Dad..... Do They Bite?

Dad.... Do They Bite?

Written by: Len Harris

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...owsdadanna.jpg
Len & Anna Harris leaving the stream. Anna asked her dad:
Do Cows Bite?
.
Photo by: Barb Harris

The cows in the photo above are very tame and are almost like family pets. The farmer makes sure he has
no aggressive cows or bulls in pasture. You could probably pet these cows and if i asked the farmer...
I bet he has names for each of his cows.

Just because these cows are passive and won't harm you....doesn't mean all cows are passive. Many anglers
each year are chased from pastures by once passive cows. In the spring cows have calves and the maternal
instincts take over. That bossy you scratched the ears of last summer might want a serious piece of you this spring
if you get between her calf and her.

Many anglers assume that because there is Public Fishing sign at the bridge that there are NO dangerous animals in the pasture.
WRONG. In one pasture in southern Wisconsin I routinely ask the farmer what side of the road he has his bulls on. (both sides have public signs on it}.

I have contacted quite a few sources from the Department Of Natural Resources , Wisconsin Ag Department and Trout Unlimited. None of the sources have cow/bull attack statistics. I would guess each individual emergency room might have statistics. Also there are lots of near hits that you hear about. The ones that make it under the fence in time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...WithCowssz.jpg
Photo by: Len Harris

Most Holstein bulls will let you know their intentions from quite a distance. I say when in doubt don't risk life and limb over a couple trout. Careful of your back cast. You could see your backing quite quickly.

Remember, the cows/bulls are not the only thing you need to look out for while going trout fishing. The farmer's dogs are quite territorial of their barn yards when you stop for permission. It may seem quite impersonal to roll your window down to ask permission...But the normal farmer understands why you are doing it and he is NOT offended.. Don't assume there is NO dog in the area. Sit and listen a little while prior to getting out. I believe you WON'T get permission if the farmer's dog chased you back to the car.

There are many friendly animals stream side. These 2 horses were pests for quite some time on the waterway. I petted both for a long time and they continued to want more. My fishing friend Brian ignored the horses. They kept pulling at his fishing vest and became quite an annoyance. Just after this photo Trigger got a little too close and pinched Brian's arm with his playfulness.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ryanHorses.jpg
Photo by: Len Harris

There are other creatures stream side that deserve respect and maybe even a little fear. This reptile was meandering up the bank just yesterday. She was all of 30 pounds with a mean disposition.This passive creature will take off fingers if messed with it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...8/compdept.jpg


Yes Anna....some animals do bite.

I got between a couple of rival bulls, that were cussing each other from about 500 yards away. The nearer one saw me moving in the river close by, and I knew immediately, from about 300 yards, that I'd better be getting out and hi-tail it for the fence about 40 yards away. He'd have probably caught me, if he'd had a straight shot, but he had to follow a fence and turn a corner to have the field open. I wasn't nearly as careful crossing back over, as when I crossed the first time. I hate bulls. Especially young ones that have lots of energy. I scope that pasture out pretty good now, and will in the future. This would be a great place to take kids, to teach them how to fish, but I wouldn't take them there, if there were any cattle around. The cattle are sure degrading the banks, and I wish there was a fence along the river to keep them away from most of the water.
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m...utthroat-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...yquestions.jpg

This big girl was sunning herself in an open field today.

We talked about trout fishing and went our seperate ways.

Carrying a 12 foot aluminum boat over to an oxbow with the farmers permission. ( we were in the wrong field it seems ) when I felt the bow of the boat shoved into my back. I yelled at Jim my fishing buddy , Hey slow down. He yelled back , take another look at those cows. One of the Cows was a very large Hereford bull. He was tossing turf high into the air. It was time to leave in a hurry. I dropped the boat about the same time as Jim did. I made it under the fence first then turned to see if Jim made it. No Jim and a very angry bull standing near the fence watching me. I thought Jim must be behind this dense shrubbery that was nearby. So I slowly walked down the fence line to lure the bull. It worked find the bull followed me. As I stood on a hill, with the bull 25 feet away from me I could see off about 200 yards away, Jim crawled out from under the boat and slowly quietly dragged it over to the fence. He leaned it on the fence then quickly tipped it over with a loud screek on the barbed wire.
That was the last time I ever took a herd of cows lightly. :(

GNU,

If that farmer was watching I bet he was laughing like mad.

Maybe it wasn't the wrong field, maybe that was the field he told you to use because he wanted a good laugh that morning.:rolleyes:

Larry :D ---sagefisher---

Moooooooooooooooo

lol... very good. What a coincidence. I have actually lost a fly to a cow - and - had quite an encounter with a snapping turtle in a float tube. (How he got in a float tube I have no idea.) ;) I'll tell you about it sometime. :)