Buffalo in the Pasture...

[dun]

People eat possums too, but they're also not to my liking

 

[T-Bro]

Now you're insulting possums?
That's just going too far.
I will be contacting my Louisiana cousins and they will be paying a visit to Missouri. ;-)

 

[Keren]

Now for the flip side of the story. We just had a case adjudicated near Hartsel Colo where a rancher who could not get his neighbor to take responsibility for his wandering buffalo shot a great number of them. It ended up costing him a fortune and possibly some jail time. As Northern Rancher said when they have caused your neighbors enuf trouble they end up being a rug. The fact that we are a FENCE OUTstate does not make it ok to let an animal that is that dangerous and destructive to roam (no pun intended) at will.

Do not kid yourself, that heifer is there because she WANTS to be there. the minute she doesn't , that 5 strand will be like tissue paper to her. They are NOT cattle, and with or without romantic sounding Native American names, they can and will under the right circumstances kill you.

'Ordinary' beef cattle under the right circumstances can and will kill you.

 

[3waycross]

Now for the flip side of the story. We just had a case adjudicated near Hartsel Colo where a rancher who could not get his neighbor to take responsibility for his wandering buffalo shot a great number of them. It ended up costing him a fortune and possibly some jail time. As Northern Rancher said when they have caused your neighbors enuf trouble they end up being a rug. The fact that we are a FENCE OUTstate does not make it ok to let an animal that is that dangerous and destructive to roam (no pun intended) at will.

Do not kid yourself, that heifer is there because she WANTS to be there. the minute she doesn't , that 5 strand will be like tissue paper to her. They are NOT cattle, and with or without romantic sounding Native American names, they can and will under the right circumstances kill you.

'Ordinary' beef cattle under the right circumstances can and will kill you.

Don't be silly Keren we are talking about WILD animals here not Dexters, or even Jerseys. You cannot go on foot in a pasture with Buffalo. Remarks like that WILL get someone killed. Do you want to be responsible for that.

 

[Keren]

3way, I have worked with various 'undomesticated' species and breeds of livestock, and if you get them from the right source and have some knowledge of livestock handling they are not significantly more dangerous than the truly domesticated species and breeds. It sounds like this guy has done his research and purchased a calm heifer from a breeder whose animals are good on fences and calm and easy to handle. Obviously the breeder puts a lot of time into gentling those animals. There would be a world of difference between a heifer from this breeder, and a heifer from someone who free ranges their buffalo and only handled them once a year.

 

[3waycross]

3way, I have worked with various 'undomesticated' species and breeds of livestock, and if you get them from the right source and have some knowledge of livestock handling they are not significantly more dangerous than the truly domesticated species and breeds. It sounds like this guy has done his research and purchased a calm heifer from a breeder whose animals are good on fences and calm and easy to handle. Obviously the breeder puts a lot of time into gentling those animals. There would be a world of difference between a heifer from this breeder, and a heifer from someone who free ranges their buffalo and only handled them once a year.

OK fine whatever you say. That was not at all the impression I got :frowns:

 

[B&L Longhorn Ranch]

If the last reference was to "me," it is exactly right!
I have tried to do my best to ensure success...
(1) Bought a little heifer as compared to a full grown cow to allow time for her to get accustomed to us.
(2) Bought that little heifer from a "pumpkin patch petting zoo" after the closure of last year.
(3) Allow her to run with a small herd of "domesticated" cattle who are quite gentle.
(4) Pay her special attention to further earn her trust as well as watch her cautiously.
I may still end up being hurt one year, I realize that, but I'd be willing to bet there are ten-fold more injuries per year concerning "domesticated" cattle...

 

[FarmGirl10]

If the last reference was to "me," it is exactly right!
I have tried to do my best to ensure success...
(1) Bought a little heifer as compared to a full grown cow to allow time for her to get accustomed to us.
(2) Bought that little heifer from a "pumpkin patch petting zoo" after the closure of last year.
(3) Allow her to run with a small herd of "domesticated" cattle who are quite gentle.
(4) Pay her special attention to further earn her trust as well as watch her cautiously.
I may still end up being hurt one year, I realize that, but I'd be willing to bet there are ten-fold more injuries per year concerning "domesticated" cattle...

True, but there are so many more domesticated cattle than there are buffalo.

 

[3waycross]

If the last reference was to "me," it is exactly right!
I have tried to do my best to ensure success...
(1) Bought a little heifer as compared to a full grown cow to allow time for her to get accustomed to us.
(2) Bought that little heifer from a "pumpkin patch petting zoo" after the closure of last year.
(3) Allow her to run with a small herd of "domesticated" cattle who are quite gentle.
(4) Pay her special attention to further earn her trust as well as watch her cautiously.
I may still end up being hurt one year, I realize that, but I'd be willing to bet there are ten-fold more injuries per year concerning "domesticated" cattle...

