Advice on cows

Did you have a dog with you? That can cause them to charge.

Or it's young cows, usually bullocks, and they're really curious. Think bovine teen-agers. They're pretty harmless though, you just have to keep shooing them away.

They thought you were an Ermintruder

I had that whilst exploring a new trail ony bike that went across a field. I knew they were curious not agressive but could still easily have caused some damage. I rode straight down the hill towards a fence, tossed my bike over then jumped after it.

I was careful when someone told me there was an aggressive bull in a field ahead, but it turned out that was just a nasty ruminant.

Best to gently make cows aware of your presence - not sure what the bovine equivalent of "mint sauce" is so I usually just go with "hello cows!".

If you don't spot them and then they come up to you, talk to them like a farmer would and don't make any sudden movements, just progress through the field as you originally intended.

If they're full on galloping at you then yeah, just get out the way...!

They were probably hungry but it's unlikely they wanted to eat you!

There's an article on cows in the countryside in yesterday's Sunday Times magazine although haven't yet read it.  Will report back when I have.

Young bulls (you probably might not want to clarify if it's a bullock) are inquisitive, as IHN says.  It can be quite unnerving but rarely a problem.

As kennyp says, having a dog can often make it seem worse, but again in my experience isn't often a problem.

You did the right thing in heading to the hedge, I find the best approach is to try to remain confident and walk at a quick but not fast pace.  Throwing in a "Hyahhh" and clapping your hands loudly can sometimes help.

Just don't wear red....

Talk to them, loudly ,confidently and calmly, I usually ask if they would prefer horseradish or mustard when the time comes...

Likely just being very curious. You did the correct thing in not running, just stay calm and keep walking. They would have stopped as they approached you. Probably 🤣

They're bored and you will have appeared interesting to them.

Thanks all, no dog. They were definitely full on galloping but I couldn't get out of they way as they were coming straight at me. Think they were younger but most were definitely full grown

Be more observant on your hikes. If they were running towards you then they could see you, therefore you should have seen them. It is unlikely the nano second they saw you that they began to run. Had you observed that there were 30 cows looking at you then you could have changed plans. People are killed every year by stampeding cows, best method is to put extra time on your hikes and avoid.

They were definitely full on galloping but I couldn’t get out of they way as they were coming straight at me.

I'd guess they were cantering cos a cow at full gallop can outrun a horse and you'd really know about that!
Head up and they're likely just cantering over for a closer look, they'll stop a few metres from you and sort of stare. Head down and they're charging and they probably won't be stopping!

Face them, be loud, clap, make hands wide. If you have (or can get hold of) a stick / walking pole etc, that'll help and if things really get bad, smack it on the nose.

I was out on the gravel bike the other night, stopped to take a photo across a field and all the cows in it came cantering up. I wasn't bothered cos I was the other side of the gate! They were just being curious - one was actually quite tame but the rest stayed just out of arms reach.

It's a tough call,but the best thing to do in a situation like this is,choose the hardest looking one,sprint up and punch it hard in the nose,the rest will run away*

* don't really do this,it may end badly

Glad you escaped and no coos were harmed 😀

It's hard to tell sometimes - first thing I do is identify the gender - if it's young lads, shouldn't be any bother. If there are any females/calves, I go for the nearest exit. The breed can make a big difference. Dairy cows are the worst.

I doubt you did anything wrong. If it's a busy footpath, it's possible that the previous crosser(s) of the field had spooked them, normally with a dog, or they are generally sensitised and stressed out by too much contact with walkers with dogs over time (eg the path along the top of Curbar in Derbyshire).

One thing to worry about is cows remain head up until the last moment when keen on violence. Bulls will be head down from a longer distance away which is why Spain has bull rings not cow rings.

Run at them shouting?

I’d guess they were cantering cos a cow at full gallop can outrun a horse and you’d really know about that!

Is that a really small horse and a really large cow? Because none of my cows can outrun any of my horses 😀

Did anyone hear the report about the same issue on Radio 4 this afternoon?  Bloody terrifying. It was a woman who had lived on a farm for years who got attacked, so seemed to know how to behave around them.

