Ep 2 Heber Jesse Meeks: Lions🦁Brothers & Bears 🐻…Oh My!

Mountain Lions, Black Bears & Brothers. What a crazy combination. These are stories  from the colorful lives of Alfred & Heber Meeks. Special thanks to Willford Meeks Halladay for recording these events as told to him by his Uncle Alfred. Contributions that clarified the events were also made by Mel Heaton, who recounted one of his great Meeks uncles telling him the story.

PEOPLE & CHARACTERS
Ranchers
Farmers
Alfred Randall Meeks
Dr. Priddy Meeks
Mary Jane McCleve Meeks
Heber Jesse Meeks
Chuckaboo
Ol Dick (horse)
Browney (horse)
Florence Lamb
Wilford Meeks Halladay
Mel Heaton
Niccolo Machiavelli

LOCATIONS
Southern Utah
Harrisburg, Utah
Billings Gazette
Cedar Mountain
Dixie National Forest

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INSTAGRAM:
@FYO.Podcast
@TravisM.Heaton 

Transcript

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(Story of Alfred and Heber Meeks as told to Willford Meeks Halladay by his uncle Alfred Meeks)

1🎙 (narrator) Near the end of the 19 Century, mountain lions were quite plentiful in the mountains of Southern Utah. For Ranchers and Farmers it was a challenge to protect their livestock from these big cats. The more out-of-the-way ranchers were often invaded by these wild creatures.

To capture one alive was not a common occurance. Usually when folks went after a lion they either lost him or brought him back dead. Lions were the enemies and Ranchers & Farmers felt that when it came to survival, it was either them or the lions. Of course they had an advantage with dogs and guns. I think nearly every rancher or farmer lost some of their smaller stock to these hungry lions. The cougar is such a stealthy cunning killer. He moves so graceful and quiet that he can get close to his kill before they know he is near, unless his victims can catch his odor. The family will never forget the day when one of these magnificent creatures was brought back…ALIVE. 

2🎙 (Alfred) Hello, I’m Alfred Randall Meeks. Most people just call me Alfred. I was born the 13th of May, 1877 in Harrisburg, Utah, to Dr. Priddy & Mary Jane Meeks. Who’s this here with me…this is my older brother Heber, well one of my older brothers, mother had 6 boys and 5 girls in a 20 year span of bearing children. I am the caboose of mothers children. Her favorite, her pride and joy. 

In 1897 I was 20 years old and we were living in a small community in Southern Utah. One morning we got word that a neighbor had lost some sheep the night before, when a cougar had slipped into the yard and killed them. The ranch was not far from the edge of town. It seemed the cougar had moved in near midnight, jumped the fence and attacked the sheep. In a corral the animals have very little room to escape their attacker so they are easy prey for such deeds. The domesticated kills are when we begin to have an actionable disagreement with these big Poodytats. This proved to be one of my most memorable “disagreements.”

When we heard of the trouble, I suggested to my brother, Heber, that we go after the lion and capture him alive. Heber thought…… (Heber’s voice fades in) 

3🎙 (Heber): “Have you lost your mind? How came you so? (which is our way of saying “are you tipsy?”) Have you been binging on sorghum sweet? I think them bedbugs have been crawling into your ears at night and have overtaken your brain. Your ideas are as crazy as a mountain goat. This “wake snake” idea is “too high for this nut.” But I aint about to let you go out on your own and become that cats next meal. You wouldnt make more than an appetizer. I sure as shooting will not be going on this wild cat chase without my rifle.

You know what little brother, if you can get that cat contained and alive, we would both be SOME PUMPKINS in this here patch. But if he makes one wrong move, I will not hesitate to protect you, myself or the dogs. If something happens to one of us we are gonna have to “tell a thumper” to cover it up. I aint about to tell your “Chuckaboo” Linda that you was catnabbed. And just for the record, I still think you are crazier than a gunnysack full of rabid raccoons”.

🎙 (Alfred): um…Thank you…I think, I knew you were my favorite brother. (Whisper) dont tell the others…ok?

