wild cows [part 3]

Craigslist is a fantastic venue. One can always find something to buy. One can find other things, as well. Take cowboys, for instance. Do you realize how many actual, the-real-deal cowboys are still alive and kicking? After posting an ad for "Cowboys Needed" we had a flood of phone calls. Guys (aka cowboys) are just itching for an opportunity to tame the wild things.

These three riders came to our rescue. With all the confidence of a true-blue, done-it-before cowboy, they set out across the pasture. Don't miss the dogs in the photo. These critters were the ticket to getting the cows of out the trees. The dogs run them out and the cowboys rope them. Simple. Right?

Right. It was just that simple. In about 15 minutes, they called me [Paula]. Wow! That was so much quicker than I thought!! My job was to bring the trailer farther into the pasture so they wouldn't have to drag the cow all the way to gate. Piece of cake. Getting the cow into the trailer took was another matter, but these seasoned cowboys got it done.

Now to find the bull calf. Yeah. Three HOURS later there was still no sign of him. Did he freak out and jump the fence? Is he hiding in some deep crevice of the ravine? Did he climb a tree? It's anybody's guess. Searching every fenceline inside and out of the pasture (plus pastures adjacent), no tracks could be found. None. It was like he just flew away. That was February 18. We have yet to find him.

Meanwhile life goes on at MHf. And we continue to be surprised. Two weeks after her capture, the wild cow calved. We now have another little heifer in the mix. While the mama is Dexter, we have no idea what breed the papa is. Eric says the calf looks part deer because she's so tall and very, very skinny. The skinny may be due to the fact that mama lost so much weight over the winter. We're actually amazed that she calved so easily and birthed such a healthy calf. Both are doing well and gaining much-needed weight.

Here the calf is pictured with Baldie, the self-appointed babysitter. If you look closely, you can see the tip of mama's nose in the upper right corner of the picture. She is very protective. This photo was taken at maximum zoom.

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

wild cows [part 2]

And it was sight to see! That stunningly beautiful dun-colored cow was running across the neighbor's green wheatfield. The colors were truly magnificent. Oh! Wait a minute!! Those are the cows we just purchased!! Why are they out? Where are they going?? "They're out! They're out!! They're out!!!" I yelled. And I kept yelling and yelling, getting louder each time. Eric ran to the back door and do you know what he said? "They're out!"

Not only did they bust through five strands of barb wire fence, they took three of our herd with them. We tracked them for two miles and then lost all sign of the wild pair. But, because our herd knows us, we were able to walk them back home quite easily.

Desiring to be good citizens and maintain heathy neighborly relations, we reported the run-aways to three different counties: Harvey, Butler, Marion. Since we live so close to BU and MN counties, we thought it wise. Who knows how far that pair will run?

From time to time, Eric would take the tractor out searching for tracks and we would check with all three counties for reports of sightings. All to no avail. There was nothing else we could do.

Several months passed and then a neighbor stopped by asking if we had a couple of cows missing. "Well, yes." Eric stated. "But they've been gone for months. We've given up on finding them." This farmer proceeded to tell us that he found a cow/calf pair in his herd, but they were not his animals. He made his rounds to every neighbor with cows, but no one claimed them. Then he remembered we had "those small cows" and that maybe they belonged to us. How could we know unless we saw them? (He didn't bring pictures with him.)

Being home all day has it's advantages, but not when it means that I [Paula] am the one and only to accomplish certain tasks. This was one such task. Not sure what I'd find, I set out the for the neighbor's pasture. Now, keep in mind that this pasture is roughly 1/4 of a section with two very tricky landscape features. The first is in the NW corner. Limbs from the hedge grove make it nearly impossible to walk upright at times. The second pretty much cuts the pasture in half: a deep ravine. Knowing the cows would take shelter in the trees, it's pretty much useless to take a vehicle in there. One just has to suck it up and walk the entire piece of land.

All is well and I'm figuring out how to manuver through the limbs and across the ravine. The herd is spread between the open areas and the trees. Walking slowly, I'd really like to avoid a stampede, if possible. And I'd really like to avoid triggering the bull into combat. So far, so good.

Thankfully the neighbor's herd is very gentle and I was able to search for the wild pair with little trouble. It took a while, but I finally sighted them. For some reason, humans scare the tar out of wild animals and this wild pair displayed that characteristic quite well. The very instant they got wind of me they started running.

At this point, my job is done. They've been spotted and there's nothing I can do about it. But how do we get them out of this pasture?

Stay tuned for Part 3 next week.

Wild cows [part 1]

Some of you may know the story about our estranged cow/calf pair purchased last summer. If not, grab a cup of tea and read on. (Keep the pot warm, though. This may take awhile.)

Think way back to last summer (when it was warm!). While browsing craigslist, we found an ad for a Dexter cow/calf pair. The price was phenomenal - almost two for one! And (and) they offered to deliver!! Immediately, we called. And almost just as quickly we learned why the price was too good to pass up. These cows were wild. Very wild.

You see, a gentleman in Kingman Cty purchased the pair and then sold them. After their move they escaped and wreaked havoc on Hwy 54 for several days, maybe a week. Calls were coming into the 911 dispatch office in record numbers. Finally, one of the 911 dispatchers had the men in her family rope them. Due to the unstable temperament of the pair, the new owner had no interest in their return telling the ropers they could handle the matter as they saw fit. Hence, the ad on craigslist.

"How wild could they be?" we thought. "Once they get to know our herd, they should settle down. Right? Right." [Remember, we are new at this 24/7 farming thing.]

Okay. The day of delivery arrived. We had everything ready. Gates were secure. Fences were strong. Water tank was full. Here we go!

Everything was lookin' good (yea!). To avoid injury to the young animals in our herd, we had the pair to run with the older animals. For the first 45 minutes, all of the animals literally ran the pasture. There was no slowing down. While they ran the entire pasture, they were especially interested in the northeast corner. (What's up with that?) Tired of watching everyone run in circles, Eric and I went about our business. Every few minutes one of us would peek outside to make sure all was well. And everytime we peeked, all was well. And then it happened!

Part 2 will be posted next week. Until then, stay warm and enjoy today's sunshine!

(PS: Chicks arrived this morning!)