The quick answer is: no, they did not make a jailbreak. Instead they walked over to the small island across from one of the places in the south pasture where they like to drink from the river. To get to the small island they crossed the main river channel before it splits, which has more water flowing in it that the east overflow channel. The river level is dropping (down to 234 CFS now), but I thought it was still high enough they wouldn't attempt to cross the main channel yet. I was wrong.
I was checking my gopher traps when I found that part of the herd had crossed to the small island, then over to the peninsula. Crossing from the small island to the peninsula is easy as the west channel is another overflow channel, even shallower than the east channel.
The grass on the small island and the peninsula is taller than the cattle. I heard them before I saw them. Initially I thought the sound was from deer, but no, here come my black cattle making new paths through the tall grass.
The other side of the river is fenced beyond the tree line, and my previous cattle have been over there prior years with no problems. So I wasn't alarmed the cattle were over there. My concern was that the river erodes the river bank on each side and there was a spot on the other side where the river eroded a gap where the fence started. A gap just large enough for one of the cattle to squeeze through - knowing how cattle behave.
So I returned home to get some boards to pound into the ground at the gap to act as a barrier.
When I returned to the river I found one of my heifers (#40 - "T-bone") was in the middle pasture by the river. How did she get over there?!!! Seven cattle were at the fence in the south pasture wondering how to join "T-bone". "T-bone" ate the grass and was leery of me as she knew she wasn't where she was suppose to be. She wanted to join the others on the peninsula but couldn't figure out how to do it. I had fenced the low access points and the other spots were deep and areas where cattle will not cross. "T-bone" would moo at the peninsula cattle and they would moo back.
I went and closed the gate between the north and middle pasture. No sense taking a chance she would get into yet another pasture. When I returned to the river I found three teenagers floating down the river in large inner tubes. Two boys and one girl. The girl rode in the lap of the second boy. The first boy made mooing sounds and commented he hated cattle as they smell and crap everywhere. Hmm... I guess he is a vegetarian.
The cattle are calm around me but get nervous around anyone else. They started to mill and move about the peninsula to move away from the kids. The boy thought it was funny and made more noise to frighten the cattle. I told the one boy to not scare my cattle and he said "Okay" and quieted down. I guess when vegetarians don't like cattle they are mean about not liking cattle.
In addition to the kids upsetting the cattle on the peninsula they also shook up "T-bone" and she ran a little ways from the river over to the fence where the south pasture cattle were standing. I used this opportunity to herd her down to the east end of the pasture where the gate is located. Initially she didn't want to go further from the river as her friends were on the peninsula. She kept looking back and trying to circle back. Finally the south pasture cattle came along their side of the fence and they all went to the gate.
I opened the gate, and keeping the south cattle away and watching that one didn't make a dash through the open gate (one was eying the opening and thinking about doing it - I could see it in her eyes), I encouraged "T-bone" to come join her friends in the south pasture. After few minutes she did. Whew! One chore down, now to the other one.
Once the kids left I crossed the river. The peninsula cattle came up to me and followed me to where I needed to close the gap. They all crowded around to watch me pound the boards into the ground. The open space between the fence, the trees and the river was not the largest area and I watched they didn't get carried away and push another into the river as the bank was steep and the river deep at this location. I also didn't want to get bumped into the river.
One heifer was in heat and naturally one of the boys wanted to satisfy her. There wasn't that much room to begin with but he mounted her and she moved and the cattle all milled around. I tried to stay out of the way.
Finally one of the cattle pushed through the tall grass to the south and made a trail along the fence. Most of the other cattle followed as I was getting boring to watch. A few weren't bored and hung around to watch me some more. I found a few more dead tree branches and also pounded them into the ground. The more of a barrier the better. By the time I finished all the cattle had left.
After returning my tools to my side of the river I went to check on the cattle. They were down toward the SW part of the peninsula in an open area. The sun had gone down beyond the ridge and the mosquitoes were out in force so I decided to let them be.
