# Charging bull!



## BJ (Aug 8, 2004)

I have a 4yr old Red Poll bull, always been gentle and easy to work around. Yesterday I was riding my 4-wheeler w/small trailer through the pasture putting minerals in the feeders. When the bull saw me he became very alert and started trotting my direction and bellowing. Very quickly he started into a dead run heading straight for me! I was too far from the fence and gate to make a run for it....so I stayed on the 4-wheeler and prayed he wuold stop before he got to me. Well he did just miss me but proceeded to buck and stomp and snort at me and stood between me and his "girls" how are penned in another pasture.

Now this is very unusual behavior for this bull and it has me wondering why he made the charge at me. I don't know if I surprised him, if he didn't recognize me on the 4-wheeler although he has seen it before...but not the small trailer attached. I am concerned that in his maturity he may be starting to show signs of aggression. 

I hate to put myself in the pasture alone with this guy again...but of couse I would stay closer to the gate or fence to allow a quick exit, but I need to know if this was a fluke or a new behavior pattern. I'm even wondering if someone, neighbor kids, etc, have been teasing him. His pasture is next to the road and being curious in nature he does tend to watch the foot & bicycle traffic on our country road.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this sort of experience with their bull? I am not really financially prepared to change bulls right now and had planned on one my season with this one since his calves are awesome....but must now weigh the possible dangers of keeping him through fall.

Your thoughts?


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

He needs to be gone.

It may or may not be something he'll continue with, but it isn't worth the risk of him turning you into a blob of humanberry jam.


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## shagerman (Apr 10, 2008)

here is a few questions.. is any of the girls in heat? since he was between you and them. my bull done the same thing, pretty much. and being 2600 pounds i didnt argue with him.2nd of all there was something diffrent. like you said the trailer could have done it. he was only protecting the girls. try walking out there without anything. but stay close to the gates. and see what he does. if he doesnt do anything. you may have scared him. have you had the 4 wheeler in with him before?


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

If worse comes to worse and he stays this way and you have to keep him, then go out to fill the feeders in your truck, not the 4-wheeler. At least that way you have something big around you. I saw a video of a bull attacking a tractor. Kept horning the tires on the tractor.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Convert him to HAMBURGER!

Life is too short to deal with nasty animals.

Jim


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

He's not a baby anymore. Time to change bulls.


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## mtnmenagerie (Jun 16, 2007)

Probably was the trailer - but he's risky in my book! 
I know this guy (he was in his 60's at the time) a good cattle farmer - was putting up with a cranky bull for sake of genetics... he had driven his f250 out into the field for whatever reason and was near it when the bull knocked him to the ground, picked him back up and tossed him around like a ragdoll... he was eventually able to crawl under his truck then bull proceeded to demolish it like a wrecking ball. Caved in all the metal, broke all the glass. The guy was in ICU for days....
Just wondering - worth the risk?


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## BJ (Aug 8, 2004)

Well, me and DH are bull shopping today. DH feels fortunate this AM that he is still up and kicking...said it was a close call yesterday....and a wake up call.

About 4 month ago this bull began tossing around the 4 x 6 bales that DH was putting out for feed. Before he could get the bale ring to the hay the bull had butted and tossed them around. We thought that was odd behavior as we had never had a bull do that...so perhaps that was the beginning of showing that he was the boss!! We also had our old horse, who stays with the herd mysteriiously get hurt this winter. Now we notice the horse doesn't even want to come close to the bull even with a fence between them...makes a wide path to go another direction.

So....there is a registered bull sale at a nearby auction tomorrow....might be best to pull his papers and send him on his way. There is also a local farmer with a 2 yr old red poll bull that he will trade for our 3 yr old....so may consider that also although we would rather have a 1 yr bull as we won't need to use him till Sept.

Bottom line is because we have kids and grandkids that visit our farm for hunting & fishing....we don't want to have to worry about a bull attack.....and.....since DH is usually working alone with the cattle....I don't want to worry about him either.

Situation wll probably get worse when neighbor turns his bull out w/his cows...so better to replace him earlier than we expected rather than risk severe injury to DH.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

I think y;all are making a smart choice..bulls are big animals and when they get the 'tude yours is getting..they need to be hamburger...I also have a son..and the neighbor's kids..and while I dont allow them to use my pasture as a playground..ALL my animals need to be gentle enough where I dont worry about 2000 pounds of hormone crazed bovine going thru my fence and hurting somebody.


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## bknthesdle (Mar 27, 2011)

We had a cow charging us the other day. We have some pretty calm cows and often walk thru the herd checking on everything. At calving time we bring the cows closer to the barn so when they calve they can be put in the barn for a day or so. Just last week as my husband is checking a cow that looks to have started calving but wasn't progressing, she charged him more than once. 