32 people killed in the UK since 2018 if I caught the statistic right. That's got to make them the most dangerous animal in the UK!

Run at them shouting?

You first 😃

I believe the correct parlance with which to engage and deter over familiar bovines is "HEEEYYYYARRRRGEDDDDONNYEEERRRRBUGGERYEERRRR"

Agree with the above, if they're coming towards you, wave arms, shout etc. Cush cush is my usual words.

If you're just passing cows, having given them a wide berth, don't continually stare or look directly at them, as that is interpreted as predator behaviour. Sideways glances to keep aware of them, walk on past as fast as.

I believe the correct parlance with which to engage and deter over familiar bovines is “HEEEYYYYARRRRGEDDDDONNYEEERRRRBUGGERYEERRRR”

This is the way.

If you have a dog, let it go.

Although that doesn't help if it then hides between your legs.

Wave your arms and shout "gercha!".

I have a PhD in cows and I give them a wide berth at every opportunity.

Every year youngsters have to be rescued from the local river (the tidal Forth). They are swimming on a shingle beach, realize the cows have come to say Hi, and then get stranded by the rising tide. Happy days.

not sure what the bovine equivalent of “mint sauce” is

Coleman, though you’d have thought it would be Colman like Colman’s Mustard.

I recently had the bizarre pleasure of filling in a near miss report at work having been chased around a tree by cows (part of my job involves survey work on farms). Work thought I was winding them up - there's been a bit of a 'report it' drive recently; dropped a copy of the Sunday Times Mag on the HR Managers desk this morning...

People are killed every year by stampeding cows,

Just find some stairs to go down.

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I usually go with loud epic poetry but if they are cantering then I resort to a quick Hi coo.

Be more observant on your hikes. If they were running towards you then they could see you, therefore you should have seen them

Maybe they did see them but were far away so not concerned.

  I couldn’t get out of they way as they were coming straight at me.

Herd of cows?

Of course I have, there's a flock chasing me

Maybe they did see them but were far away so not concerned.

That’s got to make them the most dangerous animal in the UK!

that’s my pop fact, think I heard it on the radio several years ago.

That’s why I’m in the “if there’s cows in that field, I’m oot” camp. Particularly dairies.

In the US more people are killed by cows than sharks. Pendants might point to location.
Broke the bars of an early MTB when throwing it over a gate escaping the cow confederacy that was chasing me.
If they have young they can be very frisky.

I usually go with loud epic poetry but if they are cantering then I resort to a quick Hi coo.

Make sure you keep count of the silly bulls.

Sounds like they were inquisitive and some group excitement took hold. Why are my mates running, I should run too...

Things to watch out for are: cows with calves, bulls, and galloping groups which could unintentionally run you over.

Farmers know their cows so they can trust them. As a member of the public encountering cows, you don't have that - they could be tame dairy cows that are used to being handled twice a day, or a group that's owned by a bad tempered arse that's always shouting at them and hitting them with sticks.

Always keep an eye out to spot cattle, and to spot a developing situation. Give them a wide berth and avoid surprising them - you want them to become aware of you before you come so close as to warrant them standing up or moving immediately, i.e. don't creep up by them quietly.

Don't try outrunning them on your eMTB either, they're faster.

I usually go with loud epic poetry but if they are cantering then I resort to a quick Hi coo.

Good advice above, younger ones are very curious but generally fine. Older ones might just think you have some food.

Be confident, a stick helps if they do get too close but most are very nervous and will leggit once you wave them away.

My cows can outrun me, no way they'd beat a horse.

They were just being curious – one was actually quite tame but the rest stayed just out of arms reach

Careful with that. Cows don't have arms.

That photo of them either side….. what did you do?
We have a good bridleway route we can do from home but one stretch (the only way) has cows on a riverbank….. if they’re in there we’re not continuing.

I did try one time riding towards slowly going HEEEYAAAAAA COW, the front cow just stood and looked at me. I’m sure I heard him mutter under his breath “ha this joker”

Anyway when it made no difference we turned around and made our ride longer!

