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Cows

I fish a fly syndicate on a river than runs through a farm. The cows always give me the 'come in our field if you think you are hard enough' look when I approach. Although I have never come to any harm, I much prefer avoiding direct contact if possible. On the odd occasion when they have made a move towards me I have stood my ground and it turns out I'm harder than they are!

Steve
 
How to stop cows charging


This has always worked for me . As a kid I used to spend a lot of time with a fella who was a poacher . When out harvesting he taught me never to run from cows . Stand your ground and make noise and they stop instantly ... 😎☺️works every time .

I fish a fly syndicate on a river than runs through a farm. The cows always give me the 'come in our field if you think you are hard enough' look when I approach. Although I have never come to any harm, I much prefer avoiding direct contact if possible. On the odd occasion when they have made a move towards me I have stood my ground and it turns out I'm harder than they are!

Steve
Love it Steve...Actually I think I am the only member with a cow in their Avatar😁 They have a wicked sense of humour despite everything.
 
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This bugger wouldn’t leave me alone when I spilled some Source bait dip on the back of my fishing chair. I never noticed it at the time, being somewhat pre-occupied with fending off the unwanted attention of this great lump behind me, but in the far distance the bull looked to be sizing me up too.
I think he's just keeping an eye on you in case you shag his missus.
 
Can remember fishing the teme years ago with a couple of mates and as we was walking back to the car after it got dark we came across a couple of guys hiding behind a tree on the bank surrounded by cows lol. One of my mates was from a farming family who just laughed and marched straight through them closely followed by us and these 2 guys quickly tagged along. If I’d been on my own I’d have probably joined the lads behind the tree lol.
 
Had the same thing happen to me when I was about 15. Me and my mates walking through a field of cows when all of sudden they decided they didn't want us in their field. Their bad mood was pretty scary and they even started bucking at times. Always the least athletic of my mates, and the stockiest I ended up with them ganging up on me and I had to get over a barbed wire fence (not really one of my best skills) and it was the cows one side, giving me the evils and what looked like a shallow ditch of muddy crap the other. I went up to below my waist. All fun and games! But I've never trusted them since.
 
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It's quite unnerving when you can make out 50 pairs of eyes reflecting after dark from a head torch at distance. This happened to me a few weeks ago when they were blocking my route. One got a bit playful and the usual shouting, flapping tackle laden arms made them back away but still made a detour around them as I wasn't sure if any bulls were present. They were very curious of the head torch I think.
 
Ignore them, they're just inquisitive.
As long as you don't venture between a bull and it's cows/calves you'll be fine.
Cows and horses are in the field where I fish all the time and I've never had a problem.
They're just nosey buggers!
 
Not my favourites!

55 years ago I and my uncle ended up in the Stour (now the golf course on Beat 3 of Throop) as a "inquisitive" bull became the aggressor. It trashed Mick's gear in 10mins of scary thrashing about.

More recently the pedigree Herefords and their young in the fields at Stanford End on the Loddon stopped me reaching my car in the dark. I retreated back to the river, phoned my wife to tell her I wouldn't be home until breakfast and proceeded to have three more barbel in the hours before daylight!

A year or so ago I stood my ground on the upper Frome faced with 30+ "young guns" wanting to get too close to me as I made my way back across the meadows. Only had my fly gear so very mobile, but pleased I had my 3mtr Drennan Twist Lock to bash & poke a few noses! A local had seen the developing situation, stopped his car and he and his mate came over to help. It was still a bit unnerving but all three of us literally slowly back stepped across the last meadow until we reached the gate.
 
Maybe 10 years ago I was fishing the Yorkshire river Nidd.

The long walk to the swims was long...the short walk meant navigating a good sized herd of cows with billy bull standing watch.
I worked out there was not a problem, there was an intersecting barbed wire fence with a stinking pond to keep "the enemy" at bay.

I got cracking down the field and laughed out loud as the numpties ran down along the other side of the fence at a gallop.

Bad for me, the intersecting fence was 20 meters short of the bottom perimeter, so so up the field the muck spreading monsters
swung without breaking pace.

I wasn't laughing anymore as I ran like hell to the barbed wire guarded pond, firstly hurling my gear over, then myself with no style
or composure. It took a good while for them to get bored not having a victim to charge anymore.

I stll take the route in daylight, and only if the enemy is grazing in another field.

Footnote.

