Weekend TV Worth Watching! A full episode of Today's Wild West!

Coming up on Today's Wild West, we'll saddle up outside Yellowstone on the Appaloosas of the Nine-Quarter Circle Ranch. We'll take you to Montana's Party in a Pasture, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival. You'll meet the Wyoming couple who make custom buffalo coats. And we'll visit the unique Montana shooting match inspired by a Tom Selleck movie. The Quigley is amazing. It's all next on Today's Wild West. The Wild West. It's still out there. We'll show you how to find it. This is Today's Wild West. Step up. All right. Put your right foot on my knee. Put your left foot in the stirrup. Eight-year-old Zoe is getting on a horse for the very first time in her life. Okay, so now when you want to turn to the left, you're going to take your hands and go like this, okay? Zoe and her family are guests at Montana's Nine-Quarter Circle Dude Ranch just outside Yellowstone National Park. Zoe is saddling up with the new friends Allie and Luciana. The first time on a horse can be a little intimidating for anyone, but Zoe's in good hands. Well, Allie and Lucy are going to be with you, and you can be right behind me, okay? So if you have any questions or any problems, I'll take care of it, okay? Rebecca Green is the expert and comforting wrangler who leads the Rough Riders, the ranch children's program, and Zoe's soon getting her first taste of horseback adventure, crossing a stream. Allie and Luciana are veterans of the saddle, and their relaxed confidence is contagious. And before long, Zoe is bonding with a new four-legged friend, Osprey, and enjoying the ride. And before this trail rides over, she'll even do some trotting. The Nine-Quarter Circle has been making memories for kids like Zoe and their families for generations. You've been coming here since you were five. Today, Jen's here with her husband and daughter and her dad, who first brought the family here back in 1970. The countryside, it's the riding, it's great to have my daughter grow up here as well, just like I did. It's just glorious country with blue sky and forest around and fish in the stream to look at, and it's just been a great way to grow up with my family. Known as the place where time stands still, this ranch looks pretty much like it did in 1970. In the unspoiled country that surrounds it hasn't changed much since 1870. The Nine-Quarter Circle is nestled in the canyon bordered by national forest just four miles from Yellowstone National Park. Everything changes, but the the new Kelsey generation is doing a great job and maintaining the Kelsey tradition absolutely through and through. The Kelsey tradition begins with Howard Kelsey, who bought the ranch in the late 1940s. In this canyon that was once a hideout for outlaws, a Chicago family bought the property, founded the ranch, and built the main lodge in the 1920s. But the Great Depression of World War II left the ranch sitting vacant for years until Howard brought it back to life. The Nine-Quarter Circle keeps a herd of about 100 horses, almost all of them Appaloosas that have been bred, raised, and trained right here at the ranch. It's a tradition that began back in the 1940s when the Kelsey family first bought the ranch. And these beautiful horses, like my horse Wind, are well suited for this rugged yet beautiful terrain. There's not a lot of people that have a closed herd that they've done their own breeding for 65 years. And the fact that we have raised every horse here and brought them up and trained them and done that whole process, you know, we know what we're getting. And so it it's reassuring to me to go down there and put somebody that I don't know on a horse that I know very very well. Every year about 10 new colts are added to the herd, born from mares bred for their disposition and confirmation. They're quite a sight, as they graze with their protective mothers on the pasture that doubles as a grass landing strip for airplanes. One of the unique things about the Nine-Quarter Circle Ranch is its grass landing strip behind me. Decades ago, many a guest would fly into the strip for a visit, and there could be as many as 15 small planes parked along the strip, which is still operational today. And when it's not being used for planes, it makes for great pasture for the horses. Back in the 1950s, dozens of guests arrived here by private plane. Cameron Kelsey is one of the few private pilots who continue that tradition. He and new bride Sally are the third generation of Kelsey's to run the Nine-Quarter Circle. It's a big legacy. It feels good. I mean, I'm proud of what our family has created, and I hope that I can do a good job and keep it going and continue it on. And I found a partner there to do it with me. One of the things that I think