4🎙 (narrator) Now… you might think to yourself. What’s the harm of a mountain lion killing a sheep or deer or calf…every once in a while? My family can live off of a beef or a couple of sheep in the freezer for a year plus. You might be shocked as I was to find out how finicky these big cats are with fresh meat, and lots of it. Did you know that Male mountain lions can reach up to 9 feet in length from nose to tail. And they weigh from 160-200 lbs. According to an article in the Billings Gazette “these mountain lions kill on average one ungulate a week, with a range of about 18 to 41 pounds consumed a day.” Now ungulates are hoofed animals like deer, elk, & moose. But lions meals also include domesticated livestock like sheep, cattle, goats, and horses. Lions are not scavengers, they believe in eating only the freshest of foods, which means that they dont believe in keeping leftovers for more than a day or two. Todays terms would label this as a Raw Foodism diet. This carnivorous rawism diet equates to a combination of between 50 and 60 deer, goats, sheep, calves or elk each year. Not to mention the smaller animals like rabbits, dogs, squirrels, and coyotes.

5🎙 (Alfred) We hurriedly saddled our horses, grabbed a number of ropes and called the dogs. (Whistles)

(Alfred) “Mother, we are going after that lion.”

6🎙 (Mom) “Be Careful! And Heber, dont let Alfred do anything foolish.”

7🎙(Alfred) I'm sure mother didn't realize that we were going to try to bring him back alive or she might have said something else. We were both young men. Heber was in his late twenties and I was almost twenty, so Mother trusted us….mostly. 

(Alfred) I had been on many of these chases and it had always bothered me to see these beautiful animals killed even though they were our enemies. I just felt sure I could capture this one alive.

We rode over to the neighbor's farm and the dogs soon picked up the cougar's scent. I was on ol Dick and Heber was riding our new horse, Browney. He was young and lively and of course as Heber was the older of the two, he took the best horse. (Whisper) At least Heber thought he was.  You see, Dick was about as old as I was. He was gentle and nice to ride. Sometimes Mother and the girls rode him because he was dependable and certainly not a nervous horse like Browney. I had ridden ol Dick since I was old enough to stay on his back and I considered him mine.

8🎙 (Narrator) They started after the dogs. As long as they could hear em bark & bellor, they could follow easily. They rode up the main canyon for a ways where the cougar track's turned southeast up a ridge. The trail led down into the next ravine and up the next hill. Up and down they went. When they were down in the low places they couldn't hear the dogs but when they topped the ridges they could hear them ahead and so they kept following. The boys knew them dogs would tree him sooner or later or lose his trail and eventually come back.

The terrain was rough but beautiful. Small spruce trees mixed with pinion pines, dotted the landscape. It was broken up by a few pinkish-white ledges. They figured it was a natural habitat for cougars. They felt sure the cat had a cave and his den somewhere among those beautiful craggy rocks and they were also sure he would not lead them there. They kept going up and down those hills and ravines as fast as the horses could travel. 

9🎙 (Alfred) As I rode I couldn't help but remember some of Father's tales of chasing mountain lions. I wished he could have been with us on this hunt but he had died when I was a little lad so I had done most of my hunting with my older brothers.

About nine O'clock we stopped our horses on top of a ridge and listened for the dogs. They sounded louder than usual. We looked across the high plateau and decided the dogs had the cougar up a tree somewhere in that maze of green. That was good. The dogs would probably keep him there till we could find them.

We jogged on between the trees listening carefully. The barking got louder with each step. Soon we spotted them circling a big pine. Browney snorted (horse snort) and stopped. Horses fear cougars and don't like to get too close to them.

10🎙 (Narrator) The brothers dismounted and grabbed all the ropes, Alfred took his lariat & hurried over to the tree. There it was… about half way up the tree, setting on a big strong limb was the mountain lion. (Lion spitting & growling) He was just laying there watching the dogs. Almost looked to be half asleep cause his long tail was confidently wagging back and forth as though he had nothing to worry about. The dogs kept barking and jumping up the tree only to fall back again. Once in a while the cat would spit at them and growl with that low rumble in his throat. His aura of safety changed quickly to a look of uneasiness when Alfred walked into view.

