How do you handle cows

The big scary beasties that they are.

Do you roll straight through, ignoring their curiosity trotting towards you?

Do you kinda roll through, keeping next to the perimeter fence so you can jump over when it kicks off?

Do you turn round and go back the way you came?

Or do you (like me), ponder what you’re going to do for what seems like an age, before very cautiously strolling through, helmet-less, making your appearance as human as possible, but only once their curiosity has waned a bit and they’re showing signs of boredom?

Err, just cycle through 🙂

It’s a good question. I’ve been particularly careful ever since my dad was almost killed in a nasty trampling incident 2 yrs ago. He did have a dog with him though but I still don’t trust cows one bit and usually take detours to avoid them (including wading through a river once).

They’re fine so long as they don’t have room for a run up. Once they’re up to speed, your options are limited. When they get too curious, I move towards them. This will usually cause them to turn and run off.

Cautiously go through them but be prepared to back off, If they have got calves go around them.

Normally pretty docile just very curious but have been known to charge.

My Landlady was killed by a charging cow 🙁

Slow down and detour for me.
A bike is going to do nothing to slow down several hundred kilos of high speed steak if they get off running.

I usually just ignore them. The trick is not to get them moving very fast and if they start to come towards you, just wave your arms around a bit – don’t run away.

Just tell them to moove on.

Just walk calmly through them,problem is if youre riding a bike they do nudge you a bit hard sometimes and can then have you off, and walk over the bike.

Oh and they dont like red or blue or whatever colour cycling top or bike colour your mate has, always scares your mate that one.

and NEVER EVER WALK OR RIDE TO CLOSE BEHIND THEM, they suffer from premature evacution sometimes at high velocity

As a farmers son I cross fields of cows like a pro…

Calm, considered, don’t get between cows and calves, let a dog go if your chased & don’t wind them up.

Having had a few incidents with cows on my bike I try and steer well clear of where they might be grazing at various times of year. If they are in the field I want to go through and there is no way around I tend to do the perimeter fence technique, its just when they are stood by the **** gate that it is sketch and I have to hop the fence.

The worst time was then they saw me from across the other side of the next field, started ‘jogging’ towards me so I sped up towards the exit of the field, then they started to charge me. Never have I dismounted and hopped a barrier so fast, best cross practice ever if it wasnt for the impending death, the cows did ram the gate/fence a few times after id hopped it, glad I got out of their way.

We have an idiot that rides with us. We send him in the field first to test the water. If he gets trampled we go a different route!

With a BBQ and a knife and fork normally.

Easy;

Click

A frightened cyclist with a good head start can just about keep ahead of a herd of cows at full pace.

My Landlady was killed by a charging cow

Did it charge more than the landlady?

Take photos, they love it…

Also, talking to them helps.

tell em a a story. goldilocks etc. they go all dreamy and mellow out

A butcher asking how to handle cows?

Look out for the ones with the evil eye.

Robocoo….

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cow-gate-bull-calf

Friend of mine went out for a night ride out on his local route, but what he didnt realise was that one of those lovely green fields he rides through during the day got filled with cows. poor bugger got chased out the field and very nearly flattened. Obviously they got spooked by the bike lights. mate hasnt rode since and that was 5 months ago.

I’ve been particularly careful ever since my dad was almost killed in a nasty trampling incident 2 yrs ago.

Hope your dad is ok now. I must confess that I initially read that as trampolining.

From my limited knowledge, it depends upon the breed and how used to people they are.

Friesian’s on unused trails and your in trouble, as I found out when they tried to kill me.

I’ve been around livestock in one form or another all my life and for the past few years helping out up on my mates farm but i still do not trust cows 100%, they are unpredictable and volatile 400kg+ lumps of meat, especially if calves are involved. This is Pierre below, he is extremely friendly and will come running from hundreds of yards away across the fields if i whistle on him as i fed him wi additional colostrum milk (from the safety of a gate) substitute when he was still relatively young and is sort of tame which is just as well as he’s growing into a helluva sized bull, but i would never climb into the field with him not the rest of the cows (limousin/highlanders) if i was alone as the chance of a serious injury is too great.

I am always wary when crossing fields with livestock in as i know just how dangerous a herd of stampeding cows can be, placing your bike between them and yourself would make sod-all difference to the outcome.

This is old “one horn” below, she would as soon gore you as let you pat her across the fence.

This is “Daisy”, she is placid and very friendly but i still wouldn’t trust her 100%.

Never place yourself in a position where you cannot safely escape, especially with livestock you have no experience of, despite having experience i have had some arse-clenching moments to escape from.

Recently found that raising your voice with ‘go on’ does the trick. The group turned and trotted off. No arms waving (it was pitch black and they were intrigued at the bright light)

I once walked out to the point along from Balnakeil Bay. On the return it got dark and I had no light and started hearing the odd moo. For ten mins I was walking between cows in near pitch black and trying to find something to say, the magic word, whatever it took to get rid of them. Didn’t work. Made it back but it was quite scary.