strikes me is that it's not only a legacy of the family, third generation that will be running it, but it's also a legacy in the families who visit here. And week after week, I hear more and more people who've been coming for their whole lives, and they're bringing their children now. Is it hard to turn the reins over after doing this all your life? No, because they're gonna be great at it. They're gonna be good. Yeah, there's no question that they'll be all right. Yeah. It's got to make you feel good to see it. It does. Wonderful. You bet. The Appaloosa horses are not the only star attraction of this ranch. This is also perfect fly-fishing country. The Taylor Fork of the Gallatin River runs right through the property. For those new at the sport, the ranch provides all the fishing gear you need, plus expert guide Spencer Wallace to show you how to use it. Great guy. Super fun. Super into it. Loves what he's doing. He gave me kind of one-on-one attention yesterday, so that was my first time out yesterday, and I learned a lot. Occasionally we get some people that are advanced fishermen, but most of what I do is teaching and helping the beginners, so I love it, you know. There's lots of places to go fishing in this world, but few in this kind of setting. I've done this before, but never anywhere this beautiful. For those who love the horses, it's always cool to watch the wranglers driving the herd in the morning, and later head out for a great day's ride. Riding here is like having your own national park. This country is spectacular, and the crowds of Yellowstone are all on the other side of that boundary four miles away. And just like the park, elk, deer, wolves, grizz, and moose all live in the neighborhood. Wrangler Haley has already seen a bunch of moose this season, and as we crest the hilltop, we spot one more. Quite a sight. How cool is that, huh? Whether you're looking for a kid's ride, slow ride, or some expert loping, the Nine-Quarter Circle has the trails, the wranglers, and the horses to keep you happy. The Appaloosa horses we ride are the breed the Nez Perce Indians were known for, and the tribe came right through Yellowstone Park during the summer of 1877, as they fled the pursuing U.S. Army and tried to escape to Canada. I'd say that was kind of what the Indians wanted. They wanted a sure-footed, tough-hoofed, long-going horse, and then they also liked the color. Everybody's in the saddle together as we head out for the ranch dinner ride one evening. We take a meandering and scenic trail ride to the ranch picnic spot for grilled hamburgers and hot dogs enjoyed outside, where food always tastes better. The Nine-Quarter Circle offers a variety of special weeks, adults only, photography week, even a session for quilting. But summertime is family time, and this ranch is a great place for kids to be kids. Fun to watch them run free in a safe place where no one has to worry. With ranch staffers watching the little ones, the grown-ups can head over to happy hour at Kim and Kelly's home in the Nine-Quarter Circle's 1931 Yellowstone touring coach. Kim gave us a lift to his beautiful home, where we had drinks and hors d'oeuvres and a chance to chat about the day. Later, back at the ranch, we're all together again around the campfire. Simple pleasures, and what a place to bring the kids. It was great. That was really fun. And be a kid, no matter what your age. And she liked trotting. You were trotting? Yeah. Oh my goodness. She could bounce really high. I bet. All at this place, where time stands still. It's neat to see what we can all do together. She couldn't find work pants for women, so she made her own, then started a music festival to help others. We'll take you there just ahead. In the middle of Montana, what some might call the middle of nowhere, you'll find a huge annual party in a pasture that's something like a Western Woodstock, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival. 18,000 people gather here on a warm July weekend to rock out to 16 main stage bands, playing an eclectic mix of music, Americana, Southern Rock, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, and more. In a beautiful spot outside the tiny town of White Sulphur Springs, population 900. It's all the creation of Sarah Calhoun, who couldn't find a comfortable pair of work pants for women, and decided to make her own, calling the company Red Ants Pants. I worked in the backcountry and I didn't have pants that fit, because there weren't any made for women. So without a business degree and with zero experience in the apparel industry, I decided to start Red Ants Pants, the workwear for women company. Everything is made in America, and we launched that in 06, and here we are now. The former outward bound instructor founded Red Ants in 2006. Five