Update:
Got home after work last night and drove around the surrounding area. I saw a sign saying 'found lost cows' with an address. So I go to the place, turns out it is a horse ranch, and talk to the owner. He shows me the heifers, which are mine, and says they were in his yard Sunday morning when he got up. I get the girls home safely and all is well. Here is the really strange part. To get from my place to his place four miles away they had to either go through the only unlocked (but closed and latched) gate on my property or go over a five foot fence walk four miles down the road and go over a five foot fence to get into his yard, he has a man gate in this fence but said it was closed. I don't know what to think.
A little background on my situation. I grew up in Grapevine,TX nice little town but I'm basically a city boy. In 2002 I was transfered by my job to Stockton,CA pretty much the armpit of America. Ended up buying a house 30 miles east of Stockton in the Sierra foothills. Nice house on an acre. Beautiful, quite, out in the country, expensive. Even that far out of town it is half the house for twice the price as TX. So after a bit I'm sold on living in the country and want more land, I just can't afford it in CA. In 2007 I get notice that I'm being transfered back to TX in 6 months. I'm on board with that here is my chance. I get a map of the Dallas/Forth Worth area take a compass and draw a 90 mile diameter circle centered on the office, tell the wife go home find us a place between 20-50 acres inside this circle. Shes not real crazy about my plan but also wants to go home. We end up buying a 45 acre lot from an elderly lady who's husband had passed. House is in decent shape, nothing special but livable. Very nice lot with a lot of potential but also very run down. 90% of the fence is 30-40 years old, place is overrun with weeds (she had goats so I guess weeds are OK) all kinds of junk just laying around incredible what people will do.We move in July 4,2008. Lot of work ahead but I'm extremely excited. Like I said I'm basically a city boy and don't know squat about livestock but what I do know is I can't afford to lose the Ag exemption on the property. I start reinforcing the weak areas of fence and go buy some heifers, mistake #1! I keep the girls penned up for a week and walk around them talking quietly trying to let them get use to me and vice versa. After a week I let them out into a pasture, their good for a couple of days then one night I walk out to them en mass they turn around and jump a four foot fence. My jaw is hanging down about even with my belly button, I would have never guessed a 600 pound cow would clear a four foot fence. Lesson learned #1 CUBES are your friend. I was planning on replacing the bulk of the fence anyway but that priority got moved to the top. 7000' of 5' tall fence later things are looking up. There is about 2000' of 4' fence remaining but it is in good shape. The girls are pretty calm now not pets but they run to me not away from me. They are now breeding age and I need to get that done this summer. I'd like to rent a bull for this purpose but have not had much luck yet apparently folks in these parts don't do that. I guess I could buy a bull but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me for eight cows. Anyway thats my story, I learn something new everyday and and am having fun with it. Wished I'd have done this when the kids were little, my kids will never enjoy it but hopefully the their kids will.