My Nemesis

My year long project of raising grass fed steers for the first time is still moving along. My tiny little steers have become big guys now!

For about a week one steer in particular has been having a grand ole time. He found a break in the fence and has been letting himself out each day for long strolls around folks yards

and generally having a good ole time until twilight when his herd mentality resurfaces and he is happy to have me open the gate to his pasture where all his "homies" await him

as he strolls through the gate he turns to give me one last glance over his shoulder as though saying

"same time tomorrow then?"

Of course this was never meant to be permanent, but he wasn't hurting anything and between the start of hay season, being behind on the spring planting because of the drought and the buying and transporting of a new herd bull this week, putting a board back up just kept getting put off. Heck, the worst that could happen is he would wander off the farm and bother someone - but he seemed pretty content to stick close by

until today that is...

I was just finishing a first cup of coffee when a truck pulled up at my door and a woman leaned out the window to tell me my cow was standing out on the main road.

So much for the idyllic little arrangement we had been having. Apparently I had one steer gone AWOL.

I called the dogs and jumped on my golf cart in hot pursuit of this contract breaking Hamburger on the Hoof !

By then he had crossed the main road and was standing on the other side. When he saw me he turned away and trotted off in to a meadow, where once he felt out of range he began to snack on the trespassed grass of a neighboring farmer.

The small figure in the distance is him - the dogs were quick in changing his mind and he came back out on the road again

Not having nine lives, he risked his one, by crossing the road once again with me playing traffic cop to help the crossing....fortunately there was no traffic, just one dense steer who couldn't seem to understand why a gate wasn't magically opening even though he could see the fence and the cows on the other side of it.

After turning right and then left and getting stopped by enormous spider webs and tree vines as thick as a mans arm, he decided to join the dogs and me on the road and we made an odd little parade back through the gates to the farm.

Whew! Safety.

Apparently he had other ideas....his taste of freedom had been heady and intoxicating.

He wanted nothing to do with his pasture.
He kicked up his heels in the garden and picked up a trash can and tossed it. All the while hearing the song "Born Free" playing loudly in his bovine brain.
He braved the barking dogs lowering his head in a threatening gesture, his pointed horns gleaming in the sun.

Creeping closer, I noticed an odd little look over his right eye.

"Whats this Mr Born Free" You got a souvenir from your time in the spidey woods?"

Well...its on your eye and not in it so you will be fine. While were just standing here, how about you show me where you keep getting out and even better yet, why dont you let your self IN the same way you get OUT???

Imagine my amazement when he said:

"Alrighty, follow me"..............

This smells about right....

are you watching?


and with that said?......

.