years later, she created the Red Ants Pants Foundation, and its first project, the music festival. All profits from this party fund the foundation, which supports leadership programs for women, help for family farms and ranches, and other programs to help rural Montana. So we've gifted over $100,000 over the years, and that's to grants that go across rural Montana to really support the things that mean a lot to us. Sarah may be the brains of the operation, but the whole community volunteers and pitches in to make it happen, starting with Scott and Lynn Jackson, who donate the use of 100 acres of their ranch for the festival. Thousands who come here to have a good time are very appreciative. Oh, I just love the music. I love the atmosphere, the music, the friends and the alcohol. The mix of music is matched by the variety of people in the crowd, everyone from young Children to seasoned citizens turn out in a variety of outfits. This is my third year in a row. It's an amazing venue. Beautiful people. My 2.5 year old son is perfectly welcome here. It's basically the perfect concert. The Red Ass Stage has hosted some of the best known names in music. Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Wynonna and Dwight Yoakam. And it's a potential launching pad for lesser known acts playing the secondary stage. Fans vote on their favorite, and the winner plays the main stage the following year. And that's not the only contest. It's very beautiful knowing that I have a chance in this world to show people this beautiful beard does a guy who calls himself Rusty Thunderbeard won the beard contest. I used to be clean shaven. Collar shirt slacks £335. Not anymore. I've lost £140. I'm a new man. Also in the weekend spotlight, a special group of vendors offering locally handmade jewelry, custom cowboy boots and more. It's been good. It's been really good. It's a great crowd. Been absolutely wonderful. First year. Great experience. Everyone is a Montana based vendor. A lot of them are out of very small rural towns in Montana, so it's a great opportunity for us to promote business owners that are doing beautiful work in small towns. Red Ants has its own merch, T shirts, belt buckles and of course, the work pants for women that started it all. I was by Carpenter, Allison Colby. I love him because they're comfortable and they're really tough. It's cool to know that they're made in the USA. You know, it's like it just makes me feel good to know that somebody right here. So them for me. Thank you for having us at your wonderful, beautiful, lovely for this great festival. It all makes for a great summertime five and the touring musicians who play here are quick to notice what a special venue this is. Had a great time. Yeah, wonderful. What a beautiful setting, huh? I think it's amazing. I love it out here. It's so great to be surrounded by this beautiful scenery and this festival is awesome and everyone's so nice and all the bands are amazing. I love it. I think it's one of the best festivals I've ever played a the scenery beautiful and I'm a really fan, really big fan of the lineup here. I think all the artists are very legit. We're gaining a reputation of really people want to come play here because the crowd is phenomenal. They're listening, they're cheering, they're paying attention and they're loving it. And we have great hospitality and I mean, look at the landscape. It's hard to be. Mother Nature did rain on this parade a time or two with a passing summertime shower, but the weather didn't dampen anyone's spirits. The weather is perfect. It gives a little break to the Montana in the summertime. It's a really special time. It's bringing folks from all different parts of the country and world together and having a fun time in the cow pasture. It's neat to see what we can all do together. You definitely need to check it out. It's one of the best ones I've ever played and I've played a lot of festivals. It's one of the best ones. And by the way, you might be wondering where the name Red Ants comes from. That's because in an ant colony, it's the women who do all the work you're underneath a buffalo hat, beard and coat at Merlin's hideout in Thermopolis, Wyoming. We'll take you for a tour of this most unique shop that makes all things buffalo coming up on today's Wild West. The mighty buffalo monarch of the Plains, enduring symbol of the Wild West, also known as the American bison. It was the animal of the Plains Indian depended on for food, shelter and clothing and warm buffalo robes for the cold winter. They're all blanket soft and everyone is unique to itself. You'll find brand new buffalo robes today in Thermopolis, Wyoming and unique business specializing in all things buffalo. Merlin's hideout, makers of buffalo coats, hats, mittens, vests and