Author Topic: Territorial cattle? (Read 6029 times)

Smalltime · « **on:** March 28, 2012, 11:06:25 am »

I know nothing about cattle but have had no less than five bad run-ins with cattle so I am now a bit nervous of them tbh. As a youngster I was taking a slight shortcut and rounded a hedge and came eyeball to eyeball with the biggest cow you have ever sseen, which reared up onto its legs at which point I saw it was about the size of small horse and had a tiny calf with it, I got out of there like Bolt on speed. Another time I was with my partner and decided a short cut over the field would be far quicker than following this path all the way round the inside edge of the fence. About half way across and all these cattle, big, horned black cattle, started looking up and wandering over from all directions, then a few actually started trotting over from further away. My gf's big red jumper wasn't really helping matters and I sped up a bit before they started to cut off the escape route over the far fence and really started getting a bit close. Then they got really pretty pissed off and I had my gf in front while i had to turn around when something snorted right behind me, they were all jostling around me and winding each other up. Then one of them put his horns down right in front of me whilst I was turned around and started pawing the ground and I thought...well a lot of tings and smacked it one on the nose with my fishng rod (hardly gonna stop that thing) and shouted at it and it backed off. We basically managed to force our way out and over the fence and they all were still there, trottig up and down. Scared the life out me tbh. Theres been other things, a camping trip, lake at bottom of field - a field of steers i later discover - who ssee me wandering casually through with my white 10 litre (bait) bucket in hand - suddenly I am the centre of activity and get a butt up the arse. Another time sitting quietly in a field fishing away, suddenly the familiar snort in my ear. I turn round and an army of cattle has surrounded me, anxious to see me exit via the river.
Just wondered if anyone had any ideas of why this always happens to me, a lot of my rivers run (legally) through fields of cattle and I dont really want another horn up the backside. As stated, i know nothing about them other than what i have seen. Are they territorial or something? I dont mean the cow and calf, thats obvious, just normal cattle seem to me to have a problem sharing their space? $:-\$

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2012, 11:18:00 am »

Sorry, shouldn't laugh but your post did make me smile.

Glad you haven't been hurt, though. I think cattle are curious about people - their response is quite different to the flight response of sheep or horses. Ours certainly are curious and I've had a few dunts from their horns. They try to "savage" the haybags when I take them out in the morning and evening BUT there's only three of them and they do take a telling. I find if I walk faster, they get more excited - if I drop my energy levels, slow my breathing and steps, they calm down too. A wallop on the nose works too though

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2012, 11:24:46 am »

And the moral of this story is STAY AWAY from fields with cattle in them! Cattle are territorial especially if they have young with them, you will also find that a field of young stock is naturally curious of you and will come to investigate and it goes without saying to avoid fields with bulls in them. The other thing is that if you run they will chase its a great game for them, i find the best way is to stand your ground with young stock and clap your hands loudly, this is normally enough to scare them away whilst you make an exit at walking pace turning and clapping as you go. Most calves these days are bucket fed so if you're stupid enuff

to walk thro a field of young stock with a bucket in your hand well what do you expect them to do, they think they're gonna get fed.
ps if you poked me with a fishing rod i'd slap you in the arse!
Mandy

(We have young stock and usually a bull in our fields May thro Oct so am talking from experience as we have a well used public footpath running right thro centre, there are notices on the stile and gates which we got from the NFU warning or their presence. )

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** March 28, 2012, 11:30:37 am »

i was laughing as well if it was not for bad luck you would have no luck at all
all cattle react this way to something different in there field please note their field
once seen somebody like you getting chased by 70+ cattle boy did they motor down that hill to get away from them

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2012, 11:47:56 am »

Cattle are curious - they come and see what you are, rather than run away, as Rosemary says.
Even worse if you have a dog with you or a bucket!

HappyHippy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2012, 12:07:30 pm »

I'd echo Mandy's advice - just stay out of fields that have cows in

(or talk to the landowner before entering

) You just never know when there might be a calf or bull lurking somewhere, and groups of young stock are the worst of all (like rowdy teenagers) plus unless it's a right of way, it's good manners

They're nosey and inquisitive mostly (other than when protecting their young) If it was unavoidable to cross their field I'd walk slowly (with any dogs on a close lead) and if the cows get too close stop and wave your arms, again slowly and just tell 'em to mooooooove (that was always our cow moving call as kids

) or you can give it a (low and slow sounding) "go on" the way most sane folks do

They'll back off and most likely just follow from a short distance. Some cows do react badly to dogs though, so if that looks like it's happening let go of your dog and send it out the field, stay calm and get yourself out asap.
HTH
Karen

feldar · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2012, 12:20:18 pm »

My OH is an AI man for a large dairy unit he used to go around a lot of dairies and sometimes i would go with him. I got used to being splashed with cow poo and helping moving cows into the AI stalls, but i was never very good at predicting what they would do next. I'd worked with horses for years and know the signs of a nervous or agitated horse but cows have no logic to me, they give no indication they are going to bolt or kick they just do it!
One day we were making our way back through a barn of heifers to our truck, when my OH grabbed me by the collar just as they all decided to buckeroo on past kicking their heels up, i nearly got squashed except OH saved me! HE predicted what they were going to do!!! contrary animals

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 28, 2012, 12:46:42 pm »

I also struggled with cow psychology. With horses, if they didnt like something you could tell but also they would generally get more and more stroppy about the issue. With cows you could try and try and try to make them do something without avail but suddenly they would just do it with no clue about why they changed their minds.

