This evening when I was moving irrigation pipes the county animal control officer came to tell me cattle were in my neighbor Wyatt's field in an area closer to the road. Nine cows. I could see my cattle in the south pasture, but not all of them.
I walked over to Wyatt's field. As I walked through the south pasture the cattle came towards me. I counted 21 cattle. The bull and most cows were there. I saw a calf near the river. That makes 22. Maybe the officer was wrong in his count. Eight and not nine. Or maybe my other cattle were at the river drinking.
As I approached I could see a woman on foot, a guy on an ATV, and the animal control officer herding the cattle my way. When I got to the cattle I saw there weren't my cattle. Nine beautiful black cattle. They all had ear tags that were off-white and pre-printed with a number.
When I told them they weren't my cattle the woman then thought they could be the rich guy's cattle who has a place up on the ridge across the river. She called and the person she talked to - the rich guy? - wasn't sure if they were his cattle. She drove up to his place. Yup, he was missing cattle. Apparently they have broken out of their fenced pasture a few times lately.
By now Wyatt showed up on his ATV. He said he had seen the cattle come from the south and then crossed the road to his property. Another person showed up with his ATV. No one from the rich guy's place showed up. How to get the cattle to the rich guy's place? Have them go up the road to cross the river and then go up to the ridge top? I wasn't sure about the traffic on the road. The animal control officer said he would stop traffic. So we decided to herd them that way.
Everyone seemed excited to herd the cattle. Something exciting for them to do. Several people offered me rides but I preferred to be on foot. Most people never herded cattle before and they can get carried away. I know cattle and on foot I can move somewhere where the cattle may go if no one was there.
And they were off. I turned the cattle then followed as the ATVs and the pickup then took off after the cattle. Things slowed when the cattle got to the road and I caught up. Once we got the cattle to a point where there was only one potential side turn to a driveway, I accepted a ride in a ATV.
One of the houses we passed and a pickup came out onto the road right after the cattle. Couldn't they wait? No, because they also wanted to help herd the cattle. Then a kid on a motorcycle came. He also wanted to help herd the cattle. We had quite a procession going to herd the cattle up to the top of the ridge. More people than what was needed.
At the top of the ridge the officer had stopped traffic. The cattle got confused. We wanted them to turn left and go down a driveway to a corral area and the cattle were thinking about turning right since the officer was blocking the path forward. I got out, and a pickup guy got out, and we convinced the cattle to turn left. Then the ATVs and pickups followed and herded the cattle down the driveway then across a field. I left them be. There were more people than needed and they didn't need me. I started walking the mile and a half or so home. Just before I reached the point where I was going to leave the road and cross Wyatt's field - as I still needed to move more irrigation pipe - the ATV driver who gave me a ride stopped and then gave me a ride home to my hayfield. The cattle were now in a corralled area. He had enjoyed herding the cattle. Then the animal control guy - who knows me from past cattle escapes - stopped as I hadn't crossed into my hayfield yet and thanked me for my help.
My cattle were all fine and behaved.
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