more shipped to customers around the world and all 50 states. Hollywood noticed Hollywood did notice, including the Hollywood costume designer for the Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight. We built eight for Kurt Russell. Owners Barb and Merlin Hines have provided products for several other films, and Arnold Schwarzenegger personally came to Thermopolis to pick up the buffalo coat that he ordered. It's been fun. It's been fun. We've got to meet a lot of great people. Merlin and Barb not only make every fur product displayed in their store, plus most of the leather goods, they also tend the hides as well in their backroom tannery. It takes about 22 hours for each hide. This all started in 1998 when Merlin wanted a pair of beaver fur gators, the Lord leggings to keep the snow out of your boots. So instead of getting online and ordering a pair, he decided he would trap the beaver. He tanned the beaver, made the gators and the animals never quit coming after that. Later, he taught himself to tan a buffalo hide. Word spread. The rest is history. Somebody else found out we were tanning buffalo hides and they just started showing up with buffalo. There's actually more work than you can imagine. We only take prime winter hides. Today, Merlin's buys four to 500 buffalo hides a year from ranchers who raised the animals for meat. And we actually hand pick all of our buffalo hides. The tanned hides are soft and beautiful, but everyone is different, which makes it a challenge to turn them into coats. The hardest part about making the buffalo coat is it takes two hides to make one of our coats and it's matching the heights because no two buffalo hides look alike. But Merlin's gets it done building about 50 coats a year, handmade in a room above the retail store. Merlin does most of the sewing himself, but Barb helps too, using a technique that hides the seam. Because when we get done, you never see that there's a seam. Merlin's is famous for its fabulous buffalo coats, but one of the more popular items it offers is the buffalo beard. Just imagine how warm this would keep you when you go snowmobiling. Add a buffalo hat and you're all set for 30 below weather. Our buffalo beards are pretty popular. An employee came up with the idea to make use of scrap hide. I thought it was a little crazy, but I can't tell you how many thousands of them we've sold. And what may at first look like a Halloween mask is actually very practical. Snowmobilers, skiers, cross country skiers, motorcyclists. The function of it because it blocks all the wind is incredible. This is no easy business. Merlin and Barb work 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, with help from just three part-time employees. But it's a labor of love, and they are committed to excellence. It's hard to find people who have the passion and the attention to detail that we require for our products. Merlin's names on every product that goes out of here, and we have a pretty high level of quality that our customers expect. And if you love what you do, you'd never work a day in your life. That's our motto. That's so true. Merlin's Thermopolis store is well-stocked with a variety of buffalo and other beautiful fur products, like beaver fur mittens. But almost all the buffalo coats are custom-made, and no two are exactly alike. Hi, I'm Mark Bedore. Today's Wild West is outside Forsyth, Montana, at the Quigley shoot. The guns once used to hunt buffalo now hunt targets in a very challenging Montana shooting competition. We'll take you there just ahead. This is fun. It's a blast when we're not shooting. Oh, it's been a blast. It really has been. Welcome to the Matthew Quigley buffalo rifle match. Targeted! Colter! Competitive target shooters from all over the country and around the world. It's worth a thousand mile drive. Come to a ranch outside Forsyth, Montana, where the biggest shooting match of its kind. The Quigley, as it's known for short, uses the same kind of rifles the buffalo hunters used back in the 1800s. It's like a piece of jewelry. Yeah, they're works of art. Exact replicas of those same guns are made today by Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing in Big Timber, Montana. The company that built the single-shot sharps rifle featured in the 1990 Tom Selleck Western Quigley Down Under, a movie that inspired Al Lee to launch the Quigley shooting match the following year. I've been shooting these guns for a long time. The 88-year-old Lee has been hosting the Quigley shoot ever since. Every Father's Day weekend on his eastern Montana ranch. About 30 shooters came to that very first competition. 