No Bull

We are in the heart of getting the cattle worked and out on grass right now. There is nothing more daunting than the idea of all the work that needs to be done this time of the year. It seems like an unsurmountable list that will never get done. However, this time every year I am reminded that we have never failed to get the crops planted or the cows out to pasture. In the end, it all gets done and the feeling of getting the last load of cows out on grass is one of the best.

Murphy’s Law is in full force during this time and often the things that can go wrong cannot be predicted. We worked the cows at my house first. The annual early turning out of the bulls at Glenn’s place had already occurred and I decided that we were going to sort the bulls off, stash them away in my spiffy new, escape proof pens, work the cows, cull the old cows and move the survivors a mile down the road to fresh green brome. This whole plan should take about a half of a day and leave us time to prepare to work the next bunch of cows the following day.

Jennifer and I gathered the cows first thing in the morning. The whole gathering did not go exactly as we had planned and I may have gotten too grumpy for a guy who probably wasn’t very prepared with facilities that leave a little bit to be desired and most importantly wonderful wife who had taken vacation time to work cows. In the end, we got them all caught and we are still married (this will be a theme for the next week or so).

I decided to sort the bulls off and introduce them to their cool new pen. They sorted off relatively easily and we loaded them on the trailer. Jennifer and I kicked them out and they were not at all impressed. By the time, I had gotten out the gate and on the road the bulls were making their way out of the gate and bee-lining it back to the cows. To say that I was a little upset was an understatement. However, I thought I knew what the problem was, the chain around the gate had given and allowed them to push their way out. That could easily be corrected.

Jennifer and I got back to the cows and Dad held the gate open as we herded the bulls back in with the cows. We once again loaded them up in the trailer and hauled them back to our corral and I secured the gate like no gate has ever been secured before. I also put out some prime alfalfa to get their minds off their lady friends. The Hereford bull seemed to appreciate the effort and soon was munching hay. The Angus bull was not happy and only wanted to be with his lady friends. As I watched he jumped over my new, bull-proof fence taking time to bend it up on his way over. Yes, once again he made his way back to the cows before I could.

Dad was waiting and opened the gate and let the offending bull back in with his cows where he was perfectly content. We decided to get the cattle worked, separate the culls off and haul them to town. While Jennifer and I made the trip to the sale barn we hatched a plan to build an even better, more bull-proof pen and make the bull cool his heels in it for a while. It was just going to be prairie hay and water in solitary confinement for him for the next two weeks.

We got back, built the pen, once again separated the bull, loaded him on the trailer and deposited him in the pen. Then we quickly set to moving the cows a mile down the road. Out of sight, out of mind and maybe the Angus bull would once again be a model citizen. Jennifer started out with the cows leading them with a bale of hay. Everything was going just as planned, I was bringing up the rear. Then I looked in the rear-view mirror just in time to see the Angus bull trotting across the pasture, jumping the neighbor’s fence, running through his cows on a dead run and eventually jumping the other fence to once again be with my cows.

I learned a couple of lessons. First, no fence or corral is truly bull-proof. Occasionally we can fool them. They will go where they want to go if they really want too. But the biggest lesson I learned was that you can’t stop love. Corrals, barb wire and distance are no match to the urges of spring. All those lessons and it was just day one, I can’t wait for the rest of the week.