Mad cow! How to deal with aggressive cattle?
RunsWithBees
Posts: 1,508 Member
On a 5 mile hike/trail run last week I almost got stampeded by some aggressive cattle that came out of nowhere! There are often cows grazing in the open spaces and regional parks where I run, never had an issue before. These must have come over a hill right as I ran by (maybe I startled them?) usually the cattle are very indifferent to people passing by, but I didn’t see them at all until I heard some noise behind me, turned and saw about a dozen of them running about 10 feet behind me and closing in quickly. I veered off the trail to let them pass but their “leader” was especially aggressive and followed me and charged straight at me. Adrenaline is an amazing thing, I kept running and there was an old fallen tree nearby so I climbed up it and out of reach. They all seemed to be young cows, like sub-adults with no horns, they gathered around me and circled me for awhile, the leader came up to where I was perched on the log and looked at me for a long time. I moved from one side of the log to another and it also went from one side to the other to stare me down. I just stayed out of reach, avoided eye contact and tried my best to look like a vegan 🥺 After about 15 minutes they left. Of course, I had a big juicy burger for my post-workout meal, but yea that was scary! 😅
Does anyone know why the leader targeted me? I’ve been running in these hills for 5 years and the cows are usually quite docile. If I hadn’t had that fallen tree to climb on, would they have continued to charge and trample me? (I’m thinking: yes!) Were they only “playing”? How are you supposed to handle a situation like this? I know what to do about wild animals like mountain lions, coyotes and such... but cows? And a whole (mini) herd of them? Do I run in zig-zag patterns or what? Is spring just the time of year that they are most aggressive? Any info or insights would be greatly appreciated, although this experience will absolutely not deter me from returning to my beloved hills to hike and run because for me the benefits still far outweigh the risks 😁
Does anyone know why the leader targeted me? I’ve been running in these hills for 5 years and the cows are usually quite docile. If I hadn’t had that fallen tree to climb on, would they have continued to charge and trample me? (I’m thinking: yes!) Were they only “playing”? How are you supposed to handle a situation like this? I know what to do about wild animals like mountain lions, coyotes and such... but cows? And a whole (mini) herd of them? Do I run in zig-zag patterns or what? Is spring just the time of year that they are most aggressive? Any info or insights would be greatly appreciated, although this experience will absolutely not deter me from returning to my beloved hills to hike and run because for me the benefits still far outweigh the risks 😁
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Replies
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They must have smelled your meat diet in your sweat. Cows are funny like that, the don’t like getting eaten.😂4
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Also, is that the Monkees? As in heh, heh were the monkees? Dating myself.3
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frankiesgirlie wrote: »Also, is that the Monkees? As in heh, heh were the monkees? Dating myself.
Yup, I grew up on the old reruns and still a fan 😊2 -
Well, where I come from the cows start giving birth sometime between February and April. Don't know how aggressive a pregnant cow can be, but those with calves might want to chase people/dogs away from where they are. Those mama cows are very protective of their babies! Don't know what else you should have done. :Some folks say to just stay calm and quietly move away, but it sounds like you tried that. Congrats on not getting trampled!4
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1BlueAurora wrote: »Well, where I come from the cows start giving birth sometime between February and April. Don't know how aggressive a pregnant cow can be, but those with calves might want to chase people/dogs away from where they are. Those mama cows are very protective of their babies! Don't know what else you should have done. :Some folks say to just stay calm and quietly move away, but it sounds like you tried that. Congrats on not getting trampled!
Thanks! They seemed to be sub-adults so I doubt they were pregnant. I am aware about the mama cows protecting their babies and always give those a wide berth. Heck I give all the cows a wide berth! It’s just that I did not see these until they were running behind me when I was already running myself. Felt like I was participating in the Pamplona “Running of the Bulls” 😓 There was no time to be calm/quietly move away, thank goodness for adrenaline, I climbed that tree on pure instinct 😅
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Oh, and I wasn’t wearing any bright colors either... navy blue leggings and dark gray T-shirt if that matters to cows 🤷♀️0
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monkeefan1974 wrote: »Oh, and I wasn’t wearing any bright colors either... navy blue leggings and dark gray T-shirt if that matters to cows 🤷♀️
They can't see color. The "red flag in front of a bull" thing is just a myth.5 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »Oh, and I wasn’t wearing any bright colors either... navy blue leggings and dark gray T-shirt if that matters to cows 🤷♀️
They can't see color. The "red flag in front of a bull" thing is just a myth.