While Alfred stood there, analyzing the task, and mapping out the route he was going to take to climb into that tree and above that big Tom, Heber walked up to him with his rifle ready. (Lever action noises) 

11🎙 (Heber) "You’re going to lasso him? Brother you are sure asking for a whoopin from that lion.”

(Alfred) "I sure intend to. I'm going up that tree with my lasso rope until I get above him. You stay down here with yours and these small ropes. You'll need to use some of them when I let him down."

(Heber) "What are you going to do? Just reach down, pat him on the head and tame him right there?" I suppose you could tell him you were his friend then pick him up In your arms and hand him down to me. That way he wouldn't be afraid." (chuckling)

(Alfred) (I knew he was ribbing me but I explained.) "I think I can get above him where he can't reach me. Then I'll drop my loop over his head."

(Heber) "Why don't you just ask him to put the rope over his head by himself?" Heber taunted.

 (Alfred) "Now listen, Heber, You do what I tell you and we'll capture him alive." (I was getting a little annoyed at his goofing off). "I'll drop the loop over his head while he is watching you and the dogs. You just be ready with your rope to wrap it around his hind feet while he is hanging down "

(Heber) "It would be easier to shoot him.”

(Alfred) "No, I want him alive. Now here’s my plan. By the time he reaches you he will be choked down with little fight left. You tie his hind feet together, tight, and stretch him out. Tie your rope to a tree while he is still. I’ll drop my rope and you can tie it to the big tree to keep him stretched out. As soon as you can, put a gag in his mouth."

(Heber) "Little brother, you are one “bricky” son of a motherless goat. If that cougar is going to be gagged, you're going to do it. I’ll hold the ropes on the other side of the tree."

(Alfred) "Oh, all right, You keep him stretched out until I climb down. I’ll hurry. Now don't forget the dogs. Make them stay away from him when he hits the ground or they will tear him apart while he is unconscious. I want him alive and healthy."

(Heber) "He better be out cold when you let him down…I swear I’ll shoot him if he makes a move. I’m not going to be down here wrestling with a mad cougar while you sit up there on a limb laughing at me." 

12🎙 (Narrator) Alfred had to grin at Heber's remarks as he thought of what a circus it could be if the cougar regained consciousness before he could get down and gag him. It would be quite a sight to see Heber trying to outrun an angry cougar around a tree with two dogs chasing him-n-the-cat, barking their heads off. That would be a sight to see, BUT too dangerous, he decided. He’d be sure the cat was unconscious before Heber puts the rope around his hind feet.

(narrator) Alfred put the coiled lasso rope over his head and across his body to secure it for the climb. He kept a close watch of the cougar while he climbed and made sure the trunk of the tree was between them. When he reached a good strong limb above the lion, Alfred stopped to figure out the best place to be when he lassoed him. He would have to wrap the rope around a sturdy limb above him to dally up to be able to jerk the cat off balance and then let gradually lower him down to the ground. 

After Alfred got to the prime location and braced himself, he readied to throw the loop. The first throw hit him on the nose and he struck at the rope with one of his front paws. This distraction caught him off guard and he almost lost his balance and fell. He hung on a lot tighter after that. The third time he threw, the loop landed smoothly around his neck. The cat then growled and hissed at him. Carefully Alfred tightened the rope and wrapped the loose end around the limb above him. As he pulled the rope with one hand and tightened it around the limb above with the other hand, the cat began to growl increasingly. Each pull he gave secured the rope a little more firmly around his neck and began to pull him off balance. That big cat resisted with all of his strength but finally he couldn't hang on any longer and slid off the limb taking with him bark and any small branches he could grab at. He threshed with all his might but he couldn't gain any footing. Everything he could reach was slashed. Those legs and feet are so very powerful and dangerous.

