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Caching/walking can be very dangerouss


OMUK

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I live in rural Iowa USA and I own beef cattle and have 'show' calves that we take to state and county fairs. I have never really understood the different practices between our countries in managing livestock. Here all cattle are fenced in and we would never routinely enter a field with a bull without having very close access to a large vehicle. And I would never allow the general public to have a walking path near these animals much less no fence whatsoever.

 

Cattle, even the babies, are big, dumb, unpredictable and dangerous.

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I live in rural Iowa USA and I own beef cattle and have 'show' calves that we take to state and county fairs. I have never really understood the different practices between our countries in managing livestock. Here all cattle are fenced in and we would never routinely enter a field with a bull without having very close access to a large vehicle. And I would never allow the general public to have a walking path near these animals much less no fence whatsoever.

 

Cattle, even the babies, are big, dumb, unpredictable and dangerous.

 

I'll go along with that...even a 'friendly nudge' from something the size of a cow can't be good for you...!

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I never used to be afraid of cows, bullocks or even Bulls till i started caching.... now I'm terrified!

on my lovely afternoon stroll around the Whitley Wander series I actually cried at one stage because if I were to complete the walk I had to 'Go in'!

 

So ...... I puffed myself up and entered the field .... oh what a day!

And it didn't get any easier on the way round either. :)

Nooooo

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We have never had a problem with a bull, but cows, well that's another story:

And one I would never want to repeat. We are now more cautious than ever before entering a field of cows, so much so that once we were less than half a mile off of the end of a circular walk with a herd of cows in the way, we chose to take a 3 mile detour. Our German Shepherd, Chester, is so traumatised after that incident that he is very unhappy about entering a field with large animals of any kind.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be very careful out there, these often considered docile creatures can be very dangerous, especially if you have a dog with you. And if they have calves with them (there were no calves present at above incident) I really wouldn't even consider entering there field.

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I live in rural Iowa USA and I own beef cattle and have 'show' calves that we take to state and county fairs. I have never really understood the different practices between our countries in managing livestock. Here all cattle are fenced in and we would never routinely enter a field with a bull without having very close access to a large vehicle. And I would never allow the general public to have a walking path near these animals much less no fence whatsoever.

 

Cattle, even the babies, are big, dumb, unpredictable and dangerous.

 

I'll go along with that...even a 'friendly nudge' from something the size of a cow can't be good for you...!

 

I got a friendly nudge from a year old heifer once and ended up with a dislocated knee cap.

 

Loony Londo gives some good advice - as long as you can get over / through the fence or over the wall surrounding the field.

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I live in rural Iowa USA and I own beef cattle and have 'show' calves that we take to state and county fairs. I have never really understood the different practices between our countries in managing livestock. Here all cattle are fenced in and we would never routinely enter a field with a bull without having very close access to a large vehicle. And I would never allow the general public to have a walking path near these animals much less no fence whatsoever.

 

Cattle, even the babies, are big, dumb, unpredictable and dangerous.

 

I'm not a farmer (and I hate having to go through fields with cattle!). So I wish they were always behind a fence.

 

The UK is different from the US in terms of landscape and rights of way. In the UK it is common for public footpaths to go through private farming property; that is not so common in the US. (I have lived in the US for similar time as I've lived in the UK). I would love for all cattle to be fenced in away from me, but in a densely and highly cultivated country, that could not happen without severely restricting the rights of way, or constricting farmers too much.

 

Putting it bluntly - in a large country like the US it is easier to fence in all the cattle and still have areas where people can roam, than it is in the UK. (Especially in England, and even more so in Southern England).

 

I never had fear of cattle until I had a close call a year or so ago. I've been slowly regaining some cautious confidence to enter a field with cattle, but reports like this set me back.

Edited by redsox_mark
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When I was first chased by cows through a field I was scared to death:

Standard Issue

The second time I was looking out for them but they appeared from nowhere and I only had time to jump over the stile, my bike has been left on the other side:

Ashby Round - Step Up.

The last time I met a few of them I had 2 metres off of GZ but was on the other side of a gate and there were 15 of them on the other side. I really wanted to find the box so had to combat my fear, I explained them what I'm doing there and they even tried to help:

North Pole, South Pole.

 

Once I've met a boar like 50 metres from a cache, I turned around and walked away knowing that decision saved my life. Found the box another time.

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Why should I not be able to walk wherever I have a perfectly legal right to do so?

 

Better be prepared to import all your beef & milk from abroad if you think that every field with a footpath going through it should be free of cows; then get ready to eradicate all the horses, wild deer, wild boars; oh and those cars on the roads kill more people in a day than are killed in a year by cows so lets get rid of them too.

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I used to work my school hols on a farm-cattle are herding animals not much different to Elephant or wildebeest, their interaction with humans at milking usualy means a rich feed thats why they follow you, best way to negotiate a field of cattle is with a stick, they will still follow but wont get within range of the stick-keep the stick aloft and wave it behind you now and again just to remind them-not in a 'light sabre' fashion tho' as you will look daft :rolleyes:

 

Bullocks (eating) are as placid and as curious as cows

Bulls (breeding) are 99.9% placid and few and far between, dont take the chance, and never take the chance when they're siring :laughing:

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There are a few things to keep in mind around livestock.

 

Bulls often react based on hormones or scent.

Bovines are often nothing more than curious, or perhaps they look at people as a food source as when the farmer/rancher drives out.

Livestock don't have hands, a nudge is one method they use to "test" the curious item. Cows will generally not nudge as hard as a goat.

These are animals, they don't think like we do.

If you have a dog with you, many animals may see you as more of a threat, perceiving the dog as a predator.

 

There is no need to be afraid of animals, but you do need to respect their space. If crossing a field of cows, wave your arms and call at them as if herding. They will generally move. Avoid pastures with bulls as they will often seek to verify the pecking order.

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