If you get in trouble, you can always call Franz ON9CBQ/DL3RBF:
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Those are really big horns 
I wouldn’t try Franz’s strategy…
The good thing is they don’t seem to be in the AZ… 
73,
Guru
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It’s another example of why Activators need Chasers 
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Send for Manuel EA2DT from Pamplona - home of the famous Bull Run. Manuel will sort it…
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Wow, all the cows I’ve encountered in the US have been friendly. They always move out of my way if they’re standing on the trail, and run away half the time.
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After many walks in the Alps my way to deal with cows is:
- going away from the cows if possible
- passing them if they are on the only possible trail
- waving the walking stick if they come to close
- speaking loud if waving is not enough
- yelling a little bit at last
In my first time in the Alps, without experiences, I was yelling abrupt and loud and the cow was scared and jumped back quickly. It looked absolutely not save. I don’t want to cause an injury to the cows and be now more careful. Normally cows are only curious and sometimes annoying.
On Motta da Sett they were also only curious. But I felt better with
grassland in my back than only with a lot of nothing 
. Some waiting solved the whole problem.
But I exclude two cases from waving, yelling and so on:
- suckler cows!!!
- … (the story)
About ten years ago in the Swiss Alps, at the last day in August, I
awoke and the whole landscape was white. We’ve got 5 cm snow over night. I made a walk to Pass da Sett on a good and save country lane. The wind near the pass was more a storm but all was save - until on the way back I reached a bridge over a strong mountain stream. In the middle of the bridge stood a bull, stood still minute after minute. It was clear, he was the boss and owner of the bridge. I had no hope for permission to pass and no wish to being wiped from the bridge in the stream.
Near the bridge I saw some stones in the stream and jumped from stone to stone, with hope not to slip and fall in the refreshing water.
From the bridge it was at least one hour to the warm flat. I had luck
and all was ok.
- I don’t want to wave the walking stick and yell to a bull in the
trail. I don’t know what will happen. And I don’t want to test it.
(Next time I will call Franz ON9CBQ/DL3RBF for a test)
Last day in August
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Yesterday in German media: Deadly cow attack now pending in court https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/ludwigshafen/Hinterbliebene-fordern-360,kuangriff-auf-bad-duerkheimerin-vor-gericht-100.html
in most of these incidents dogs are involved … and sadly some dog-owners simply don’t know how to behave when walking through a cow pasture!
only found a german version …
73 martin, oe5reo
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there has been a court desicion on the deadly cow attack in 2014. the farmer was sentenced to pay almost EUR 500000,-- to the widower and his son! if the higher court will confirm this ruling it will have a huge impact for tourists, hikers and of course the farmers all over Austria.
some farmers are beginning to think about closing their pastures for tourists or to stop alpine farming at all.
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Let’s hope that the courts will revise the verdict. Otherwise a lot of restrictions for hikers might follow.
Famers tend to overreact in such cases…
73 Joe
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Cattle are either curious or hungry, on farms I have had cattle follow my car up to the summit. Thinking I was the farmer with feed for them. There is a drought here so a lot of hand feeding, the cattle hung around where I was setting up aerials etc and after a while when no nice tidbits were forthcomming quietly moved away.
Other occassions they are just plain out curious as to what is going on and soon move away.
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Hi,
Cattle behavior will vary from breed to breed and on local farming practice. Here dairy cattle are mostly very docile and domesticated but outback beef cattle are really just wild animals. Our Alpine cattle are somewhere in between. These are the ones SOTA activators are more likely to encounter. If you encounter dairy cattle either they have escaped or you are trespassing.
My experience relates to young cattle being the most curious and wondering if something new is edible. All cattle will approach if they think you might fed them. Don’t feed them.
The German video is good. Dogs and cattle can be a bad mix. Also be wary of a cow with a calf as has been said.
If you go about the activation quietly (in VK at least) any animals that wander up will wander off once they are satisfied there is nothing new to eat and you are not going to attack them or their offspring. None of them know that one day you might eat them.
The worst I have suffered is a large green pattie on the path where I needed to step.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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That’s not true in many countries. For example, in England and Wales there are about 170,000 miles of public rights-of-way (public footpaths, many ancient) much of which cross farmland (with dairy cattle) not to mention right-to-roam ‘access’ land. So most walkers here will regularly encounter dairy cows. Scotland allows even more public access.
As many have said, the risk is mainly females with calves.
Hi,
Sorry I thought that it was clear I was talking VK conditions when I started with "Here…
Let me clarify and amplify that.
In VK private property is just that and you need permission to enter. The presence of stock is sometimes given as a reason for refusing entry.
Here in VK dairy cattle are normally milked twice a day and are kept in fenced paddocks. They may be encountered on a road just before or after milking time when being moved to and from a paddock. If you are on a VK summit and a dairy cow approaches it is an escapee or you are in it’s paddock. If the latter you will of course have the owner’s permission and some instructions relating to cattle and gates.
You are more likely to encounter beef cattle in VK Alpine regions (grazing there under licence) and the usual caveats apply.
Having a right-of-way through private property or grazing rights on public land are things that obviously causes problems in some places and is why we don’t have such stuff over here in VK.
I strongly recommend not getting into a space that has a bull. Any bull. Even if it is a 10 point summit. Pick a time when the bull isn’t there - the owner can advise on this.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
In my experience horses are more of a problem in VK on summits and around them. I had one step on my dipole once. Both survived.
In VK1, Mt Gingera VK1/AC-002 is known for wild boars. In 2012 I was charged by a family of 10 or so curious to see a 2 legger (urban slang) human. They move very fast and sound like a herd of elephants charging through the aussie scrub.
Andrew VK1AD
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It was clear, Ron. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to contradict you.
I’ve only been to Australia cities (on business trips) but it seems it’s like the USA where I lived in New England - private land usually has no uninvited public access.
Contrast that with ‘old’ countries like the UK, where you have 1000’s of rural footpaths (often 100’s of years old, some prehistoric) which are considered ‘highways’ that the landowner has a legal duty to maintain access. So, if a farmer ploughs a field with a right-of-way across it, he has to reinstate the path (flatten it with his tractor) within 2 weeks.
It’s a joy to be able to walk in the countryside and hardly have to walk on the road.
BTW: I heard an amusing anecdote on the radio yesterday: someone was driving in the remote Australian outback for ages along a long dusty road by a fence line. Eventually, there was a gate in the fence with a sign “Shut the bl**dy gate!”.
73, Andy