Posted: 12/3/2013 9:16:38 PM EDT
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I was watching one of the various hunting shows the other day and they were featuring this new kind of "hunt". There's a ranch owner in Texas who sells hunts of whitetails but he also added Spanish Fighting Bulls. Spanish Fighting Bulls are a cattle breed that have been bred for aggression for bull fighting. So this guy has stocked his ranch with these bulls and sells hunts to trophy hunters that like animals that charge them before being shot. There in Texas, on this "hunt" they carry the same rifles that they would use for hunting cape buffalo and such and walk up to the bulls they find trying to get one to charge them. Normally the animal looks at the hunter and walks away but occasionally they get one that charges and that's when they shoot. The "hunter" on this particular episode shot two bulls and was quite pleased with how exciting his hunt was. He even remarked that people are going to see the show and think they are just shooting cows but it was actually a dangerous game hunt and so much more than shooting cows....uh huh.
Ok, I grew up in the country where most pastures had a bull and you were warned to avoid the bull because he will try to get you, that's rural life 101. If someone had taken a gun into the pasture and tried to get the bull to charge so they could shoot it, there would have been a pissed off rancher hunting that "hunter". If a rancher filled his pastures up with bulls and then tried to charge people to shoot the bull when it charged them he would have been laughed out or tossed out of whichever county he was in. I don't see any difference in that and this guy selling bull "hunts". I've never cared for "trophy hunters" or "hunters" that kill for the thrill, I believe that if you are hunting an animal you should use that animal for food. Obviously there are several reasons why you may have to kill an animal other than for food but what about this new "sport" of trying to get a bull to a charge you so you can shoot it? Personally I found it pretty disgusting and definitely nothing near what I was taught about real hunting or hunters. |
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I've been around cattle all my life, and I've never been charged by any bull. However, some cows with baby calves will flat run you down, especially if a dog is around. The only time a cow has ran over me is when I got too close to a calf, got in the way while two of them were fighting, or got in between a hungry cow and the feed trough. |
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Quoted:
over the years ranching, I've known cows I would let people shoot for free. hell, there have been some that I shot myself. Er you mean their Vital lead Vaccination? One ran over my Grandpaw when I was a kid. He told me to bust the bitch, (which is to rope her around the horns and drop the slack around her hind legs, dally and take off at a right hand angel from her) well the hussy broke her neck. We do not put up with any off our cows acting stupid they get a free trip to local sale. Only shooting I do now if they get stupid is with a tranquilizer gun it cost to much for the lead Vaccination. And I think every rancher has at one time or another shot a crazy cow. It cost to much now days to go to the doctor. |
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Quoted:
I've been around cattle all my life, and I've never been charged by any bull. However, some cows with baby calves will flat run you down, especially if a dog is around. The only time a cow has ran over me is when I got too close to a calf, got in the way while two of them were fighting, or got in between a hungry cow and the feed trough. Me either! But my best friend in high school had and old long horn steer with 6' of horn and an ole buckskin horse. Well those two were inseparable. Except at feed time. Well we got off the bus one evening and his mom was laying out in the field by the feed trough, with this long horn standing over her and the horse going nuts. Well I get a bucket of feed and and coax him and the horse away while Joe gets his mom. Turns out she was nocked cold. The old steer swatted at the horse while Joe's mom was feeding them and hit her with his horns. She still would not part with either of those two critters, they died of old age. She has the steers horns above their mantel. When I was a kid we had a black brangus bull I had raised. My sister and I could ride that bull around. But my dad had hated that animal, (the bull pushed him into the pond because he would not let him have the minnow bucket). Well he went to town after that, and a few years latter banged Donny Gay up pretty bad. Damn good bull I never did like that loud mouth little cowboy. Now the worst I ever had my pride hurt. We had an ole pet bull get on my foot while feeding and did not get off of it until he was through eating. I learned then never allow a bull to eat out of a bucket. |
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They hunt them in Hawaii. http://hog-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bruce_bull01.jpg I think it depends on how far removed they are from being a barnyard animal. A truly feral animal is just as difficult to hunt as any big game species, just look at our wild hogs. Hell, you can hunt feral horses in Australia. |
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They aren't feral, they are a specific breed that was created long ago for Spanish bullfighting. Since they were bred to be aggressive they are being used on this ranch in Texas for "hunting". The thing is these Spanish Fighting Bulls were so dangerous they were having a hard time getting one to charge them. They would walk towards the animal, guns ready, hoping it would charge them but they would just walk away. They had been following this particular bull trying to irritate him by continuing to walk up to him but he kept walking away. Finally as the bull walked behind some brush they walked around to catch it coming out from behind the brush and they startled a different bull that had been grazing nearby. Obviously when you startle an animal up close, even a domestic animal, its going to react which is exactly what they were hoping for and as soon as the bull charged they shot it.
They also showed one that wandered up to the fence when they were starting out. The bull was standing there watching, obviously curious about what they were doing so they decided to see what it would do if they walked towards it. Since it had a fence on one side and probably felt a little closed in it did exactly what they wanted and charged them, they shot it. Maybe I'm just not schooled well enough on the art of dangerous game hunting but harassing a cow until it charges you and then shooting it doesn't compute to any kind of hunting I was taught about even if it's a cow that was bred for being aggressive. Where I grew up people doing something like that and calling it hunting would get you a six pack of "whoop ass" from real hunters. |
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I was taught at a young age to take a "Smart" or "Nuisance" cow to market immediately. we normally get rid of problem cows pretty fast. I personally have never been charged by any bulls. hell most of our cows only come to sack feed. anything going near them without a sack of cake sends them into a stampede. almost all of our stock are pretty tame and easy to handle. it grosses my city girl wife out when she watches them come up to get cozy with whomever is feeding them and giving noggin rubs. |
