Getting to Know … Bobby Tunney, Bar T Bar Ranch Hand

Dec 11

from the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of Ground Truth

Born in 1959 in Black Falls, AZ, Bobby Tunney graduated from Tuba City High School and went straight to work at Flying M Ranch. Though no one remembers the exact date - it’s been so long - Bobby is estimated to have begun at Bar T Bar about 40 years ago. Since then, he has done nearly everything: caring for cattle, pastures, fences, and waters, all while also supervising crews of cowboys. His favorite places include Buckhorn and Black Rock Ranch, a vast property north of Joseph City he manages.

Known for his efficiency, Bobby often gets more done in a day than most could in several. One of Bar T Bar’s Core Values, “The Bobby Rule - Don’t walk home. Be prepared and equipped for each day,” was inspired by him. A previous contemporary, Lee Schmidt, called him a “one-man-wrecking-crew.” Respected for his honesty, humor, and skill, Bobby is recognized by colleagues as both dependable and inventive. During the wet years of the 1980s, he designed the “sliding water gap,” still in use today. Bar T Bar Rancher Bob Prosser has often said that “Bobby could track a cockroach,” and Diablo Trust Board Member Chuck Phillips, who worked with Bobby, may have summed it up best: “He is honest, dependable, and someone you would want with you if you got in a jam. Bobby is Top Notch and it has been my honor to know and work with him.”