One young lady I worked with at the time was the wifie of a livestock farmer.
I said..you have grown up with these Evil Demons, what great country lore can you provide me with to protect me from a hidious cow pat covered death?

With narrowed eyes, she went silent for a moment, then the secret was given!.....
I never go in with any of them without an electric cattle prod!
The trouble makers get a blast, the others watch and learn, they mostly run off to the other side of the field as soon as I go in now. She was a big lass, and if I saw her coming after me with it I would do the same, or jump in a stinking pond! :p
 
I fished last night on one of my club stretches, it’s a nice stretch on farm land, and most of the time the fields are left fallow , occasionally sheep are put in to control the grass, but over the summer months the farm always puts around 30 cows in the field, it’s not ideal and in past years the cows have never really been that bothered by the people fishing,

Last night how ever, as I trudged back to the car park, I could see a few gathered by the stile into the field, great I though, as it’s never ideal having to walk through them, as I got to the stile doing my usual “ hi cow , move cow act, to shoo them away, they all wondered off toward the middle of the field, great I though, crossed the stile, and was happily walking along, when I hear an ominous rumble behind me, and all the cows were running at me, so I dropped down the banking to the escape the stamped, it was that bad I ended up jumping into the river and wading a couple hundred metres towards the next stile, all the time being followed by the herd, Iuckly the river is low, but I still ended up soaked and drove home in me undies, if it had been an older chap the outcome might not have been so good,

Does any one have a suggestions of the best way of dealing with cows in this situation?
This is something I'm nervous about whenever I've been out...
A member on here knows exactly how I feel about being around them, and kinda takes the piss out of it🤣

We've both been in a field where a heard of cows that were quite a distance away, came charging towards us, so they definitely have good eye sight over distances! 🤣
Plus I've been out on the banks where I remember seeing an angler come over a stile, and cows initially went over more in an inquisitive sort of manner, when all of a sudden a few of them started hoofing at the ground and became more aggressive without the angler doing anything to provoke them. The outcome of that was that the guy was very calm and laid his gear down got the landing net pole out, and twaked the bloody thing to put it in its place, and fair play to him as he had no choice as they started to surround him.

And recently I was up on the Thames, and had a herd of them following me and felt a bit embarrassed by asking a couple of walkers if I could join them to get out of the area. They said that they're harmless and all that.... Only for them to get too overly inquisitive and even they said they weren't happy with the situation and had to start shouting at them & slapping them on the heads.

So yes I feel for you mate, and sometimes it's best to avoid them altogether. Because being in that situation isn't much fun!
 
I have posted this before on BFW and even though I spent Summer holidays on a family farm as a kid I was really shaken / lucky that night. I think being quickly aware of their mood change saved me.

Back in the early 90's I was fishing Turvey on the Great Ouse above the road bridge on a Rushden and Higham Ferrer ticket. I had never seen a cow or cow pat in the field before and had fished there a couple of years. 2am in the morning the Moon was very bright, something weird told me I was going to be charged by a Bull. Looking across the field behind me 100 +m away there were gaps in the bushes and a herd was pushing its way through. There was a bull at the front who came towards me then wandered off to the Weir shallows. The Cows had a different idea, they went off their heads. The river was in flood and as I travelled light I pointed my landing net pole at their heads in the Torchlight and backed away towards the road bridge. Every couple of seconds they would bellow and charge me, the pole possibly looked like a Cattle prod and I did whack a few, it was really hairy. I went over the barbed wire fence by the road bridge backwards, they battered the fence. I was lucky, a local woman was killed not far away by a herd of Cows. A mate was butted straight into the Kennet. I was told by a local an EU Grant had come in that paid Farmers to keep calves with cattle, this made them super protective. Thirty years on there is now a fence running along the riverbank protecting anglers. I was fishing by the bush on the river the gaps in the bushes are still there across the field.

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I have posted this before on BFW and even though I spent Summer holidays on a family farm as a kid I was really shaken / lucky that night. I think being quickly aware of their mood change saved me.

