walkhighlands

This forum is for general discussion about walking and scrambling... If writing a report or sharing your experiences from a route, please use the other boards.

Afraid of cows

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby Ben Nachie » Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:48 pm

mynthdd2 wrote:I know its not a cow (clever me) but I had a brush with a stag in full rut threat in Glen Affric ......a pony ran at me on a narrow path on the Pem Coastal Path...usually ok with sheep and rabbits tho


I was staying at Lagangarbh once when my friend and I found a ewe stuck in the stream just outside the hut. It had fallen through a snow bridge and got jammed. We spent a few minutes in the darkness hauling it out and during that time I thought I got a shove up the rear end, but dismissed it as my imagination as I was rather distracted by the task in hand. Once we got back to just outside the bothy door I felt the hefty shove once again, definitely real this time, so I turned round to see a ram standing right behind me. The daft creature had obviously thought that we were a threat to his lady friend and he was butting my backside!

I was also chased off the summit of Beinn Dorain by a flock of disgruntled sheep once. I have no idea what they were upset about but they definitely didn't want me there.
User avatar
Ben Nachie
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 354
Joined: Jun 19, 2017

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby Daymoth » Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:22 am

I walk at the surrey hills regularly ( NDW) and it is full of cows, and you have to walk closely beween them in some parts of the trail they usually have a nap on.
The guidance is usually to keep dogs on a leash and talk to them. I defenetly talk to them and they just look at me.

Now sheep are a different story. I had quite a standoff with a ram.
Daymoth
Scrambler
 
Posts: 18
Joined: Jan 14, 2018

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby EileanB » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:03 am

I was always told to stand my ground, a cow would always stop before it reached me.
One day, one didn't, nearly knocked mo over, and since then I have given them a wide birth!
EileanB
Walker
 
Posts: 158
Joined: Nov 14, 2013

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby Tinto63 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:03 pm

I have to admit that I much prefer cattle to either sheep or pigs and generally find the herds in Scotland friendly and fairly placid. I will avoid cows with young calves if they are looking boisterous but otherwise am quite happy to walk through herds. Where else will you have close encounters with such big animals? Walking quietly past a large Highland bull is an interesting and rewarding experience:-

DSC_1634_01.JPG



Quite often cattle can be curious and as mentioned in a post above, Austrian cattle seem to be especially interested, this picture was taken sometime in the 1990s probably in a meadow near Soll:-

cow 1_01.JPG
User avatar
Tinto63
Wanderer
 
Posts: 985
Munros:129   Corbetts:46
Fionas:38   Donalds:89
Sub 2000:30   
Joined: Jul 20, 2011
Location: West Lothian

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby mrssanta » Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:16 am

there used to be a big curly haired bull that sat by the roadside at Ardtalla in Islay; when we went past we were advised (by our mum) to show him respect by bowing and saying "good morning your Majesty" (or good afternoon of course depending on the time of day). I don't remember seeing him standing up ever!
User avatar
mrssanta
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 3132
Munros:281   Corbetts:12
Fionas:3   
Sub 2000:12   Hewitts:43
Wainwrights:41   Islands:13
Joined: Jul 18, 2011
Location: north yorkshire moors

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby tweedledog » Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:41 am

This is the prime time to keep your distance - a very young calf a few days ago, the first of the season.
calf.jpg

With my dog (who is terrified of them and is therefore always on a lead) I walk in, among and around this herd regularly. Once the calves are a few weeks old their mothers seem to calm down but at this stage they can be very protective. And there are extreme cases even among generally placid Highlands. A few years back the farmer warned me that one of the cows had taken off into the forest to give birth and that she was very aggressive in protecting the little one - they couldn't get near to tag the calf. "Watch out for number 72" he said. A few days later me and the dog rounded a corner on a forest track well away from where she had last been seen and who should step out of the forest in front of us but number 72. She fixed us with a basilisk stare and began to stride purposefully towards us. It's an open question as whether the whippet or me turned and ran the faster. She followed us just long enough to ensure that we were gone then returned to her calf. She could, of course, have caught up with me easily, but I knew, even if the dog didn't, that she wouldn't stray too far from the calf in its nest in the forest. Number 72, I might add, is no more. They decided that she was too dangerous.
All that said, other than with very small calves, I find the Highlands very tolerant, much more so than other breeds. The bull that used to be with this herd was even more so. He was generally keen to have me scratch his head. though I'm not recommending that as a technique of pacification. Best advice is give them a wide berth...
User avatar
tweedledog
Wanderer
 
Posts: 325
Joined: Jan 20, 2013
Location: Argyll

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby Alteknacker » Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:14 pm

I grew up in the country and never had any issues with cows. However, if you have a dog with you, and the cows have calves, it's a different matter altogether. They are likely to go for the dog, and when your dog is trying to escape it can wrap the lead around your legs so you fall. This happened to me, and I was very lucky indeed to escape uninjured, except for my pride and my clothes (covered in cow muck)!

I've only ever heard of people being attacked by cows when they have a dog with them on a lead.
User avatar
Alteknacker
Scrambler
 
Posts: 3473
Munros:176   Corbetts:33
Fionas:1   
Hewitts:264
Wainwrights:118   
Joined: May 25, 2013
Location: Effete South (of WIgan, anyway)

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby apollo0815 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:12 am

I am not afraid of cows and have passed many, even with our dogs, sometimes even in between them. Usually I just ignore them, which is the same, they do.
On the other hand, cows do not have to attack to injure you. My uncle had a farm, and I was helping him when I was younger.( and he was still alive.,..)
One of my tasks was to "water" one of his herds, they were in a field without natural water source, but he had parked a trailer with a 1500l tank on the field. I went there every day and filled up an old bathtub for them. On one of this excursions, one of the cows decided that her side was itching. And she started scratching herself using the trailer. Without noticing I was standing between her and the trailer:). That could have gone very wrong when 400 kg cow press oyu against a hard surface, luckily I managed to climb on the trailer.
User avatar
apollo0815
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 273
Munros:4   Corbetts:5
Fionas:4   Donalds:4
Joined: Oct 19, 2016
Location: Germany

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby mynthdd2 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:19 am

Do Rhinos count in this thread? Our guide took me and a group of schoolgirls on their Gold DofE expedition hike a bit too close to a herd of rhinos in a South African game park....with calves

so much for risk assessment
User avatar
mynthdd2
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 541
Islands:34
Joined: Feb 14, 2013
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby Pastychomper » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:16 pm

Having young calves is not the only time cows' hormones make them dangerous, though it is the most likely to cause problems for walkers.

I used to keep a tiny herd of Jerseys (or were they Jersies?), all very friendly and safe to be around, except that one of the two cows would mount anything that moved when she was "bulling" (in season). All cows will do that to other cows, presumably as a hint to any nearby bulls, but this one went over the top and mounted anything she could catch. Once I thought we'd finally trained her not to do it to bipeds, until she managed to get on my shoulders, pushing me down through a barbed wire fence. Fortunately there was a string repair - err, I mean, safety link - in the fence, which broke before any serious damage was done.

Having said that I've never had trouble from cows when out walking, and probably let them get closer than most would. I try to remind myself from time to time that I'm probably overconfident after spending years around some of the more docile breeds.
User avatar
Pastychomper
Wanderer
 
Posts: 216
Munros:5   Corbetts:4
Fionas:4   
Sub 2000:8   
Islands:5
Joined: Jan 2, 2018

Re: Afraid of cows

Postby mynthdd2 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:36 am

User avatar
mynthdd2
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 541
Islands:34
Joined: Feb 14, 2013
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Previous



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to General discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 23 guests