Tips for keeping cattle away from a base camp

[BobcatJerry]

Anybody have any tips on keeping cattle away/out from your camp when you're out hunting? We hunt public land that is also range land. Cattle are gathered up in early September, but a few strays still hang around. We have had them nose around our camp during the day, knocking around the solar charger, chairs, and just coming into camp in the evening. One time where we had to run her off 3 times. I worry about them using our tent as a butt scratcher. Didn't know if you could use ribbon streamers, pie pans or something. I'm not concerned enough to wire the area, just something simple. The cattle I've had were always kind of curious to new things. Didn't want to do something that might attract them in either.

[sojurner 65]

LOL! Reminded me of my experience 2 years ago when we had a dozen cows standing around our camp. I stood there and lectured them about pooping in the campsite. Didn't do any good. Good luck to you.

[NebrCatMan]

Put up a strand of electric fence around your perimeter of your camp. Go down to local farm supply store and get a few solid fiberglass posts and buy a roll of electric fence twine. It has stainless steel fiber strands inner woven in it. A small battery fencer is also needed. I have used it in bear country, once. Test show as long as it is working it works good on cattle and even bears....... usually. One strand about 3 foot high for cattle.... multiple strands for bear. Kinda can be pricey but a torn up or destroyed camp ain't cheap or fun either!

[82ndreddevil]

Wrist rocket!! It gives the cattle immediate feedback without causing injury and it's fun for you too!

[Swede]

Hang one or two cows up on your meat pole. It sends a message to the others that your camp is not a healthy place to linger around.

[Lefty]

Hang one or two cows up on your meat pole. It sends a message to the others that your camp is not a healthy place to linger around.

Just be ready for cowboy range land wars

My father-in law ran cows for a while and he just hates the abuse many ranchers get by with A real pet peeve of his.

If the cattleman tends to miss lots of cows every year let the leasing agency (BLM Forest Service) know ( dont tell them you a hunter) They may put more pressure on them to get all or at least more of them out there.
Way too many cattle man just look at it as an easy way to feed a bunch of cows for another month or two. I have many times been the helpful hunter and let cattle man know where there cows are too. Some Ranchers do try to get there cows out.

Ive also seen where "people " have run cows down to private land and put cows on someone elses property. Believe me the rancher with a bunch of someone elses cows eating his grass get them out of there fast.

My father-in law had quit running his own cows and had a few fellows run cows on his ground. Then for a few years on a small pasture he quit having cows, we built fishing ponds, and the ground always held a bunch of deer, and moose. I took my kids up to the ranch to fish and there were 150 head on the ground. A week later they were still there. The brand inspector got a hold of the cattle owner but still took another week to get the out of there.
The next year the cattle man "accidentally" had a non-English speaking cowhand put few hundred head on the property. A phone call by my father in law and all he got was an excuse. Third year my father in law went up to replace a side of wire against the road ( and to keep out cows he expected to show up )500 head were on his property again. he called the sheriff , Forest Service and the Highway patrol, then pulled a few hundred feet of his fence, which would give the cows access to the highway a few miles away.
That year the cattleman lost his forest Service allotment.
There are a lot of cranky cattleman, think Bundy style.
Where I hunted in the desert was recovering grasslands. A few hundred head "somehow" got past the cattle guard and water placed in the closed pasture. It took a week before the cows we moved back to where the pasture they belonged. Its amazing how a $1800 cow live weight is worth $2500 when found dead in the wrong pasture The cowhands didnt look the pasture over well enough and missed a few cows,.. Three days in 100 degree temps and no water they were dead right beside the fixed fence.

Back to the original question. Depends on the size of the pasture. and your tent location. I set up camp in a 4000 acre pasture last year with maybe 300 head I put my tent where there wasnt feed and a long ways from water.. Left camp all month, no problems. A solar fence will do the trick otherwise. Some guys get by with twine fences. But wild range cows will go where they want anyway


Older cows know when its time to leave a pasture, they know what a round up is about and often head for the trailhead or corral . Ever notice how driven cows moo,.. calls the cows in the timber for a long ways

[Swack]

Thats a good one swede. A few years back in Colorado we had about a dozen or so cows in camp day and night. We tried bb gun, rocks, sticks, blunts to no avail. We finally realized why we could run them off and they would return immediately. it was because we had been eating salted peanuts/sunflower seeds. So the cows were after the remaining salt on the husks. During the day all we could do was place all tables/chairs etc. in the bed of a truck, but during the night we found that by running a coleman lantern they would stay out of our camp proper but still you could hear them at a distance. They were a pain to deal with. Good luck with that problem, swack

[bald9eagle]

Carry a bucket full of sweet feed to the nearest outfitters tent and leave it piled there. To be effective it must be done at the darkest part of the night.

[oldnovice]

Wolf urine!

[one_elk]

I agree with the electric fencing and a solar "energizer", just don't pee on the fence....

[Gypsumreaper]

If you gotta go in real deep just bring the electric fencing without the charger they can be heavy and expensive, use trees for the fencing (following all regulations of course) if it's not to deep which if ur around cows I'm guessing ur not super far into an area bring the charger solar ones are pretty nice and easier to deal with than batteries. But if the cows aren't completely bolting outa the country when you walk in most likely just the fencing will work without the charger


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