Back in the early 90's I was fishing Turvey on the Great Ouse above the road bridge on a Rushden and Higham Ferrer ticket. I had never seen a cow or cow pat in the field before and had fished there a couple of years. 2am in the morning the Moon was very bright, something weird told me I was going to be charged by a Bull. Looking across the field behind me 100 +m away there were gaps in the bushes and a herd was pushing its way through. There was a bull at the front who came towards me then wandered off to the Weir shallows. The Cows had a different idea, they went off their heads. The river was in flood and as I travelled light I pointed my landing net pole at their heads in the Torchlight and backed away towards the road bridge. Every couple of seconds they would bellow and charge me, the pole possibly looked like a Cattle prod and I did whack a few, it was really hairy. I went over the barbed wire fence by the road bridge backwards, they battered the fence. I was lucky, a local woman was killed not far away by a herd of Cows. A mate was butted straight into the Kennet. I was told by a local an EU Grant had come in that paid Farmers to keep calves with cattle, this made them super protective. Thirty years on there is now a fence running along the riverbank protecting anglers. I was fishing by the bush on the river the gaps in the bushes are still there across the field.

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Yes Mark. I simply don't trust them, Whereas I had years without worry.

I wondered if your Kennet mate was at lower Ufton up from the boats.

I had seen the cows a couple of times charge people walking dogs over a few years.
However nothing prepared me for the time fishing by the cut away to behind the house. Suddenly my back felt warm. Turning around pretty much face to face, a massive Herefordshire Bull. It was simply looking at me.
It did back away a little, and slowly gear was collected and I slowly walked back to the towpath.

Towards the UN carpark I met the farmer and recounted the tale. He assured me the Bull wouldn't use any effort on me with the cows around.!!
 
I have posted this before on BFW and even though I spent Summer holidays on a family farm as a kid I was really shaken / lucky that night. I think being quickly aware of their mood change saved me.

Back in the early 90's I was fishing Turvey on the Great Ouse above the road bridge on a Rushden and Higham Ferrer ticket. I had never seen a cow or cow pat in the field before and had fished there a couple of years. 2am in the morning the Moon was very bright, something weird told me I was going to be charged by a Bull. Looking across the field behind me 100 +m away there were gaps in the bushes and a herd was pushing its way through. There was a bull at the front who came towards me then wandered off to the Weir shallows. The Cows had a different idea, they went off their heads. The river was in flood and as I travelled light I pointed my landing net pole at their heads in the Torchlight and backed away towards the road bridge. Every couple of seconds they would bellow and charge me, the pole possibly looked like a Cattle prod and I did whack a few, it was really hairy. I went over the barbed wire fence by the road bridge backwards, they battered the fence. I was lucky, a local woman was killed not far away by a herd of Cows. A mate was butted straight into the Kennet. I was told by a local an EU Grant had come in that paid Farmers to keep calves with cattle, this made them super protective. Thirty years on there is now a fence running along the riverbank protecting anglers. I was fishing by the bush on the river the gaps in the bushes are still there across the field.

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  • 20210423_181358.jpg
I had a close encounter on the Ouse as well Mark, back in the late 90s. Not sure where it was but it was a stretch I hadn't fished before. I decided to walk a few stretches that day just as a sort of recce. When I got to the gate into the field I saw there was a herd of Jersey heifers over the far side. I wasn't concerned having been brought up on a farm, but I had a good look to make sure they were all female as Jersey bulls are in a league of their own when it comes to aggression. It looked Ok so I climbed the gate and walked to the end of the field, probably about 4 or 5 hundred yards. As expected, the herd came over to see what was going on and they walked with me to the end of the stretch, and also as I headed back to the gate. They were quiet enough and just seemed to be enjoying the walk as much as I was. It was then that I saw one of them had horns, and as I spotted it it turned towards me and had a ring in it's nose. Now I wasn't so relaxed, as clearly I hadn't done my bull search thoroughly enough. There was nothing to do but keep walking and I thought I could at least get in the river if it turned aggressive. Fortunately I made it back to the gate without incident, but did wonder why a dairy bull was running in a field with public/fishing club access, as the law is fairly clear on this. So I looked it up later that day. Apparently dairy bulls can run in any field up to two years old, I think it's two anyway. This was clearly a young bull with young heifers and most bulls turn aggressive, if they're going to, at the age of 5. In fact many farmers always move dairy bulls on at five for this very reason.
To round the day off I drove over to Adams Mill for a look, and wandering downstream I walked round a blackthorn bush and literally walked into a giant Charolais bull, laying down and chewing the cud! Not in the same league as a Jersey bull for danger, but I gave the Ouse best that day and went back home and fished the Cherwell!
 
Couple of years ago at Sutton…they lick everything! They were particularly inquisitive that year at the start of the season, rope and stakes was needed to stop them slobbering all over as they’d come back soon after being shoo’d off. In the years since then they don’t seem very interested and just tend to walk past on their way up and down the field to graze.


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