World War II and the conflicts that followed caused a shortage of experienced cowboys in ranch country. Continuing droughts plus screwworms, brucellosis, and fever ticks added to South Texas ranchers’ problems. During those years, cattle often stayed in the brush where they multiplied and returned to a wild state. Tangled thickets of monte soon choked out the succulent grasses and encroached on the prairies. The vegetation adapted as did the animals. It took a special breed of men to handle the wily, tough cattle that hid in the thickets and in the oak motts that dotted the flats.

In cleaning the pastures of cattle on many large ranches that had gone untended during years of drought and changes in the economy, helicopters became time-saving tools. The helicopter gave man the upper hand in locating his prey. After that, cow work was still horseback work. In spite of man’s efforts, some of those animals still clung to their freedom and roamed the brushy thickets.

In The Adventures of a Helicopter Cowboy, W.J. Tiller, or "Jimmie", owner of Tiller Helicopter Services of Alice, Texas, tells of the experiences that he and his other pilots and cowboys had during more than twenty years of working many large South Texas ranches. Their work was often awesome, sometimes funny, and always dangerous. While flying his helicopter and skimming the treetops, Tiller skillfully photographed the countryside and its wildlife and cattle work. All of the striking images in this book are the result of the artistic eye of helicopter cowboy, Jimmie Tiller.

All text and images © Copyright 2003, Tiller & Associates (DBA Corral Press)
Duplication, use or distribution without permission is prohibited.
 

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