At the river I seen where the missing cattle had crossed. The same spot where the heifers in heat crossed a few years ago. At this bend of the river my side is shallow and the far side (outer side) is deep. As you can see from the river bank where the grass is matted down, this is not an easy crossing and only made by determined cattle. The matted grass in the center and right side of the photo is on the other side of the neighbor's fence which runs from the standing grass just left of center.
The person leasing the neighbor's land called the previous day to let me know he was now running cattle in the low section right across from my land. I believe his cattle came to this spot and my cattle saw them and decided to cross the river to meet them. Of the missing cattle were: Baby, one of Momma's best friends (#40) and three of Dan's cattle. Maybe Baby and #40 went looking for Momma.
At the gate where I herded the cattle from jailbreak #2 back to my property I saw two of Dan's cattle. The ones with white ear tags. They were pacing along the fence near the gate. They realized crossing the river was a mistake and wanted back to my pasture.
The gate presented a bit of a problem. The last jailbreak was when the cattle hopped over the sagging gate. I improved the gate with more boards and wire but in a manner that it could still be used as a gate. Either the landowner or the person pasturing the cattle added steel posts and several new strands of barb wire. I was able to un-string the wires at one end and open the gate to the first steel fence post. A smaller gate, but one that I could use.
Dan's two cattle came through the gate when I opened it and quickly made their way to the river in search of my herd.
Two down and three to go.
I had to go up the ridge to find my cattle. This time the gate to the grain field was closed. But the gates at the NW end were open. What if my cattle joined the other herd? How would I get them separated?
At the top of the ridge at the NW end I found my three cattle. Alone and sitting and chewing their cuds under the shade of the trees. I began to herd them down the hill. Unfortunately the trail at the top of the ridge was a half dozen trails. We started to play a game of "whack a mole". I herded them down a trail and they would then take a side trail back to the top of the ridge. After a couple instances of this they headed down hill to the bottom and a gate.
Once through the gate I closed it. This time we had a "trail" through the tall grass. When the landowner "fixed" the gate he also drove along the fence and tractor tires left two large "trails". On we slowly walked. In mid 90s heat. On a clear sunny day with no wind. It was hot!
Over three fourths the way to the gate Dan's steer decided he didn't want to walk anymore and went off trail to eat grass. I had one other gate still open back to the NW ridge. I knew I couldn't out run cattle, especially in the tall grass. So I hiked halfway back up the ridge and closed that gate.
When I returned the cattle were still in the same area. I went ahead and re-opened the gate leading to the river as I had closed it in case Dan's first two cattle changed their minds. Then I herded the last three cattle through the gate.
Then back to the NW areas and I re-opened the two gates.
Back at the river the three cattle were standing in the shade of the trees. They were not part of jailbreak #2 and therefore had never crossed the river here. Two of the fifteen that had stayed behind came to the river for a drink of water, and seeing the three on the other side, mooed at them scolding them. Baby came to the river bank but at a steep part over deeper water. She knelt down to look at getting down to the water but seeing the bank was steep and the water deep, quit and moved along the river bank. Unfortunately she went in the direction of steep banks and deeper water.
I walked back across the river, herded them to the gravel bar were there was no steep river bank. I then showed the cattle the one way to cross the river where the river crossing would be shallowest to the gravel bar upstream on my side of the river. Either side of this underwater 'ridge' and the water was definitely deeper.
Dan's steer watched me. Baby pretended to ignore me. Then they went to stand in the shade of trees.
Oh well. They know how I crossed the river and therefore now know how to cross the river. With the fence and gate up they will just remain on this little peninsula of land until they decide to cross the river.
Several hours later I saw Baby and Dan's steer nosily join the herd in the hayfield bellowing as they ran to join the herd. I went out and counted. 19. #40 was missing.
Back to the river I went. After I crossed the river and stepped on dry land I saw #40 standing among the trees.
What the heck?! Cattle don't like being by themselves and here was #40 standing and calmly chewing her cud. I hate these long stretches of hot and dry weather. Especially when wind is blowing. It throws the cattle's routine off. They lay around more to avoid the heat. But then get thinking - too much for their own good. And they don't act like they normally do. In the past most of my crazy jailbreaks have been when it was hot and dry.
The neighbor's cattle were on the ridge occasionally mooing. #40 would cock an ear when they mooed.
"Don't even think of it!"
That evening Tammy and I did a second burning of a large tree stump in the south pasture. The herd was heading to the river as we drove through the middle pasture. Good. They will entice #40 to cross the river and re-join them.
The next morning I counted the cattle. 18. No.. 19. No.. 18. 19.. 18. 19. 19. 19.
At any rate no count of 20. Was #40 still on the other side of the river? Was she so traumatized from her initial crossing she wouldn't cross the river again? Or had she crossed the river, then crossed back again the same way she made her initial jailbreak? Was she determined to join the neighbor's herd?
Back to the river I went.
Just before I crossed the river the cattle came from the hayfield to the river. I didn't want the cattle to see me on the other side of the river or see my method of my crossing as not all of the cattle have crossed the river. So I waited for all the cattle strung out in a long line to make it to the river.
I counted again. 18. 19. 18. 19. 18. 20. 19. What? 20? I counted and recounted. It was made easy after the cattle drank their fill and came up the river bank to mill around me. Yup. 20 cattle. I looked and there was #40, standing nonchalantly with a few other cattle.
One of the cattle licked my arms and rubbed against me as I counted.
Baby interacting with #30, another of her and Momma's friends.
Yup, cattle eat pine needles.
So all was back to normal. I have watched and since then the cattle have not crossed the river over to the other pasture at the deep end and steep river bank. I believe they decided the difficult crossing was not worth it.
Good.
Here is a 1:46 video of the cattle after the jailbreak. Scenes include #70 using a small pine tree as a scratching post, Baby and a heifer going head-to-head, the steer eating the pine tree branch, and a panning shot of the herd at rest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YdRQVvcs_4
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