Note to self – I really need to get out and stock up on photos.
I was browsing around my blogroll and stopped off at Mike Hanback’s blog. Yeah, that Mike Hanback, the one from Outdoor Life and Field and Stream and just about any other publication that carries articles about big deer.
Anyway, one of the posts spurred a thought. Someone wrote to Mike, asking if cattle will spook deer and how to deal with them. Mike, in turn, referred the question to a guide and cattle rancher whose experience seemed to match my own… sometimes cattle and deer seem to commingle, and sometimes they don’t. Deer are usually real picky about being around noisy animals, and there’s not much noisier in the field than a danged old cow… but I’ve also seen them out there together, using the same trails and occasionally even feeding in the same pasture.
But this isn’t the deer blog, it’s the Hog Blog! So how’s it relate?
Hogs and cattle seem to share a much more symbiotic existence. For one thing, cattle tend to knock stuff over, exposing potential food for hungry pigs. Hogs also like to root under old cowpies for the same reason, there are grubs and sometimes mushrooms growing there. Good protein, little work. And again, cattle tend to tear up the ground, making it easier for hogs to root and wallow. Find a spot where cattle like to water, and there are real good odds you’ll find hog wallows in the muck.
There are also reports of hogs eating calves, especially newborns. While this really wouldn’t surprise me, I don’t think it’s especially prevalent. I have definitely seen them eating dead cattle, though. In fact, a dead cow can make a great hog bait… if you can stand the stench and the thought of eating the hog after seeing it eating that carrion.
But there’s another aspect to this relationship. Cattle are creatures of the open, and like most open-ground animals, their vision is one of their main defenses. Sure, they’re dumber than a sack of hammers, but they can spot you on a hillside as well as a deer. They know you’re there, and while they may not bolt at first sight, they will often lull you in close and then explode for parts unknown (even to themselves).
Now hogs, as we know, don’t tend to rely on their eyesight. I’ve discussed before that they aren’t exactly as blind as some folks would have you believe, but they just don’t use their eyes as a primary defense. Even in the open, a cautious and patient hunter can practically walk right up to within easy bow range of a feeding hog, as long as the wind is favorable.
But when those hogs are feeding amongst or in close proximity to cattle, they use the cattle as an alarm. Spook the cows, the hogs run away as well. And trying to stalk through a herd of cattle is no mean feat! Pretty slick, huh?
Now how would you use this to your advantage as a hog hunter?
Well, I honestly wouldn’t go out seeking herds of cattle unless other methods have come up dry. But should you find cows in your hunting grounds, stop and break out the binoculars. Make sure those little black calves really ARE calves. Hogs will feed right in amongst the herd sometimes. Make sure there are no pigs in the herd before you move through.
Then, move through carefully. Stampeding cattle are almost guaranteed to drive every living thing out of an area. If the herd busts you, slow down or stop. Do not make eye contact, and do not approach the cattle directly. If they seem calm enough, you might try to skirt the herd on the downwind side. Depending on how wild the cattle are, even your scent could be enough to spook them. Stay “small”, and move slowly away. Don’t stalk or creep, because if you look predatory, they will bolt… and they never run in the direction you want them to go. Thank Murphy for that…
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I’ve been thinking about making a cow silhouette blind to use for geese because they love to loaf with the cows as well. I guess I could double it for hogs when the time comes.
-Moose-