13🎙(Alfred) I began to lower him slowly and he kept fighting. Heber could see the struggle and he picked up his rifle with his rope. I didn’t blame him…as I began to wonder if my rope was strong enough to hold 150 to 200 pounds of fighting furry sliding lower and lower toward him.

As I cautiously lowered the cougar he struggled less and less and by the time he reached the lower limbs he had quit. Heber reached up and hit his back legs with his hat and there was no response.

"Tie those back feet quickly.”

(Heber) “Got it, I’m just gonna anchor this around the tree so we can stretch him out”.

(Alfred) "Is he out?"

(Heber) "I think so,"

(Alfred) "All right then, I'll drop my rope but keep the dogs back. I'll be right down."

I knew I had to act quickly or the cougar would either get up and fight or he would be dead. I shimmied down that tree in record time. I grabbed a small stick and put it in his mouth as a gag. Then I wrapped a small rope around and around his jaws and the stick.

14🎙(narrator) Alfred gave his lasso some slack and tied it in a knot that wouldn't slip. Next he took another small rope and tied the cat’s front feet up under his chin and then tied his back feet up close to them. Can you imagine it…hogtying a mountain lion. 

Then the brothers stepped back in the shade and waited. Alfred really hoped he hadn’t choked him to death. He didnt want to do that.

All the time they were tying the cat up, the dogs kept barking and dashing in close to the cougar. They kept yelling for them to get back. They didnt want to tie the hounds up until they had all the ropes secure. They knew that if the cougar should make a break for freedom and really get loose that it was best to have the dogs handy so they could attack him and draw him away from them.

15 🎙 (Heber) “that should do it little brother.”

(Alfred) “yeah, i think so…I hope so.”

(Alfred) (Calling the dogs and tying them up) (whistle) Come here girls…oh you did so good. Not lets tie you up and let this Tom catch his breath.

(Heber) “well lookie there Alfred, your kitty cat’s eyes are opening.”

(Alfred) "Good, Wake up old boy. I want you alive.”

(Alfred) "No use, I know you're strong but not strong enough to break those ropes…I hope."

(Alfred) “He has such a beautiful tawny cream-colored coat. Its glistening. Well…I guess he has been eating pretty well.”

(Heber) "No question about that.”

(Alfred) "Isn't he a beauty? 

(Heber) “Yes, he has a beautiful color if you look at him that way, but I see him as a cold blooded killer and robber."

(Alfred) "They have to eat Heber.”

(Heber) "I suppose so, But why can't they eat the wild animals and leave the ones in the corals alone."

(Cat breathing deeply and straining at his ropes)

(Heber) "Now that you have him what are you going to do with him?"

(Alfred) "hmmm Take him to town and give him to the government trapper. I hope he can send him to some zoo. That would be better than killing him wouldn't it?"

(Heber) "I don't know. Maybe so. But how are you going to get him to town? Are you going to carry him on your shoulders? I'm sure I'm not, and I don't think you are going to load him on any horse."

(Alfred) "Oh yes we are, We're going to load him across my saddle on old Dick, and I'll ride behind. We'll take him to town that way "

(Heber) "And just how are you going to do that trick?"

(Alfred) "I’ll show ya. Get your slicker off your saddle and tie it over Dick's eyes. I’ll put mine over the cougar, then we can lift him on the saddle from the back. I’ll tie Dick up so he can’t move very much. Remember I’ve carried many a calf and sheep on him, besides a lot of deer. Come on, let’s try it.”

(Heber) “All right you dreamer.”

16 🎙 (Narrator) Well you know what, They covered Dick’s eyes and laid Alfred’s coat over the cat. Then they lifted him up and carefully placed him on the saddle. Ol Dick never moved. They untied the cougar’s hind feet from his head and slid the rope under Dick‘s belly. Alfred turned the cougar on his belly, across the saddle, and grabbed the rope from his hind feet and tied it tight to his head again. 

17 🎙 (Alfred) “See, how easy? Now I’ll get up behind the saddle and you untie Dick and hand me the reins.“

(Alfred) crawled up behind the saddle and the cougar. Heber handed him the reins then took the blind fold off of Dick's eyes. 