Oh, good to know! I thought I heard somewhere that the color yellow could get them excited, that’s why bull fighters have a yellow lining inside the red fabric 🤷♀️ I didn’t know they were totally color blind.0 -
They might have thought that you had some grain or salt for them. I grew up on a farm and we pastured cattle during the summer. When we would show up, they were all excited to see us.7
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Well at least that got you moooving.24
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Another vote for them thinking you were coming to feed them. Our cows have always come running when they see people. People = food. They’ll definitely run after us and even be a bit pushy with my kids.
I’ve seen particularly mean individual cattle charge people(usually something going on with a mean cow/bull/steer- they’ve been mistreated, haven’t been exposed to humans, or are just feeling their hormones 😜)
But to have a whole herd come running after you sounds like they thought it was feeding time. More than likely you came through at dinner time. They’re funny about their meal time routines.4 -
They might have thought that you had some grain or salt for them. I grew up on a farm and we pastured cattle during the summer. When we would show up, they were all excited to see us.BarbellCowgirl wrote: »Another vote for them thinking you were coming to feed them. Our cows have always come running when they see people. People = food. They’ll definitely run after us and even be a bit pushy with my kids.
I’ve seen particularly mean individual cattle charge people(usually something going on with a mean cow/bull/steer- they’ve been mistreated, haven’t been exposed to humans, or are just feeling their hormones 😜)
But to have a whole herd come running after you sounds like they thought it was feeding time. More than likely you came through at dinner time. They’re funny about their meal time routines.
Wow this did not even occur to me, good to know! 😮0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Well at least that got you moooving.
🤣🤣🤣
But I was already running tho! I have to admit the adrenaline rush was interesting, I was running and scrambling up that fallen tree but I didn’t feel my body at all, weird!0 -
Cows are curious sentient beings.2
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Maybe the saw you running and it looked like fun.
We had cows that when they would see the dog run they would start running too.3 -
That is funny! They were probably just in the mood to cause trouble. I can usually walk across our field without the cows paying attention. The bull on the other hand, that's a different story...
My advise: Take your mobile phone with you, and pick a trail where you can be sure that you get a cell signal while you're sitting in the trees....
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Well at least that got you moooving.
Maybe they herd it was a good idea.14 -
Kind of off the subject but this reminds me of being a little kid visiting my Grandpa's dairy farm. We were in the back of his pickup (old rickety thing, this was 1960) and went out into the fields. On the way back, his cows were following us and I got so scared because I thought the cows were after me and were going to hurt me. In reality, they were just following the humans back to the barn because it was getting close to milking time.
To a 4 year old, Guernsey's are BIG and an 80 head herd is REALLY BIG.5 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Well at least that got you moooving.
Maybe they herd it was a good idea.
Now I've herd everything...5 -
That is funny! They were probably just in the mood to cause trouble. I can usually walk across our field without the cows paying attention. The bull on the other hand, that's a different story...
My advise: Take your mobile phone with you, and pick a trail where you can be sure that you get a cell signal while you're sitting in the trees....
I had my cell and a decent signal. I didn’t feel like it was exactly an emergency because I was safely out of their reach, so while I was waiting for them to mellow out and leave I was texting my bf just in case so he would know what happened if anything did happen to me. He texted back “Let me know if you want me to come get you!” Awwww he really is my knight in shining armor 😊💕 but I knew the cows would eventually moooooove on so I told him I’d wait it out 😬4 -
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L1zardQueen wrote: »
At least the sharks aren’t a concern while I’m trail running 😂3 -
What country are you in?
Oh my my, you were just out for a pleasant valley Sunday run. It's hard to believe at first, but with all the details, I'm a believer. I guess that cow wasn't born to follow. Next time just tell those cows you're not their stepping stone, then hop on the next train to Clarksville..Just remember, tomorrow's gonna be another day.
