What to do- Bull on property

[Pawpaw]

Open any of your gates to the nearest road off your property, mount the aforementioned ATV, Yell "YAH" a bunch, and get Buford on to the road where you will get much more prompt and courteous service from the Sheriff's Department... now that it is firmly "their problem" being out on a road, not on your property.

Knowing is half the battle.

This is incredibly bad advice. If livestock escape the fence and wander into a roadway, the owner is responsible for any damage that may result. If it's discovered that you drove the livestock out so they can get on the roadway, who do you think will be held responsible for that minivan that hits it and any lives on board?

A much better option (other than calling the sherrif) is to slowly and gently heard him along your fence that adjoins you neighbors. When he hits the spot where he came in, he will most likely use it to go back. Once cattle find a way through a fence, they remember it, even if that spot looks okay to you.

[TreyHouston]

PLEASE! PLEASE!!! Put a Texans helmet of this guy and put him on the team! WE NEED HELP!!!!!

[WTR]

Next time you see him see if he is branded and get a picture of the brand. All brands should be registered in the county courthouse.

Cattle in Tx are not required to be branded or ear marked until they reach one year of age.......many from small Mom and Pop heads never are.

[AJSully421]

Open any of your gates to the nearest road off your property, mount the aforementioned ATV, Yell "YAH" a bunch, and get Buford on to the road where you will get much more prompt and courteous service from the Sheriff's Department... now that it is firmly "their problem" being out on a road, not on your property.

Knowing is half the battle.

This is incredibly bad advice. If livestock escape the fence and wander into a roadway, the owner is responsible for any damage that may result. If it's discovered that you drove the livestock out so they can get on the roadway, who do you think will be held responsible for that minivan that hits it and any lives on board?

A much better option (other than calling the sherrif) is to slowly and gently heard him along your fence that adjoins you neighbors. When he hits the spot where he came in, he will most likely use it to go back. Once cattle find a way through a fence, they remember it, even if that spot looks okay to you.

Perhaps your "road" is a little different than mine. There will be no mini vans getting down the road that leads to our main gate, nor is anyone doing more than about 10mph down it either.

[WTR]

Open any of your gates to the nearest road off your property, mount the aforementioned ATV, Yell "YAH" a bunch, and get Buford on to the road where you will get much more prompt and courteous service from the Sheriff's Department... now that it is firmly "their problem" being out on a road, not on your property.

Knowing is half the battle.

This is incredibly bad advice. If livestock escape the fence and wander into a roadway, the owner is responsible for any damage that may result. If it's discovered that you drove the livestock out so they can get on the roadway, who do you think will be held responsible for that minivan that hits it and any lives on board?

A much better option (other than calling the sherrif) is to slowly and gently heard him along your fence that adjoins you neighbors. When he hits the spot where he came in, he will most likely use it to go back. Once cattle find a way through a fence, they remember it, even if that spot looks okay to you.

If he does not belong to a neighbor, which fence do you drive him against? When my FIL had loose fences, he acquired a black cow that he never found an owner for. She must have come off the road and just joined the herd.

[rotor]

I hope I made it clear, I am afraid of animals bigger than me. At 73 I don't think I am going to be maneuvering a bull. I have contacted all of the neighbors and none want to claim ownership although I guess the bull has considerable value. The road outside of my property is a very busy road and a big animal like this would be a hazard on the highway. If I see him again I will call the Sheriff's office and let them handle it assuming the big guy stays put. I will continue to take the AK47 every time I go out to the property though. It is the lightest large cap rifle I own with big hitting power. 9mm is not enough and .45 is probably too light also. I am prepared for snakes but never thought I would have a roaming bull problem. I bring my 10 year old grandson and he loves to plink .22lr. I don't want to put him in any jeopardy. Thanks for all of the advice.

[WTR]

A bull is a very tough and resilient animal. However, a well placed shot between the eyes even with a .22 will bring one down like a ton of bricks. You don't want to shoot him the way you would a game animal. An AK is actually over kill. Just give him room and he will most likely ignore you. I would be more worried about a cow with a calf by her side.

[parabelum]

We've had bulls weighing over 1000lbs at just over a year. AK is not overkill at all in terms of power factor, of course 30 rds into the bull, is.