Its one of the things that made me decide that cows werent just horses with horns that you could milk.....I stick to sheep now :-)

Smalltime · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2012, 04:16:00 pm »

Thanks for the advice, I cannot avoid cattle entirely as prime stretches run through their fields. Inevitably, fishing tends to involve both sitting quietly and moving silently, thus arm waving and clapping my hands - though doubtless effective - would prove somewhat self-defeating from a recreational point of view. Shouting is also taboo if you plan a trip to the river and expect to catch anything.
Don't worry, I have never again taken any form of bucket through a field of cattle. I gathered from the carefully calculated horn sweep that brushed my leg and emptied the bait bucket contents on the grass that this was indeed what they had been angling for. A well-timed, and rather neat, sidestep by his partner-in-crime made any planned attempt to salvage the contents more than foolhardy; the only consolation being that the mixture of halibut pellets and tutti frutti boilies were probably not what either had been planning on getting stuck into. In case there was any doubt my presence was no longer required, I was promptly butted impatiently to one side and a fixed angry glare from another large steer trotting over to get into the action prompted a swift retreat over the iron gate. Shortly after my departure another steer then reared up against it and suddenly slammed his forehead onto the top bar like some kind of wild buffalo. I then got accusatory glares from fellow campers who were peering over the hedge to see who had upset the 'poor cows' and had to tramp back round to my little tent (no motorhome here) via the bramble bush route.
Apparently no way to quietly share a field with a load of cattle then, at least not for any length of time without the necessary arm waving and shouting at some point, probably just as the fish are finally coming onto feed. Looks like I will have to concentrate on areas of the rivers without cattle in them come June then or risk another jab in the rear.
Thanks for the advice, I will use it. BTW if your bull hurts someone after you have put the 'Beware of Bull' sign up where the footpath crosses your field you are then liable, hence there are no signs anymore. Not much of a comfort for either party really.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2012, 05:32:11 pm »

I think the NFU signs have been worded so that they dont have the 'warning/beware' aspect which can impact liability, they are purely informational and are deemed not to have a legal downside aspect.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #10 on:** March 28, 2012, 09:55:11 pm »

Quote from: Rosemary on March 28, 2012, 11:18:00 am

Sorry, shouldn't laugh but your post did make me smile.

Glad you haven't been hurt, though. I think cattle are curious about people - their response is quite different to the flight response of sheep or horses. Ours certainly are curious and I've had a few dunts from their horns. They try to "savage" the haybags when I take them out in the morning and evening BUT there's only three of them and they do take a telling. I find if I walk faster, they get more excited - if I drop my energy levels, slow my breathing and steps, they calm down too.

Absolutely spot on - they take their cue from you. Slow down, slow deep breathing, slow and steady movements, do not be confrontational (cincluding direct eye contact) unless they leave you no option, and make every muscle and sinew state, "I am not afraid of you, you need to be respectful of me." Keep your voice calm, low and firm, do not flap about.

Quote from: Rosemary on March 28, 2012, 11:18:00 am

A wallop on the nose works too though

The only bit of Rosemary's post I cannot wholeheartedly echo is the last sentence. It might work with native breeds, but NEVER hit a continental beast on the nose - it'll take that cue from you too, and is likely to head-butt in response, or worse.

Smalltime · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2012, 08:42:47 am »

Trust me, if a large field full of lairy steers or bulls were jostling all around you in a very aggressive way - and then suddenly part like the red sea to leave a narrow strip of runway between you and a snorting bull pawing the ground with his horns lowered - you wouldn't think a little rap on the nose was going far enough. I expect your thoughts would be more like

Amusing now but in truth not at the time, in fact my gf later told me that someone actually got quite badly hurt on that same field later in the year and the cattle were moved. They were incredibly aggressive and not many people ever went down that way anyway so they were not used to people I suppose.

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2012, 09:50:31 am »

Quote from: lachlanandmarcus on March 28, 2012, 05:32:11 pm

I think the NFU signs have been worded so that they dont have the 'warning/beware' aspect which can impact liability, they are purely informational and are deemed not to have a legal downside aspect.

Thats correct thats why we use them. i will try and find a picture of it to show.
Way things are going i think the beast will be coming down to us earlier i saw my neighbour walking over the fields seemingly checking grass length and ground, and gateways, hes also done a bit of fence repairs(a rare deed round here!) so think he'll be calling me soon to ask for them to come across. (His farm backs onto us and once when all the gates right the way thro were left open he rang to say my big monster pigs were just about to his farmyard a mile and a half away! Told him that if they made it it he'd have to keep them for 3wks due to movement between holdings!

but anyway managed to coax them home took nearly two hours!)
Anyway Smalltime hope you find some cattle free fishing thats if theres enuff water left in the rivers!
mandy