In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it may stumble upon you.
In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it
may stumble upon you. In dire situations like these it is important to
keep your head. Your body is producing fight or flight endorphins and
neither is acceptable. Remember, a bull will usually leave you alone
unless it becomes agitated.
Before a bull charges he will perform a broadside threat; standing or
walking sideways to you is its way of showing you how big and powerful
it is. At this point you should be directly facing the bull returning
it's threat as this sometimes gets the bull to back off. Start backing
away slowly but do not run or turn your back to it. Find an exit
immediately.
Have you considered your options if the bull does charge? A bull has a
longer stride than you and has twice as many legs. If you think you can
outrun a 2,200 pound piece of meat coming at you at 33 mph please
reconsider. Unless the bull is several multiples away from you of the
distance you are from the fence, you may have to face it. Take off an
article of clothing such as a hat or a jacket or get a bag of mushrooms
or a backpack ready. As the bull nears throw the object as hard as you
can to the right or the left in a horizontal fashion. The bull should
follow the target away from you. Jump out of the way if you have to.
Don't lie down. While this may work with a horse, you will likely be
trampled by a bull.
Don't start running first unless safety is within reach as it is much
faster than you are.
Don't run towards the bull. It is unlikely that you will be able to
jump over it or clear its horns.
Your best bet at avoiding such a scenario is to just ask the farmer if
there are any bulls in the field. A bull raised solitary in a pen and
not socialized with the herd from an early age may try to exert it's
dominance over humans as it would in the herd. Even an adult bull may
have tendencies to challenge humans if is isolated.