Well I give up. Best of luck, and my best wishes for your continued good health.

The really neat part is after she is crossed with the Longhorn you will have an unpredictable animal with much longer horns. Probably want to cull real hard for Disposition. :cowboy:

 

[Rustler9]

B&L Longhorn Ranch,
You should know by now that all the black polled breeders on here love taking stabs at Longhorn cattle but...........I am a Longhorn breeder as well and we want horn on our cattle but also conformation. I see so many cheaters in this breed, I'm sure it's the same in other breeds, some of the horn chasers breed Watusi in to get bigger horns, some of the show people breed other beef breeds in to get bigger bodies. The Longorn definitely crosses well with other breeds, I've been crossing them with Beefmaster and Beefalos for quite awhile and oh yeah these crosses tatse very good, leaner beef with less fat and cholesterol.

But on the subject of Bison-I don't have any, always kind of wanted some and probably will get some one of these days. I sold a beautiful red and white paint , lacy faced Longhorn steer to a fellow in pigeon Forge, TN a couple of summers ago. Every so often I get an update on Diamond Jake from the guy who bought him. Of course he loves him and says he'll always have him. He runs a generic herd of black, polled Angus based crosses along with his herd of Bison. He says he always wanted a colorful Longhorn steer to add some color to his pasture and becasue he gets alot of sight seers looking at his Bison. I have not been to his place but he says that he runs the Bison in the same pasture as his cattle and that they have never crossed, probably because he has the beef bull in there I guess. The cattle and the Bison all get along, they never fight, they never get out and he has a regular five stand barbed wire fence. He sells excess bison steers as beef and all is well in his world. I'm sure that Bison can be dangerous as can cattle especially if not handled much. But this is all true so for the nay sayers they can smoke this in their pipes along with their cow dung.

 

[BARNSCOOP]

I used to buy bison meat from a guy in my neck of the woods that had a very large herd (before I had cattle). I never heard him complain about them. But he did get completely out after a few years. We also have people here who raise them for team penning practice. Every gate on their place is a twisted, bent mess. Even heard of them having to kill one on the spot and call a rollback to come get it to slaughter. My vet told me to never get a bison....unless I enjoyed the anticipation of getting hurt. But I have a friend who bottle fed one , William is his name, and he is a hugh monster of a guy at six or older. He stays in a lot with goats and is happy but only the owner can touch him. My husband wants one but I'll just say it.......I have enough trouble with cattle, I work hard building fence, and live across a large creek from the city....I don't need another worry. I believe these guys need ROOM to roam and most farms can't offer enough of it. But they are neat.
The same friend that has the bison also has Long Horns. Raises them for the roping guys. That maybe a good way to make money on Long Horns.

 

[alacattleman]

I used to buy bison meat from a guy in my neck of the woods that had a very large herd (before I had cattle). I never heard him complain about them. But he did get completely out after a few years. We also have people here who raise them for team penning practice. Every gate on their place is a twisted, bent mess. Even heard of them having to kill one on the spot and call a rollback to come get it to slaughter. My vet told me to never get a bison....unless I enjoyed the anticipation of getting hurt. But I have a friend who bottle fed one , William is his name, and he is a hugh monster of a guy at six or older. He stays in a lot with goats and is happy but only the owner can touch him. My husband wants one but I'll just say it.......I have enough trouble with cattle, I work hard building fence, and live across a large creek from the city....I don't need another worry. I believe these guys need ROOM to roam and most farms can't offer enough of it. But they are neat.
The same friend that has the bison also has Long Horns. Raises them for the roping guys. That maybe a good way to make money on Long Horns.

most rodeo contracters and ropers nowdays perfer correinte cattle, their horn width don't get as wide a span and their a little smaller than longhorn . though the longhorn is still fairly popular in back yard arenas...longhorn make great roping calve's and you better be mounted cause their like the wind

 

[Rustler9]

We do get a few calls for roping calves from time to time. Of course most of the guys wanting them want them for nothing, I always tell them to go and sit at the salebarn and wait for some to come through, they can get them alot cheaper than I can sell them for.

 

[IHman]

Had a neighbor in sw Iowa that raised Buffalo for many many years. He did not have anything special for fences just well kept 5 wire barbs & he never had one of them get out. I spent alot of time at this farm & have to say they (Buffalo) are very docile critters that respond to how they are treated, you treat them ruff & wild & that is what you will get. They winter very well & are hardy animals.