As I crossed the river to my side I heard a splash in the west channel. Two cattle had crossed from the peninsula to the small island. Then they went to the corner where they had initially crossed to the island. The bank was steeper than they liked to move across. They stood and looked at the water and looked around. The south pasture cattle came towards the river and several started mooing, calling these two. One of the cattle jumped off the bank into the river and landed with a splash and kept on running across the river. The water went up to its belly so it didn't have to swim and could walk.
The second of the cattle looked around more for an easy gradual slope to the river. It started down the bank, but then did not want to jump into the river. Seeing no place to cross it went back into the island and towards the west channel. By now more cattle were coming from the peninsula and they crossed to the small island.
Some jumped, some belly flopped, some walked the bank down into the river and crossed back to the south pasture cattle who were still mooing. I was happy the south pasture cattle didn't cross over to the small island, but they had no interest in doing so. It was starting to get dark and everyone wanted to be back in the south pasture.
Later arrivals missed the "peninsula to south island" path and crossed just outside the west channel mouth. I held my breath as that was not the ideal place to cross as the current and river debris were there. But they made it. They then were able to angle over to the south pasture and join the herd.
Finally six cattle came together on the peninsula near the west channel. By now the south pasture herd was moving away from the river. The six wanted to join and missed the small island crossing. They picked an even deeper spot to cross with a current. Man, these cattle are going to give me heartburn.
The six crossed the river without losing their footing and came to the middle pasture river bank. The problem is I had fenced this part of the pasture and they stood among the grass outside my simple fence.
I was up on the higher river bank and was concerned they would break through the fence and get into the middle pasture. I ran from the high bank to head them off.
What happens when you mix...
- tall grass
- a hidden root
- high and low ground
- water and mud at the bottom
I got up and went to the fence. The cattle were all crowded on the little ground with their back legs in the river. I stood there so they would not to push through the fence.
And we stood there.
The herd had returned to the river and stood in the corner of the south pasture at the river and mooed at these six to come join them. The six mooed back that they didn't know how.
And we all stood there.
A gravel bar with grass went out into the river to the cattle's south. Would they move over to it? No, they wanted to join the herd via the shortest point and wanted to go through the fence.
And we all stood there.
Finally the mosquitoes were getting to me and I didn't want to stand there any longer waiting for the cattle to figure it out so I crawled over the fence onto the small bit of ground. The cattle backed into the river which got deep quick and had the strongest current.
"No you idiots! Move over to the gravel bar!"
Somehow, while remaining between the fence and the river, I was able to herd the cattle over to the gravel bar.
Now the problem was the shortest distance between the gravel bar and the south pasture was also deep. The cattle stood there. And stood there. And looked and sniffed the water and stood there.
Finally one of my heifers waded into the water. She was short and the water got deep quick and she returned to the gravel bar. *sigh* Dan had some tall cattle but they were clueless and just stood there not knowing what to do. This deep area had no real current as the gravel bar blocked the current. But it had river debris and the water level was little higher than their belly.
Finally I took my shoes and socks off again and entered the river and moved to the gravel bar. I forgot to roll up one of my pants legs and got it wet. The cattle crowded closer together on the gravel bar. I moved closer and the back cattle started to move into the river and didn't like it.
Finally my heifer went into the deep section again and this time continued and crossed over to the south pasture, stopping along the way to sniff a tree stump and root system sticking out of the water. Then two more cattle followed, each stopping briefly also to sniff the stump and roots. The last three cattle were Dan's cattle. Crowded together they stood facing me.
"Go on! Follow the others."
Nope. They just stood and looked at me. So I herded them into the river and once the first one crossed to the south pasture the other two joined them. As soon as the herd was together they all moved from the river and went up the higher bank.
By the time I had dried my feet and put my shoes and socks on the cattle had moved away from the river. And it was starting to get dark as it was well after 10 pm. I wasn't able to do a head count to see if all were there. I didn't hear any more cattle on the small island or the peninsula so I hope all are together. I'll have to count them tomorrow.
As I walked home fireworks were being shot off all around into the sky. Happy 4th of July!
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