@vxaero that's not near Langholm is it?

Not sure whether there’s a better link but I always found this farmers demonstration of cow interaction was really good.

Cows

I don’t mind cows but like all animals sudden movements or surprising them isn’t the greatest approach and if there’s calves I’d give them a wide berth.

They are funny buggers thou but with them weighing a tad less than a small car exercising care around them isn’t a bad thing 🙂

If they're close to the path and stationary, how fast can they accelerate from standing? I've had to pass through a few herds, typically when they're congregated next to gates on tracks.

Clear friendly 'hello cows, nothing to see here, don't mind me' type chat usually elicits bored stares and cud chewing so I've assumed I'm safe.

The Times article referenced earlier in this thread is a very interesting and educational read

"Killer cows: the one-tonne menace bringing fear to the footpath"

I will now be far more aware when in their presence, take care out there!

Most, not all, but most cows unless pregnant/have young or your mistaking a bull for a cow are pretty harmless. They're just big grass doggos, give them a ball and they get excited and play with it, start running they will chase because they're curious, lay on the floor and they'll all crowd around you in a circle sniffing you trying to figure out if you're actually dead or just playing, play them music and the entire herd comes to listen.

Great animals, unfortunately most accidents seem to be happen because people underestimate them with the above thought pattern and thinking they're all friendly, even if its not a bull disguised as a cow to the untrained eye or pregnant and in calf, you can still get the one cow thats an absolute dick head, a nasty bit of work, and they're huge so you gotta treat them with respect too.

In the US more people are killed by cows than sharks. Pendants might point to location.

The Swiss use cow bell pendants to point to location, perhaps the US could learn from this?

Another big plus in Switzerland is their flag

TBH what is it 1-2 people(not counting farm workers) a year die from bad cow interactions.

IMHO Probably better odds interacting with that field of vicious killers than riding on the road and interacting with the metal boxes 🙂

In Oz cows kill many more than sharks (who come in equal with bees) so it's not the men in grey suits you have to worry about so much as walking across that field. If you're stung by a  bee I'd imagine your odds in the sea that day will be pretty good.

I grew up on and around farms. I was always taught to have an awareness of what the cows were doing, and never assume that they would always be chilled. I personally have never had an issue - but I know my father had a narrow escape when in the milking shed one day, and a farmer who had had a herd become aggressive.
This was my morning commute audience for a few years - you learn they are docile but will happily give a shake of the head for a fly as you get close...

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Sorry, I've forgotten how to do quotes. The photo was taken near Horton in Ribblesdale.  I rode around the cattle (to the right of the bull in previous pic) and took another photo.  Beef cattle (assuming that's what they are) seem a lot less skittish than dairy cows.

Ah, thought I recognised it as a field where I had a confrontation with a herd a few years ago. There was no easy escape route, and I had a staring and snorting match with the bull (ok, it was mainly him doing the snorting) from about 50 yards) before he turned and headed off and took his harem with him. I'm usually very cautious with cattle (much to the amusement of the farm vet I ride with) but these were at the far end of a 1/4 mile field, by the exit gate, and hidden by a small rise until I was almost on top of them. Retreat would have been uphill. Not ideal.

We grew up opposite a dairy farm. The herd there was quite docile, they were used to being handled and near humans. As a child I actually rode one of those cows often.
However on my 'walk leader' course we had a whole hour of learning the do's and don'ts of walking in a field with cows.
Never get between a cow and her calf. A bull in a field with cows isn't too bad. Let your dog off the lead if the cows become disturbed. I've actually had to throw myself through a hole in a hedge before now, when the cows saw the only dog in our walking group and the cows became aggressive.
Stay to the edge of a field and then there's a way to get out if needed.
I love cows, but some are a herd of lunatics and are so observant and inquisitive, they'll come over (sometimes at a fair pace) to look at you.

I've been in fields with docile cows, and in some fields where you can just sense they are not inquisitive but actually up for a fight.

Like Bunnyhop above I've had to dive through a hedge to escape a charge whilst crossing a field.

