{"id":145,"date":"2008-11-17T07:23:42","date_gmt":"2008-11-17T14:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/?p=145"},"modified":"2022-04-17T15:32:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T22:32:38","slug":"tom-mangan-cows-attack-hikers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/17\/tom-mangan-cows-attack-hikers\/","title":{"rendered":"Cows Attack Hikers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve hiked around cows my entire life, and there’s been several times when cattle have been aggressive toward me. Cows attack hikers? It definitely happens, as you’ll read below and especially in the comments. Many of the stories are from trails around the Bay Area in California.<\/p>\n

When Cows Attack Hikers<\/h2>\n

Tom Mangan of the excellent Bay Area hiking blog Two-Heel Drive<\/a> writes in exquisite detail\u00a0about his recent outing to Ed Levin County Park<\/a>. He’s got great photos of his jaunt, but what interests me the most is his encounter with cattle:<\/p>\n

I saw the little black angus calf wandering about, baying for its mom, about 100 yards down the trail. I wondered where mom was because the only time a cow will trouble itself to stop grazing is if you block her view of her baby. Not seeing baby can cause cows to identify the nearest hiker in the vicinity, assign blame, then charge. If you were as dumb as the droppings you leave all over the trails, you\u2019d do the same.<\/p>\n

So I wander past the baby and sure enough, just down the trail is Mom. And a friend. A large black head with big bulbous eyes arises from just beyond her tail region and gives the universal \u201cDude, would you mind?\u201d <\/em>look known to all guys who stumble into another guy\u2019s amorous action.<\/p>\n

So, this<\/em> is why Mom isn\u2019t milking the brat. Some bull has his nose so far up her fanny she\u2019s getting, well, distracted. The loving couple decided to make their way down the trail in the general direction of the wayward calf. I didn\u2019t wait around for any Discovery Channel moments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Cows Attack Hikers? Sometimes!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I Was Chased by Cows While Hiking, But Was It an Attack?<\/h2>\n

Here’s the comment I left on Tom’s blog post:<\/p>\n

I spent much of my childhood near Anderson, California around cattle, both on our property and in the surrounding pastures and hills. It was great training for watching your step.<\/p>\n

I only got truly chased once. I was hiking in the Bald Hills west of Redding at twilight. Something spooked a large herd of cattle and they all thundered toward me and my companions. We sprinted to nearby oak trees and climbed up, just before the cattle ran through the grove.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The Top 100 Day Hikes and Backpacking Trips in Northern California<\/h4>\n

\"100The all-color fourth edition features the best trails in:<\/strong><\/p>\n