Sorry, I'll go now...10 -
Horns/no horns have nothing to do with age; some breeds are naturally polled (hornless), and others have theirs removed as calves.
If not yearling bulls feeling that first rush of testosterone or mama cows with calves, truly just heifers (sub-adults), stand your ground and be aggressive back. If you run, they will chase you. Have a telescoping trekking pole with you. They are super pushy-curious and will half-circle/encircle you in the ducking/bobbing line of, but easy to fend off. The nose leather is the most sensitive part of if you have to poke/swat one with a pole tip. Clicking/clucking (like you do to a horse), whistling, and "shhhh, shhhh"ing sounds are what cattle are used to hearing to get them to move. Along with "Hup! Hup!" and "HA!" and "Get!" and other verbal yells you'd use to push/get something moving away from you.
If they are bulls, move slowly away and never take your eyes off of them. If you run, they will chase you and not be as benign as curious heifers.
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What country are you in?
Oh my my, you were just out for a pleasant valley Sunday run. It's hard to believe at first, but with all the details, I'm a believer. I guess that cow wasn't born to follow. Next time just tell those cows you're not their stepping stone, then hop on the next train to Clarksville..Just remember, tomorrow's gonna be another day.
Sorry, I'll go now...
I’m in Northern California 😎
And that was BRILLIANT!!!
You rock! 😃😃😃 2 -
grinning_chick wrote: »Horns/no horns have nothing to do with age; some breeds are naturally polled (hornless), and others are removed as calves.
If not yearling bulls feeling that first rush of testosterone or mama cows with calves, truly just heifers, stand your ground and be aggressive back. If you run, they will chase you. Have a telescoping trekking pole with you. They are super pushy-curious and will half-circle/encircle you in the ducking/bobbing line of, but easy to fend off. The nose leather is the most sensitive part of if you have to poke/swat one with a pole tip. Clicking/clucking (like you do to a horse), whistling, and "shhhh, shhhh"ing sounds are what cattle are used to hearing to get them to move. Along with "Hup! Hup!" and "HA!" and "Get!" and other verbal yells you'd use to push/get something moving away from you.
If they are bulls, move slowly away and never take your eyes off of them. If you run, they will chase you and not be as benign as curious heifers.
Thanks for the info! Great stuff to know. I’ll keep it in mind next time I encounter them, just hopefully it’s not when we are already in motion like what happened, there was just no time to think at all and I just reacted by instinct 😅 I don’t think they allow the bulls out to pasture in the parks and open spaces but you never know 🤷♀️0 -
What country are you in?
Oh my my, you were just out for a pleasant valley Sunday run. It's hard to believe at first, but with all the details, I'm a believer. I guess that cow wasn't born to follow. Next time just tell those cows you're not their stepping stone, then hop on the next train to Clarksville..Just remember, tomorrow's gonna be another day.
Sorry, I'll go now...
Hug Hug Hug 😃😃😃 thank you for being so freakin’ awesome!!! Sometimes I’m apprehensive about posting in these forums because you never know what kind of responses you are gonna get and people behind keyboards can be brutal. You have made it a happy and worthwhile experience, I sincerely thank you 😊 2 -
Animals get weird this time of year - it’s calve season and in my area pup season. They are all hormone crazy. I had a very territorial coyote almost attack me this morning on my normal trail who I suspect was guarding pups nearby.
Bright side - you probably hit some peak heart rate time! I know I did lol (I also got an extra 0.23 miles re-routing lol) I was also texting my husband the whole time back to the car just in case since I had to go by the same spot briefly to reach my car.2 -
Animals get weird this time of year - it’s calve season and in my area pup season. They are all hormone crazy. I had a very territorial coyote almost attack me this morning on my normal trail who I suspect was guarding pups nearby.
Bright side - you probably hit some peak heart rate time! I know I did lol (I also got an extra 0.23 miles re-routing lol) I was also texting my husband the whole time back to the car just in case since I had to go by the same spot briefly to reach my car.
Yea maybe the cows just had a bit of spring fever 😅 all kinds of things flashed through my mind after I saw them heading towards me, like if I didn’t make it to safety my death certificate was gonna officially read “death by cattle” 😞1 -
Glad you are OK!
Maybe run with a border collie to keep them in line 😂3
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