Thank goodness he can be quick and didn't get hurt. If that had been me at the 5 am check, I would have been half asleep and not expecting it. We had to use the payloader to get her in the barn. Hubby decided immediately to sell her, but as we were loading her she jumped 2 fences and is now out in pasture. If she shows any aggression out there the vet will be called to tranq her and she will be sold. We can't afford to have a dangerous aggressive animal on the farm. 

Wishing you luck. Hope it was a one time thing!


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## Jade1096 (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm glad you guys have it all squared away. It is definitely not worth someone getting injured.

My father has a large brahma bull that will "charge" at my sister and I. He only comes a few steps towards us (from about 30 ft away) then tosses his head alot and snorts. Dad has also been upset because he is using his horns to tear up the ground and dig holes. 
Dad seems to think that his aggresssion is gender based since the bull has never behaved aggressively towards him or any other man that has been out to the farm. 
I personally would love to see the bull gone. Dad is getting older and it worries me that he works around such a large animal to begin with, but with the deadly potential/aggression....
sigh, I'm not really sure whether or not I have valid concerns here or not. Dad thinks I'm overreacting.
Any thoughts, or is it common for bulls to just not like human females? We arent out at this particular land very much. I'm around his other bull much more often, and he is very shy and pretty much wants nothing to do with anyone human at all.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

mtnmenagerie said:


> ......a good cattle farmer - was putting up with a cranky bull for sake of genetics...


Temperament is a part of a bull's genetics. That passes along with the other genetics. Ignoring this for years has changed the behavior of a lot of cattle, that used to be a lot easier to be around.

Mean bulls and mean cows make mean calves.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

I have a question.

By selling a dangerous animal, are you not putting the new owners at risk? Are they being told these animals are potential killers?

If I bought an animal and the previous owners knew it was dangerous and didn't tell me I would probably be more than ticked. And on the other hand if the told me I wouldn't buy the bull.

I agree with the others "hamburger"!


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

Bye bye bad bull.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Lazy J said:


> Convert him to HAMBURGER!
> 
> Life is too short to deal with nasty animals.
> 
> Jim


Know how to stop a charging bull ?? Take away his credit card !! OK no more kiddin around, bull goes to freezer camp ASAP. Then he can be the guest of honor at the next bbq cookout. > Thanks Marc


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Make sure you're as careful as can be when you're getting rid of him too. A neighbour of mine a few years back was starting to get nervous about his bull so he arranged with his brother to truck him to market one night. That morning he decided to let the bull out with the cows one last time and he immediately turned on him. After the bull played with him for several hours, all they found was a piece of his torso the size of a basketball.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

<shudders>


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

One of my co-workers told me they were going to have to get rid of their bull. It jumped the fence and charged at her and she ran up on her porch. She yelled to her husband and a hired worker to watch out. The bull charged them and they froze and threw their hands up and yelled. She said the skid marks the bull made were 1/2 their driveway long. Luckily it stopped.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Wow, I think we all have a story of someone we have known that has either been hurt or killed by a bull. I wonder why A.I. became more popular for breeding cows, dairy anyway. > Marc


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

dalek said:


> make sure you're as careful as can be when you're getting rid of him too. A neighbour of mine a few years back was starting to get nervous about his bull so he arranged with his brother to truck him to market one night. That morning he decided to let the bull out with the cows one last time and he immediately turned on him. After the bull played with him for several hours, all they found was a piece of his torso the size of a basketball.


omg!!!


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

He is going to get very aggressive, time to send to the sale barn or put in the freezer


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

genebo said:


> Temperament is a part of a bull's genetics. That passes along with the other genetics. Ignoring this for years has changed the behavior of a lot of cattle, that used to be a lot easier to be around.
> 
> Mean bulls and mean cows make mean calves.
> 
> ...


It's more or less a concern depending on local conditions. A growelly bull just isn't a concern where cattle always live in large pastures and are worked with horses. Frankly, cows are more dangerous than bulls, given that cows have functions that sometimes necessitate closer contact than one would usually experience with a bull. 

You need to remember that the vast majority of cattle are not raised in a back yard pasture, and temperament is just not the concern for most producers that it is for small operations. When you have cattle in a 1000 acre pasture you appreciate a cow that will defend her calf. If a cow will take you on it will also take on a coyote, a wolf, a cat, etc.


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

BJ said:


> Well, me and DH are bull shopping today. DH feels fortunate this AM that he is still up and kicking...said it was a close call yesterday....and a wake up call.


I am glad you decided to send the bull down the road! It's not worth the risk. And watch cows too, they actually injure and kill more farmers than bulls do.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

People tell Dh that the age for a Bull to "change" is 4 1/2. We had our Herford snap couple of years back. We now have a Angus, he is very mellow, actualy nicer than any of our cows. But the day will come. Bulls are getting 75 to 88 cents at Clare Auction.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

3 weeks ago in Blackstone, a 2200# black skinned bull went for $.87/lb. That's $1,914!

