Cattle....

[Tbonespop]

Some of the areas I hunt birds here in AZ have free range cattle and I've seen some muleys in the same area from time to time. I have not scouted the areas as thoroughly as I would like to and plan to start scouting them better. Generally speaking, for hunting muleys and assuming I'm doing my part correctly and not spooking the cattle so they bust me, does having cattle in the area help or hurt ones chances with hunting muleys? Or no real difference? Thoughts? I can see how they could give some cover in terms of noise as I'm stalking as well as smell (If I can noticeably smell the cattle, I would have to believe the deer can smell it too). These areas have a good amount of sign, good cover, plenty of water and often food plus I've seen muleys in the area before. Just wondering what impact having cattle in the area might do when trying to hunt. TIA

 

[MTPipeliner]

I prefer to hunt where the cattle aren’t, but they generally won’t drive all the deer out of an area. I’ve noticed that elk seem to avoid areas with cattle more than I’ve noticed it with deer, but the areas I hunt all have cattle somewhere in the near vicinity so no wildlife can completely avoid them like they may be able to in more remote areas.

 

[Unicorn hntr]

My opinion is that not all cattle are equal. Some are conditioned to humans and do not spook/care you are there. Some are as wild as elk and just winding you will ruin a stalk/hunt by tearing off in a cloud of dust. Had some do that while stalking a 350ish bull.

 

[TaperPin]

I agree with everyone else. The foothills are the only places I can think of this being an issue in Wyoming. Many times it won’t matter if cows are around, other times they spook and spook any deer. One time a big Hereford bull saw me and started bucking and running my way - scared the crap out of me - it’s not easy to explain why you shot someone’s bull. Turned out his name is Ferdinand and loves people - he was excited to see a human and maybe get a treat - that would have been good to know beforehand. Lol

 

[Hondo64d]

I’ve been out in the pasture standing amongst my cows and had deer not even notice me, like I was part of the herd. Have also looked in direction the same cattle were looking and noticed they were looking at a coyote, sometimes surprisingly far away. They have much better vision than most would give them credit for. That might be used to your advantage when hunting. If several are intent on the same direction, there’s possibly something lurking you haven’t observed yet.

John

 

[ericacymcdonald]

I archery hunt in a wilderness in California with free range cattle and can't count the number of times I've been busted on stalks by the cattle. They are in the exact same places and the cattle are as skittish as the deer.

 

[Tbonespop]

Good insight gang, thanks for sharing.

 

[Wrench]

Cows are REALLY good at pointing out water sources....