Hunting "wild "cattle

[H&Hhunter]

They are only "mean and dangerous" because they are trying to stay alive. Unlike humans, they don't go out and hunt other animals. So the "mean and dangerous" title is a bit silly here.

Hey Double thanks for the information...

I can give you a whole list of dangerous animals who don't hunt other animals.

I've been around some feral cattle in rough country that are most definitely mean and dangerous.

Heck have you ever spent any time around a domestic Holstein dairy bull? Those spotted SOB's can be downright deadly at times.

 

[ashtxsniper]

I understand what you are saying Art I have been in that scrub brush before. I know of some places where you can hunt buffalo here but this thread makes it sound like it is on par with feral hog hunting. I have heard of people shooting wild cattle but I didnt think it was all that common.

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

i guess what got me thinking about it were two things ! 1st i remember reading about years ago and 2nd i dont see a lot of difference between hunting a "wild" cow or bull and hunting some of these exotics that are hunted on the big game farms ! i would think that wild cattle on someones property ,were the property of the land owner and if he wants to let you hunt them thats between you and him ! Are not the imported exotics considered livestock and not a game animal ! It may be that guiding for them is a pain in the rear and it is dangerous due to the thick cover and the size and aggressiveness of the cattle ! Kevin

 

[Harve Curry]

So what does it cost to go hunt feral cattle, or a mature bull?

 

[Art Eatman]

I doubt that there is any great quantity of feral cattle along the river. And, odds are, the ranchers would take a shot at any problem critter, any time they see one.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I used to hunt with my mentor. There was a story going around that he had shot a free ranging bull with his .351. Story goes that the bull charged him so he shot it in the forehead. The bullet must have glanced off cause the bull stopped his charge and just shook his head.

 

[H&Hhunter]

As far as hunting wild cattle goes. The Aussies have been doing it for years. they hunt feral water buffalo, scrub bulls and another more rare one that the name of eludes me at this moment.

There are people who hunt feral Spanish fighting bulls down by Monterey Mexico. I've read about it. My guess is that a feral fighting bull is probably one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Considering that the fighting bull has been bread to attack man on sight!

 

[redneck2]

Heck have you ever spent any time around a domestic Holstein dairy bull? Those spotted SOB's can be downright deadly at times.

When I was a kid, our neighbor had a 2,000#+ Holstein bull that had this really interesting game. The door going from his stall inside the barn to the outside pen was native oak and had a hinge at the top. Weighed maybe 75-100#.

The bull would smack the door with his head. It would swing up, slam against the wall, then swing back down and smack him on the head. He'd get PO'd, hit the door harder, and it would hit him harder. The more he hit it (and it hit him) the madder he'd get.

 

[daniel (australia)]

As far as hunting wild cattle goes. The Aussies have been doing it for years. they hunt feral water buffalo, scrub bulls and another more rare one that the name of eludes me at this moment.

Banteng mate. AFAIK Oz has the only huntable population of these in the world, but even here they are pretty uncommon and live only in a fairly restricted range. Scrub bulls on the other hand are in pretty good numbers up north, and buff too.

All going well I'll be going to the Northern Territory in the coming dry season to hunt buff and scrubbers and maybe a few other species for a week. It'll make a bit of a change from the various deer, goats, pigs and so on closer to home.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Thanks daniel.

The banteng is a interesting looking critter. Good luck hunting up north.

 

[CoRoMo]

I can't think of any incidents of cattle hunting down people, killing, then eating them.

I know of one such story.
However, I can't bring myself to speak about it yet. It is just too soon.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Finn Aagard wrote of hunting ferals in The Big Thicket country.IIRC he used a 375 H&H he had from his African days.

Texas historian J Frank Dobie wrote of hunters tracking longhorns in the thick stuff and finding them harder to hunt than the local whitetails.

 

[mbt2001]

MY understanding is the most dangerous game in North America is Moose. They kill more folks than bears or cougars. I also understand that in Africa, 3 of the "Big 5" are herbivores...

Dangerous can be thought of by 1.) the disposition of the creature 2.) the size of the creature 3.) it's ability to absorb lead while you are firing in desperation.

Capstick writes several stories about how water buffs can ruin your day, permanently.

 

[Joe Demko]

I read an article back in the late 1980s or early 1990s about feral cattle in the cane brake country along the lower Rio Grande down in the general vicinity of Laredo. That general part of the river, anyway. Sports Afield? Field & Stream? I don't remember.

Yeah, they did do it during that time period in the Laredo area. I lived there at the time.
At the Cotulla BBQ restaurant there, the owners had all kinds of taxidermy heads up on the wall from various animals they had bagged. One of them was a bull head. I made a joke to one of my companions about cow hunting. He was a local and owned some property outside of town. He explained to me that it was the head from a wild bull and that they are pretty territorial and can be aggressive. I went out to his "ranch" with him a few times and saw some feral cattle. They didn't attack us or anything like that, but he said it was a good idea to keep an eye on them and be ready to bolt for the truck. Maybe he was funning me, I don't know.
I do know that Cotulla-style barbecue is some of the finest eating known to man and I'd give a lot for a big steaming plate of barbacoa, drunken beans, and flour tortillas. It doesn't matter whether from the Laredo restaurant or the original in Cotulla, the food was wonderful at both.