Grab it's ring!

*nonchalantly lights cigarette.

Been past that herd near Horton many, many times. Very docile. Normally a bull in the field with his ladies, all chilled. Big beef bulls round here are 'mostly' absolute softies, although I'll still spend a bit of time assessing their mood from a distance and take a wide line if I'm not 100 percent sure.

I spent much of my childhood in and around cow fields with mates, dogs (and bikes) - was always confident and never once felt uncomfortable. Fast forward through many adult years of doing the same and only two occasions spring to mind. The first was me (running solo) being aggressively surrounded and talking my way out. The second was only last year when I walked the dog (on a lead) through a cow field I had never ventured through before. 300m end to end. Was a third of the way across when they suddenly showed interest, ran at us and encircled us. One of them was clearly the leader on this occasion and giving it large. I know the official advice is to let the dog go but our's is a mental Cocker so that wasn't an option. So I picked her up and walked faster and faster towards the gate whilst continuing to engage in gesticulations and firm chatter. That was a very long 2-3 minutes and I really wasn't sure we'd make it out of there.

Not something I'd want to repeat.

I had a bad experience being chased by cows 5 years ago, so now avoid.  It's a real pita as my walking route crosses a few fields and if the cows are in, I have a long detour.

I m sure cows can sense your anxiety and react accordingly.

Heifers and bullocks, shout and wave and take some steps towards them. They seem to enjoy a game of grandmothers' footsteps.

Cow and calf normally ignore you but watch for mothering instincts if you get between them.

Big bull standing in your way giving you the stink-eye while pissing voluminously on the path, back away slowly 🙂

If you have a dog, picking it up usually helps (they seem to lose sight of it or forget it's a dog) but there's always the chance that it won't....

I haven't seen stats but am pretty sure that a large majority of serious incidents (with public, not farmers) must involve a dog.

This was enough to make me change my course while out  on a ride a couple of years ago. I’ve since ridden through this herd though, as I was told by others that they’re a pretty placid bunch, despite the scary horns.

With the Highland cattle, there is always one on 'lookout' duty.

I can't stress how much you must let your dog go if the cows get aggressive. Dogs can usually get away, but maybe the owner isn't as nimble or capable.

Bullocks ( bull calves without the bollox) are the funniest.  A mix of curiosity, stupidity, boredom and high spirits.  I have seen a field of them all run over to me ( on the other side of the wall) and then all run away again in panic.  I did absolutely nothing.  heifers are nearly as bad.

Cows with young calves are the ones to be wary of.  they can get protective

I can’t stress how much you must let your dog go if the cows get aggressive. Dogs can usually get away, but maybe the owner isn’t as nimble or capable.

Yeh; my dog's a coward and default is to get behind me, look at the threat from through my legs, and whimper until I sort it.

Nothing like that feeling of your in a game of thrones battle scene when the grounds shaking as they run over to say hi.

TBH could make a good article for the moo-gazine, riding with cows.

Be interesting to to have the various brands pictured and rated.

I usually go with loud epic poetry but if they are cantering then I resort to a quick Hi coo.
Make sure you keep count of the silly bulls.

OK, thats worth extra bonus points....

I was told to waive a large red flag.

Works a treat apparently. Never heard of anyone saying it didn't work.

The Times article referenced earlier in this thread is a very interesting and educational read

“Killer cows: the one-tonne menace bringing fear to the footpath”

I will now be far more aware when in their presence, take care out there!

Glad that you've been able to read the article!  I read it last night, some interesting stats regarding number of incidents involving/not involving dogs as well as the comments from staff at a local hospital.  Definitely a sobering read and you can't help but feel sadness when folk have lost their life, or are left with lifelong injuries accompanied by PTSD.

Most of my riding was done alone and before I entered a field it was a case of observing, ie where is the exit, scan the field for possible escape routes, are the cattle all together, any youngsters, look at their body language.  Trust your instincts!  Still been chased by some though, am certain they picked up on my friend being terrified of all animals.

Grab it’s ring!

Keep your bag up!