(Alfred) "Lets go home." 

(Narrator) Wouldnt you know it Ol Dick started off like he had done so many times before with the livestock. And he never even looked back.

By mid-afternoon those brothers were riding down the main street of that little town with that trophy Tom being the main attraction. Word spread quickly and it seemed like every person in town came to see that Big Lion. Even Mother Mary Jane came to see. Alfred was afraid of that. She stood there front in of him with her hands on her hips. Alfred didn't say a word and neither did Heber for a few minutes.

(Heber) "How do you like our new pet, Mother?"

(Narrator) Mother never Looked at Heber. She suspected it was Alfred’s idea to take the cougar alive. She just stared from that live animal to Alfred and back. 

18 🎙 (Mother) "Did anyone get hurt (hart)?"

17b 🎙 (Alfred) "No, Mother. No one got hurt.”

19 🎙 (Mother) "Well…we can Thank the Lord for that, But I wonder what crazy thing you'll do next. Probably try to rope a bear. 

20🎙 (Narrator) Mother was near prophetic on that point. It seems that years later Alfred was…well…he was treed by a bear. It was most likely an American Black Bear. The black bear is still prevalent in the mountains of Southern Utah. 

So what happened…according to oral and written accounts of the event told by Alfred’s Nephews and Nieces, Alfred was caring for a large herd of sheep on Cedar Mountain in southern Utah (now part of the Dixie National Forest). And during his duties that day he was hiking to the top of a ridge. As he topped over the backbone of the ridge he came face to face with a black bear. Now surprising a bear is almost always going to result in an attack. Its just how wild animals of that nature react. And this meet and greet was no different. The bear immediately took after Alfred.  

You know for just about all of us…In the heat of the moment its so difficult to remember what NOT to do in situations like that. We do know that Alfred involuntarily violated the top 2 rules of engagement with bears…(1) do NOT run (easier said than done) the American Black bear can weigh up to 300 lbs and run up to 35 miles per hour. Its not a matter of can you outrun them, they WILL outrun you. Your only saving grace would be having another person with you that is slightly slower. Only in this scenario, Alfred was a one man show, and looking to be a one course meal. 

And then there’s rule (2) DONT climb a tree. Black Bears are natural tree climbers. Climbing a tree is a BAD idea. Its advised that you stand your ground and back away calmly. You can pee yourself if you have to, just stand your ground. Alfred’s niece, Florence Lamb, recalled after they got rid of the bear that “Uncle Alfred could NOT run and jump as far as each stride he was taking while being chased by the bear.  Nor could he again climb the tree he was in." For the record…it is not clear whether or not Alfred Randall Meeks actually attempted to “rope the bear” as mother Mary Jane Meeks had predicted.  

So why am I telling you this story…well…Here are my takeaways:

✅All of God’s Creatures deserve respect. Even the smallest turtles. The random Franklins of this world need love to. 

✅ Compassionate hearts towards creation can illicit tender miraculous moments…and we are changed. 

✅ As Niccolo Machiavelli said, “All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger, it’s impossible. But calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things and not the strength to suffer."

✅ What things are we trying to capture in life? Do we have behaviors or habits that need restrained and relocated?

✅ Are we the captor….or the bound and captured?

✅ Re-homing is a thing. All of us need re-homing at one time or another in our lives. Sometimes by choice, sometimes by circumstances. Death will “Re-home” all of us. 

✅ Things in life are gonna hit the fan. Sometimes we throw it, sometimes it throws us.

✅ Siblings stick together through some pretty reckless stuff.

✅ When your brother decides to do something stupid, make sure somebody goes with him.

✅ Mothers will worry and fret. Its their job. Honor that. Respect that. Expect that.

Thank you for listening to the FEELING YOUR OATS Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode please share it. Growing listeners will allow complete focus on content. 

Once again…I am Just Randomly being me.

Until Next Time remember “When your WHY is clear, your HOW is easy.”

And Hey…We’ll see you in the spring if the waters clear.