To the mods, if this fits better under travel stories, please move it - wasn't sure.
So I camp out in out of the way places on the tops of mountains. It's usually much cooler up here and you don't have to worry about being surrounded by people. Unfortunately, it's the same place that the FS allows grazing allotments in the summer.
For those that are unfamiliar, a grazing allotment it's where the FS or BLM allows ranchers to graze their cattle on native vegetation for a very small fee per head. They eat the native plant species, threatened and endangered alike, and get fat for the winter. Most of the ranchers that graze their cattle on allotments have very small ranches of only twenty or thirty thousand acres. Ranches that they bought cheaply from the government, who first robbed them from the Native Americans. So you can see they desperately need to ruin the natural flora in order to save their tens of thousands of acres to hay for the winter. The cattle also greatly reduce the natural browse for the native herbivores who depend on it to get fat and survive the winter.
They throw the cattle out there for the summer completely unsupervised and put salt blocks out at collection points. Whatever cattle come back to the collection points in the fall are collected and shipped back to the ranch. Whichever cattle don't show up are left to die of cold in the winter for the coyotes and bears. As a result your national lands are littered with cattle bones just about everywhere I've ever been. Yeah, don't get me started on grazing allotments.
Anyway I'm camping on a mountain about thirty yards of the main FS road when a herd of about fifty head of cattle come feeding up the main road. I've had lots of cattle in and around my camp before, it's never been a problem until tonight. I get out of the hammock and walk toward them whistling and talking. I'm just letting them know I'm there, I'm not acting aggressively, not trying to scare them off. The last thing you ever want to do in the woods is 'surprise' an animal, whether it be a feeding bear or a stupid cow. Once most of the cows had identified me and knew what and where I was I sat back down in the chair and continued my book. I didn't see the bull.
All was well until the four wheelers showed up. Several ATVs came up the main road at a break neck speed scaring the shit out of several of the calves. Since the road leading to my camp was the easiest way through the woods, here they came, also at break neck speed. Since the cows didn't want to lose their young, they were right on their heels. I thought stampedes were kind of a myth until I was just in one. As they tore ass thought camp one of them stepped on the battery operated radio smashing it to a thousand pieces while another ran through my hammock, snapping a support line like a piece of dental floss.
During all the commotion I stood up and ran behind a group of close knit Aspens and Spruces so that they would have to go around. I'm not near the obstacle that a hundred foot tall group of trees tends to be, the bull proved that.
So the herd passes and I can hear them bellowing and crashing through the brush down below me. I'm pretty sure I'm safe so I step out to head back to the truck. Just then the bull turns the corner heading for His herd and I'm caught out in the open, between him and the herd, just thirty yards away. When I say bull, he looked like he weighed 6000 lbs (that's an illusion brought on by fear, he probably weighed 2k at the most). He was colored like an Angus but had a bit if a hump like a Brahma. Brahmas are known for their pissitivity. For all I know he's an ex rodeo bull still pissed off at the pretend cowboys that tried to ride him.
Had I been smart I would've headed to the truck but there is no smart for me when I'm running on adrenaline and instinct, so I freeze.
It's a reaction in which he must have thought that I was standing my ground and denying him his herd. He promptly lowered his head, snorted once, and charged. I freaked the fuck out and ran as fast as I could back to my trees. By this point he was mad as hell and he wasn't just going to let this go, he decided to get even. This resulted in him chasing me around the group of trees that he couldn't fit his fat ass though for ten minutes until I had the good sense to make a break for the truck. I'd stay on one side, he'd be in the other until he committed to a direction and I'd head the other way.
Now I've heard of bulls ramming trucks. Once they get mad they don't cool off very easily. Luckily this bull decided to face off head on with the truck. Just as luckily I have a small LED lightbar mounted on the front bumper. Since it was right at dark I was able to flash him a couple of times while he was busy snorting and pawing the ground to get him to move along his way. He headed toward the herd and I'll be sleeping in the truck tonight. I'm pretty sure I'll skip the tent for tonight, at least.
Everyone is afraid of encounters with bears, wolves, and mountain lions. I have my share of stories about the first two but until tonight i never thought cattle would be a problem. Since this encounter only ended in a little monetary damage it's a good story. Had that son of a bitch caught me it would have been a whole nother story indeed.
Happy fourth everyone, from a public grazing allotment near you. I've had enough excitement, i don't need the fireworks.
