By Kenny Andrews
Outfitter, mule skinner and bucking horse breeder, Warren Johnson started Hell’s A Roaring Outfitters in 1982. He has been taking hunters, fishermen and horseback riders into Absarka Wilderness and Yellowstone park ever since.
Horses and mules are the passion of his life. His dad was an outfitter since 1932; therefore they have been a huge part of Warren’s life. The Johnson ranch is situated in God’s country, located less than a half mile from the northern boundary of Yellowstone and about a mile from Absarka Wilderness. The old-fashioned horse-and-mule outfit has a Clyde stud that sires about 20 head of colts each year. They are up and coming to maintain a ramuda of 300 head.
They keep the colts close to home for the first year then they get turned out on 40 thousand acres until they become horses. When they bring them home as three year olds, a few miles are put on them then turned back out.
“In the late 90s there was a shortage of big hunting horses and bucking horses,” Warren states. “We went to Canada and bought 1000 draft cross horses that were from PMU station. We raised them for a couple of years, we broke some, bucked some and kept some for our dude ranch business. It was intense for a few years but we really enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve always had a fascination with bucking horses and this really got me interested. So I bought 5 Kessler mares at Binny Binion sale in Las Vegas. Then I bought a War Paint stud from Bradley Brettin. He was a bucking machine! Later, I bought 9 more from the Kessler family. This was a great purchase and I still have their bloodlines in my horses! They were buckers! I’ve sold plenty over the years, and a few have ended up at the NFR. One day I saw UBHA advertised and my imagination was piqued. I started due diligence and ended up talking to Guy French. I bought two colts outright, and then partners on a few. One of them won the Yearling class for Bucking horse of the year, one also won the yearling class of the finals. I think it is a great organization and I’m excited to host one of the events in Gardiner this may. It will be on Memorial Day weekend, in conjunction with our “Annual Hell’s A’ Roarin” Horse Drive. We’ve driven our horses through Gardiner to our ranch every year since 1982. In the last few years, we’ve gotten together with chamber and turned it into a fundraiser. We have a band, (this year is Wylie and the Wild West), A BBQ, cowboy poetry and some great dancing! This year the proceeds are earmarked for the Sheriffs Canine Unit in our county. We usually have 3 to 400 folks come to celebrate and have a good time. It is a kickoff to our summer season, for tourists heading into Yellowstone Park. This Bucking Colt futurity will be a great way to kick off (no pun intended) the centennial celebration of National Parks, as well!”
For more information about the UBHA, please visit ubhabucks.com