643 signed up for the 27th annual. Add in their family and friends and the Quigley shoot turns Lee's ranch into Quigleyville. For many, the gathering has become a family tradition. It is. It's an annual tradition. We've been doing this together as a family for about 10 years. Emily Reeves, with her little daughter Erica, is here with 15 family members, seven of whom are competing. We've always been, you know, shooting family, target shooting. The Quigley is amazing. It's just such a fun time to come out here and camp, do the shooting, brave the elements, and get the, you know, be able to bring the kids and get them, you know, excited about shooting. This is my first time. First time? Wow, what do you think? I like it. And the shooters here include a fair number of well-supervised kids. You need to teach them respect and you need to teach them safety, and if you can do that, you know, this is a great, a great thing for kids. Eight-year-old Wesley Bauer is having fun shooting his granddad's rifle. This is what's fun about it. Shooting. Trying to beat you up. Sixteen-year-old Coulter Johnson first came here as an 11-year-old with his granddad. How's this weekend going for you? Um, pretty well. He's shooting exceptionally well. That's my gun. He's shooting and he's beating my butt. And it's been so much fun to work with Coulter, to see him do so well. The Quigley does tend to attract an older crowd. After all, this is a sport that requires a fair amount of disposable income. For a quality gun with a nice sight, you're looking maybe $2,500. But for those who love the Quigley, it's money well spent. It's fun. It's a great campout. Yeah, it's a great sport. We shoot other places and this is, this is the best one. Don and Chris Steinmetz drove 850 miles from Yakima, Washington. The competition and the scenery and the trip and the vendor row. The noise, I love hearing it hit. That's my favorite part. Hitting a target you can barely see using only iron sights. No scopes is no easy thing. You just get used to looking for the contrast between the dark and the light and placing that in the peep and in the end of your sight. Targets range from 300 yards to as far as 1200 yards away, well over half a mile. Alyssa! Which is why this is a two person sport with a spotter helping shooters gauge the wind. At long distances, even a slight breeze can send a bullet off course. It's challenging, definitely challenging, a lot more challenging than modern firearms. Dave Gulo was last year's champion. But once you learn it, you'd be surprised at what you can hit. Pretty far out, 800 yards, thousand yards even and you just kind of look at your gun and you think, I just hit that target for real in your iron sights. We're talking iron sights we're using. But he also doesn't take the competition too seriously. There's no pressure. I let the chips fall where they may. If I win, fine. I don't win everything. I don't, no way. If I lose, I lose. I'm happy for the winner. All this fun is governed by just two rules. Be safe and have fun. But there are procedures to make sure that happens. The muzzle is always pointed in a safe direction, which is downrange at all times. You keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot and you keep the gun unloaded until you're ready to shoot. Dan Kuchera is the chief range safety officer. But Dan stresses safety and looking out for each other is everybody's job. These guns have no manual safeties on them, so the safety is between your ears. You need to be thinking, as with all firearms, you need to be thinking about what you're doing and be aware of those who are around you. And this is a crowd you can trust. There's a lot of dollars worth of equipment sitting around. You never have to worry about anybody messing with it. Just a bunch of real good people here. The fun includes shopping at the vendor booths and showing off your best Western outfits. We have friends all the way up and down the line that we visit with too. And we have a maybe a little glass of something to drink. And everybody's been so nice because yesterday all we did was watch it rain. We couldn't shoot, you couldn't go anywhere, and everybody was happy. They were having fun visiting with their friends and then today we can shoot. I bought my gun in 2010, so I started competition in 2011. The Quigley shoot, a Montana weekend of fun, friends, and family. Being together, that's really what it's all about. And getting this one started. Yeah. He almost got shot me today. That's it for now. We're back next time with more cool stuff from today's Wild West. I'm Mark Bedore. We'll see you down the trail. For more information on the people and places featured in today's Wild West, or to order show DVDs and books, visit todayswildwest.com. Funding for today's Wild West provided by the Montana Film Commission, the Leggett Foundation, the Chuckwagon Trail Riders Foundation, the Dude Ranchers Association, and the Dude Ranch Foundation.