I wished I had pictures....
Last Friday evening, when I got home I decided to move the cows from the back pasture to the front pasture. Stryker was on the 4 wheeler with me and when the cows heard us well, we only had to open the gate and step aside. When about 1/2 of them came through, I noticed a bull. Now, we sold our bull some time ago in part to change our management practices and in part to deal with his health. We were planning to get a new bull this fall.
I immediately called our neighbor "Sparky" as we refer him as and explained that his bull was with our cows and I needed him to get the bull right away. He, in his deep southern poor me accent said, "I not around. I just got to where I was going and I won't be back until Sunday. I'll get him then." "No, you need to get him out now." "I can't. He's real gentle, just push him with your 4 wheeler, he'll come back." I replied, "Ok, I'll handle it."
I was furious. I looked at Stryker and said - "Go get him." Stryker hauled butt to re-gather the now scattered herd. The herd moved rapidly to the west and around the barn. I made a bee-line straight to that bull and the cows parted like the Red Sea before the hand of God. That bull didn't know where I had come from, but he knew he best make haste away from me and an advancing Lacy. I almost hit the bull and I never let him slow from a run until I cornered him in some rough brush behind the barn. I whistled to Stryker, got off the 4 wheeler and we walked in to the brush. It was thick with green briars and grape vines. "Stryker - get him." Stryker ran in, pushed the bull to a corner of a small fence and held him there. I re-postitioned to prevent the bull from running out to the cows. There was about 10 feet of really thick briars between me and the bull. I told Stryker - "Get in there and get him. Hit him hard, bud." Stryker jumped through this wall of briars like Scotty transports Captain Kirk to the planet. He struck the bull on the nose 3 or 4 times. The bull's only options were to keep getting hit or jump the fence back to the pasture the cows were in earlier. Out he went.
Stryker and I went back to the 4 wheeler and we raced around to the pasture where the bull was trying to decide if he should come back to all of these cows that were in heat or head for home. As soon as he saw us, he decided to head home. I never let him stop running. He found the hole he came in through and back he went.
Cool part about the whole thing - normally Stryker tries to keep the cows together, but when he realized I wanted the bull out, he completely ignored the cows. We ran through the herd twice and he looked at the cows, but realized I wasn't interested. I wish I had pictures....
Crescent Moon Ranch
Raising quality commercial calves