Escapee Cows

    While living in a rural place like the Robson Valley, it is not beyond comprehension that you might be visited by escaped farm animals.  In our time living here we have been surprised to find both escaped pigs and cows in our yard.  While going through my 1991 diary, I came across this event that I had totally forgotten about:

    On a rainy Sunday in mid-September, I was forced to play wrangler, when two cows owned by Han’s, who lives four houses up the road, came meandering through our yard.  I ran to the barn and grabbed the whip I snap when herding the goats, to use in an attempt to turn the cows around, and headed back to Han’s place, but they were determined to proceed up toward the road, and head east toward Glen’s house, which I discovered later, was were they were born.  

    Andrew, Glen’s son came out and together we eventually got the two steers turned around, back on the road and headed west toward Han’s place.

    However, before they got there, one of the bovines veered off of the road and scrambled down Smith’s driveway.  I chased the remaining cow until it jumped a fence.  Eventually, Andrew and I were finally able to get both the cows together again and herd the two escapees into the corral that Han’s had made for them.

    I returned home, to rest after my cow adventure, but about an hour later, I saw Han’s walking up our pasture with a rope in his hands.  It seemed that having had a taste of freedom, his cows had made an escape once again.

    The next day after riding my bike home from work, I took my Angora goats down to the pasture to graze.  An hour later, I began to herd the goats up through our yard to get them into the paddock by the barn.  They were just getting close to the paddock when one of Han’s cows came walking down our driveway.  Upon seeing me and the goats, it bellowed out a loud “Moo”.  This totally freaked out the goats, but fortunately, it spooked them into making for the security of their paddock. 

    Once I had shut the gate on the goats, I joined Glen and Andrew, to once again try to herd the cow up the road to Han’s place.  The determined cow headed off into the bush in an escape attempt, but finally after some bushwhacking, we got the adventurous bovine back into Han’s corral.

    I think all of that cow trouble encouraged Hans to fortify his corral, because after that, we didn’t see any more escapees.

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