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Ain`t the prices crazy, had a neighbor stop yesterday( they sell all their cull cows on the rail) said that they had gotten 1.40 a lb for cull cows. > Marc


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

Yep its a good time to sale them culls. On the hoof or rail with the price's that are being payed Yep good time to sale


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

It has been our experience, that most bulls and steers start to act stupid between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years of age.

We have a black mixed bull that will be 3 in September, and he is starting to act tossy. His pop was the same way. He started to act dumb around 3 years old. We butchered him at 4 when he started acting dangerous.

Our pinzgauer bull is 3 now. He is still real tame. He can stay so long as he behaves. Our highland bull is of unknown age. He is good, but we keep our distance. He has never been touchable.

We just make it a practice to replace our bulls when they are coming 4.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Back when I was rodeoing Bob Barnes from Iowa had a Brahma cross bull named "Tequilla". Now this bull was tame as a puppy dog, he just loved to buck. The chute would open, he would buck like crazy until he unseated his rider or the horn blew, and he would stop bucking and trot back to the catch pen. He was around 13 years old!


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

springvalley said:


> Know how to stop a charging bull ?? Take away his credit card !! > Thanks Marc


I am so very very glad you said that. It HAD to be said. It was driving me nuts that I don't post here enough to say it, lol. I find the bulls that run with the cows across the way are very docile, but I DO know he changes them out every year or so. Maybe that is why, to KEEP a more docile animal in there.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

The only good bull is in a straw AFAIC! :teehee:


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## MrsC0510 (Mar 20, 2011)

Similarly, I had a about 4 year old bull that was raised as a 4H pet, so well handled as a baby - bought him and raised him for our own. For some reason about him coming on 4, he decided that he hated my daughter, then between 1 and 2. Even when we changed his pasture so that he was across the road with about 3 acres between him and the yard where my daughter played, he would come to the fence line (which was simply two strand wire) and snort and carry on. He left our property --- quickly.

Now I have another bull that took his place, he's coming on 4 and is getting stupid! Exhibiting strange behavior towards me when I go in the pasture. Tossing his head, snorting, carrying on. He's leaving Monday.

We will be A.I'ing from here on out. I'm the one in the pasture all the time with the cows. My 130 is no match for his 1500 pounds, and most times my husband isn't here while I'm out there. So it could be hours and hours before anyone would even know something happened and my two little children would be alone in the house.

For now and for the last month or so, I don't go into the pasture without something in my hand. I've been fortunate.


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## OkieDuke (Jan 11, 2010)

If it were me I would take away his credit card  and find him a new home!!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

MrsC0510 said:


> For now and for the last month or so, I don't go into the pasture without something in my hand. I've been fortunate.


You are being very wise. 
I dont even go out in a herd of dairy cows w/o a nice stick in my hand.
That is a good habit to have, even if they are just little calves you are feeding.
No cow is worth getting yourself (or a loved one) hurt over.
You have to stay alert and have good reflexes, at all times.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

I keep clicking onto this thread, waiting to hear that the bull has been dealt with.


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## shagerman (Apr 10, 2008)

susie m ,, if you go up quite a ways youll see it was dealt with,


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

My dad had a small slaughter house in a farming town in KS in the '80s. One day, somebody brought in a big brahma bull that was getting dangerous. As they were unloading him, he escaped. He charged right down main street toward an old lady carrying her groceries home, but kept going past her. Good thing the locals were in the habit of carrying guns. The bull ran into the baseball field and somebody shot it. Dad insisted that he didn't want the meat ruined, so he slit it's throat right there. Somebody lifted it up with a hoist he had on the back of his truck & drove it back to the meat market. There was a trail of blood going all the way through town.


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## bknthesdle (Mar 27, 2011)

If it wasn't for the hubby wanting clean up bulls, I would choose AI'ing over owning a bull anytime!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

No, I'm not trying to be snotty - I'm talking about a 2" black plastic pipe about 4 feet long with a curve in it, crimped on one end. No idea where they come from or how you get the curve to stay, but everyone around here keeps them, and we call them a horse. Temple Grandin could probably explain why they're some kind of super-symbol for cows, they really get intimidated by them. It's like nothing natural in their environment. Maybe it's just conditioning, when I have to **** a big critter along I wear my Dad's white cowboy hat. :lonergr: They see me coming and it's trot trot trot. Same thing in reverse, if I walk up to a corral with cattle inside, I take my hat off & it's almost like they don't see me.


gone-a-milkin said:


> You are being very wise.
> I dont even go out in a herd of dairy cows w/o a nice stick in my hand.
> That is a good habit to have, even if they are just little calves you are feeding.
> No cow is worth getting yourself (or a loved one) hurt over.
> You have to stay alert and have good reflexes, at all times.


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