So I camp out in out of the way places on the tops of mountains. It's usually much cooler up here and you don't have to worry about being surrounded by people. Unfortunately, it's the same place that the FS allows grazing allotments in the summer.
For those that are unfamiliar, a grazing allotment it's where the FS or BLM allows ranchers to graze their cattle on native vegetation for a very small fee per head. They eat the native plant species, threatened and endangered alike, and get fat for the winter. Most of the ranchers that graze their cattle on allotments have very small ranches of only twenty or thirty thousand acres. Ranches that they bought cheaply from the government, who first robbed them from the Native Americans. So you can see they desperately need to ruin the natural flora in order to save their tens of thousands of acres to hay for the winter. The cattle also greatly reduce the natural browse for the native herbivores who depend on it to get fat and survive the winter.
They throw the cattle out there for the summer completely unsupervised and put salt blocks out at collection points. Whatever cattle come back to the collection points in the fall are collected and shipped back to the ranch. Whichever cattle don't show up are left to die of cold in the winter for the coyotes and bears. As a result your national lands are littered with cattle bones just about everywhere I've ever been. Yeah, don't get me started on grazing allotments.
Anyway I'm camping on a mountain about thirty yards of the main FS road when a herd of about fifty head of cattle come feeding up the main road. I've had lots of cattle in and around my camp before, it's never been a problem until tonight. I get out of the hammock and walk toward them whistling and talking. I'm just letting them know I'm there, I'm not acting aggressively, not trying to scare them off. The last thing you ever want to do in the woods is 'surprise' an animal, whether it be a feeding bear or a stupid cow. Once most of the cows had identified me and knew what and where I was I sat back down in the chair and continued my book. I didn't see the bull.
All was well until the four wheelers showed up. Several ATVs came up the main road at a break neck speed scaring the shit out of several of the calves. Since the road leading to my camp was the easiest way through the woods, here they came, also at break neck speed. Since the cows didn't want to lose their young, they were right on their heels. I thought stampedes were kind of a myth until I was just in one. As they tore ass thought camp one of them stepped on the battery operated radio smashing it to a thousand pieces while another ran through my hammock, snapping a support line like a piece of dental floss.
During all the commotion I stood up and ran behind a group of close knit Aspens and Spruces so that they would have to go around. I'm not near the obstacle that a hundred foot tall group of trees tends to be, the bull proved that.
So the herd passes and I can hear them bellowing and crashing through the brush down below me. I'm pretty sure I'm safe so I step out to head back to the truck. Just then the bull turns the corner heading for His herd and I'm caught out in the open, between him and the herd, just thirty yards away. When I say bull, he looked like he weighed 6000 lbs (that's an illusion brought on by fear, he probably weighed 2k at the most). He was colored like an Angus but had a bit if a hump like a Brahma. Brahmas are known for their pissitivity. For all I know he's an ex rodeo bull still pissed off at the pretend cowboys that tried to ride him.
Had I been smart I would've headed to the truck but there is no smart for me when I'm running on adrenaline and instinct, so I freeze.
It's a reaction in which he must have thought that I was standing my ground and denying him his herd. He promptly lowered his head, snorted once, and charged. I freaked the fuck out and ran as fast as I could back to my trees. By this point he was mad as hell and he wasn't just going to let this go, he decided to get even. This resulted in him chasing me around the group of trees that he couldn't fit his fat ass though for ten minutes until I had the good sense to make a break for the truck. I'd stay on one side, he'd be in the other until he committed to a direction and I'd head the other way.
Now I've heard of bulls ramming trucks. Once they get mad they don't cool off very easily. Luckily this bull decided to face off head on with the truck. Just as luckily I have a small LED lightbar mounted on the front bumper. Since it was right at dark I was able to flash him a couple of times while he was busy snorting and pawing the ground to get him to move along his way. He headed toward the herd and I'll be sleeping in the truck tonight. I'm pretty sure I'll skip the tent for tonight, at least.
Everyone is afraid of encounters with bears, wolves, and mountain lions. I have my share of stories about the first two but until tonight i never thought cattle would be a problem. Since this encounter only ended in a little monetary damage it's a good story. Had that son of a bitch caught me it would have been a whole nother story indeed.
Happy fourth everyone, from a public grazing allotment near you. I've had enough excitement, i don't need the fireworks.