Evil beasts (not my pic, just searched for Balnakeil and found a pic with cows! Thanks to whoever owns it) http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/sutherland/2_9/2_9_6l.JPG

We have big horny ones here. And ones with baws too. I tend to go ahead and make lots of noise. I grew up on a farm and remember the cows would usually come over because they thought they were getting food rather than out of aggression. Shouting normally clears them off the trail and if its very narrow then I give them plenty time to clear safely. I had a twitchy one the other day on a big ridge down to the sea and it just wouldn’t move, eventually I had to shoo it down the trail which was a bit scary given that it had foot long horns! Even the bombproof cove GSpot wouldn’t protect me there I suspect. The horses here are worse, they can get spooked and scatter everywhere over the trail, again I just try to make noise and give them some notice that I am a human and coming through.

They need to be treated with enormous respect. I have spent a lot of time on pasture land shooting, and am always wary. Generally speaking they can be shooed away but are curious beasts, not deterred by even the threat of a .308 round from Tony’s Accuracy International

Here’s one about to eat him.

Proper scary that last cow…..she’s got six legs!!

one of them articulemecated ‘bendy cows’ I think!

lots of time in and around farms and a bit of time working in a dairy, I’ve always found the best thing is talking to them, I think it puts them at ease – oh, and standing your ground rather than running away if they start getting a bit flighty.

My lad is shit scared of them though. You can see him getting edgy if we so much as drive through a field of them when rabitting. Last time the pillock dropped the rifle and knocked the sight so we had a wasted trip. However, he will cheerfully walk through a paddock full of Llamas (or they could be Alpacas) beating on a game shoot, and when I asked why he was OK in and amongst them, and shit scared of cows he replied (in a way only a 16 year old could) “Yeah, but I reckon I could take a Llama. There’s no way I could take a cow. ”

Never get between cows/calves and route so that you go round the edge of the entire herd and near a fence etc if possible

in terms of them running towards you I reckon the vast majority of that is about getting to the potential food source first (*however I did work on a farm and there was the very very occasionally a cow that did seem up for a bundle – yes number 39 – that’s you – it would do 1/2 mile run so it could have a charge at you), however I stand my ground and you can make yourself bigger by waving arms/taking jacket off and waving it as well

If I have to go through them – such as a gate, I dismount and talk to them calmly and not too loudly and try and make sure they all know that I’m coming and if they are getting up I’ll hold back till they are fully up and walking before getting too close.

Slow down and detour for me.
A bike is going to do nothing to slow down several hundred kilos of high speed steak if they get off running.

Yep. Cows are big and stupid. They don’t always behave logically and can get intrigued or frightened by the smallest things. If I see them look at me and take a step back you know you’ll usually be fine but if you see them start to trot after you because something shiny has caught their eye then that’s a bit scary.

Most of the time confidence does the trick but when there is a load of bulls all huddled around the gate I need to go through and they’re mesmerized by the bright lights on a solo night ride… well I draw the line there 😉

Cows can sense guilt. I’m a vegetarian so I never have a problem with them.

great thread this as a townie living in the country for the last 25 yrs I do not trust cows, been chased by young cows/bullocks jumped the barded wire fence but got kicked was left dangling as barbs went through my finger length ways and the buggers butted me. In A and E embarrassed with SO two farmers came in started asking everyone what they had done SO tells the story they are laughing and telling me what I should have done, I ask them why he is here trampled by his cows!

Do not trust them cows……….

Cows? No worries. Bulls? Different story.

Just come back from NZ where I worked on a dairy farm, you get used to them. Just don’t be silly. Talking loudly and waving arms is how I spent a lot of my time. Blowing raspberries at them works too.

I always get off the bike, and talk to them. I think human on bike = strange wheeled monster, whereas human pushing a bike is more acceptable.

Having said that, I am very wary of cows with calf, and quite prepared to detour rather than chance getting across the field.

I don’t remember biking through a cow herd but have walked through plenty. Being moderately flappy and a bit verbal gets them out of your way but when they snort down their nostrils it’s not to be interpreted as friendly banter and reciprocated. No sir.

I always check where the exit gate is before entering the field. Scan the field for additional possible exits. Tend to dismount and stride purposefully with bike.

Riding on your own means that you have to face the fear and deal with it.

big – maybe
scary, beasties – no way

bulls, and mothers with calves, both of which are pretty rare IME in the field, I’ll steer clear of.

any others, just ride thru or walk thru. unless they’re off fo milking, in which case I’l just stand there and let them go by. stood in 30cm between track and an electric fence while a herd walks to the milking shed, in perfect safety. Most they’ll do is think “oh it’s one of those strange human things – not seen one there before”.