If I was in your shoes rotor and didn't want to keep it, had a runaround with SO, and if that bull was aggressive, I'd feel much better with a decent shotgun and some slugs.

My KSG is loaded with six 3" slugs and six 3" double oughts whenever we are roaming the property.

[jb2012]

Yes, I am a city slicker, cows, bulls, animals bigger than me are an unknown. I haven't found where the fence is down but my neighbors all have livestock, they all have electric fences and they all deny ownership. Thanks for all of the advice. I still feel uncomfortable having the big guy showing up whenever he wants to. We have a lot of pigs though and plan on hunting them. Some deer which I let a friend hunt. Am in Wichita Falls area. You would think a neighbor would fess up and want to claim the big guy but no luck so far. If we see him again will call the Sheriff.

The sheriff is the only one that can help you if none of your neighbors claim him. Unfortunately, you may never find the hole because he very easily could jump the fence. They are much more athletic than you would think. I have seen several, not just one, but several jump 6 ft fences. I would say odds are he is either A. friendly or B. way more scared of you. If you really want to get rid of him fast you can call your closest sale barn (looks like it's in WF). They can spread the word out faster to more appropriate folks, I'm sure someone would come and take him away. Bottom line, I wouldn't be so worried about him that you don't want to use your own land. Who knows, he could be a big ole teddy bear!

[Lynyrd]

I grew up on a cattle farm/ranch. Bulls getting out is not really all that unusual. If they smell a cow in heat and want to go through a wire fence, they will. As for you being in danger, that is highly unlikely. Cattle are domesticated animals, not wild creatures. I understand that you don't know what to do, and that lack of knowledge can create some fear, but you really have nothing to be afraid of. I doubt this is a rodeo bull.

Please don't even think of shooting him. You could wind up with charges being filed against you by the owner, and I doubt you want to pay what that bull is worth. The sheriff's department is usually a good place to start though. I am somewhat surprised that the neighbors didn't know who it belonged to. Have you tried contacting the cattleman's association? If the owner is a member, they may know how to reach them. http://tscra.org/

There is also a pretty good change that the bull has decided to go back home since the last time you saw him. After all, he's probably got 30 or more good looking girlfriends that are wondering where he is.

[Lena]

Keep him for a pet, I bet if you just wait he will go back where he came from mine comes to me like a dog

[MechAg94]

I have seen a full grown bull vault a typical barbed wire fence (5 foot high?). A neighbor's bull was getting into my Dad's property to sniff out his cows. He couldn't figure out how he was getting in. One day he was trying to separate him from his cows and the bull ran over to the fence and jumped right over it. I have seen them jump cattle guards also if they aren't too big. They generally have to want to though.

[Lynyrd]

I have seen a full grown bull vault a typical barbed wire fence (5 foot high?). A neighbor's bull was getting into my Dad's property to sniff out his cows. He couldn't figure out how he was getting in. One day he was trying to separate him from his cows and the bull ran over to the fence and jumped right over it. I have seen them jump cattle guards also if they aren't too big. They generally have to want to though.

We once had a bull that was a fence jumper. We put a ring in his nose and added 6 foot of chain to the ring to keep him from jumping. He eventually learned how to swing that chain like a weapon! He would even whip other bulls with it. He also eventually learned how to time a swing of the chain so that it cleared the fence as he did.

[Middle Age Russ]

He eventually learned how to swing that chain like a weapon! He would even whip other bulls with it. He also eventually learned how to time a swing of the chain so that it cleared the fence as he did.

One thing to keep in mind about livestock behavior is this. They are not particularly intelligent, but they do seem to be driven towards food, to breed and such -- and they have all day, every day to try different things to see if they can satisfy their drives. What works today to keep them penned in works today, but there is no guarantee that it'll work tomorrow.

[der Teufel]

I understand that if you're not familiar with cattle they can appear somewhat imposing. However, as others have noted, domestic cattle are not really a threat. They might bump you if they're trying to get at food you brought, but that's about the biggest fear. Generally there's nothing to worry about. They're basically like big puppy dogs. I would not get between a cow and a young calf however, unless I knew the cow pretty well.



These are Limousin cattle, for those who are interested. The bull the OP pictured could also be a Limousin, but I'm not an expert.