the hillside. Photo by Jessica Parga
Efforts to address vegetation management and create more habitat for wildlife has been in the works among Paicines, Gabilan and several neighboring ranches for some time, with this particular move being planned over the past several months. Paicines Ranch hopes to celebrate this move with a public field day when the cattle return from a third participating ranch in late February or early March. The celebration will bring ranchers together, hopefully building relationships for more collaboration in the future.
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