Thread: Wild cattle

I dont doubt it will be entertaining if you do get onto one or two pick a young fat one

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I dont doubt it will be entertaining if you do get onto one or two pick a young fat one

Sounds like it will be an adventure if we get one. Just gotta sort the time out to get back out there hopefully sooner rather then later

well one thing to take may come in handy if you get one - any mates engineers- see if you can get a metal hacksaw blade - plenty black tape around one end for a handle - may come in handy - I would work it with the teeth facing you so it cuts as you pull it back rather than when you push - wont take up any room and may cost you nothing to make - some baling twine so you can cut thru skin and make carry handles - hindquarter of a good animal is heavy

A mate of mines bowled one Taranaki way, back blocks of Stratford.
Plenty of wild ones on the block, the owner won’t allow you to hunt them with less than a 300 win mag.
Close quarters scrub by the sounds of it.

Short barrel pump action shottie with solids for up close and personal. Like the hammer of thor if you are half accurate

I have shot one on private land. you need plenty of horsepower. the owner of the station said head shots only. small target but some donkey ignored him and sank a full magazine of 300WM into the front legs and tree'd them.

we used a 45/70 and then a 308 to finish it off. both in the head. The front of the skull ricocheted a 308 off so that is something to consider.

we found that it was basically only good for mince. very lean and very strong bull flavour. I guess smoking the brisket and ribs would be lovely.

be a bit like shooting a cattle beast for meat - draw a line from base of left ear to right eye and same on other side right ear to left eye - where they intersect in middle of forehead thats where to hit them - have shot cows with a 22 doing that on sheep cattle stations but dont really like it - not sure I actually like the idea of a shot gun and solids unless its got sights and can accurately hit where you want - well unless its 3 feet away - 308 probably the minimum 45-70 sounds the business

Yup in an abattoir line between the eyes and inch above .22 is all you need. Talking about a stationary animal in a pen here. Goodluck with a feral bull, adrenalin will take a bit to settle down afterwards

As always the shot placement is key, I've sacked a few crook cows with the 223 using side on head shots.
And seen a bull and aggro cow soak up multiple .270s each.
These were farm animals, not some worked up wild beast intent on having a go.
I'd be going big unless there's a bit of distance between me and the cattle

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

be a bit like shooting a cattle beast for meat - draw a line from base of left ear to right eye and same on other side right ear to left eye - where they intersect in middle of forehead thats where to hit them - have shot cows with a 22 doing that on sheep cattle stations but dont really like it - not sure I actually like the idea of a shot gun and solids unless its got sights and can accurately hit where you want - well unless its 3 feet away - 308 probably the minimum 45-70 sounds the business

But how do you get close enough to draw the lines?

you ask it to stop- now use the Crocodile Dundee trick and freeze said cattle beast on the spot - get out a can of dazzle - now say stand still and spray paint a cross- then stand back and shoot - its really basic stuff

I've shot a number of out of control cattle locally for various farmers
These were not "Wild Cattle" but boy they were pretty wild for these guys to phone me and want help ASAP

One was a yarded Angus bull.
He had come in as a job lot of 6 bulls from a stud
When they left the truck this one went straight through the yards rails and 6 other fences
The other 5 were just fine
Several hours later this bull was back in the yards with the others

When I got called the farmer had put 10x 22 LR bullets into the bulls head with no obvious effects apart from a little bit of blood around the nose coming out with steam and foam

When he rang me I momentarily toyed with the idea of taking a big bore exotic BP rifle but then did the sensible thing and took a 308
While I waited for that bull to step clear of the other ones the farmer was ringing the stud to advise them that one of the bulls was about to be killed and the payment would be short.

So I would never consider a 22 RF to be sufficient even in the yards

Another one I shot was really funny

I was visiting a friend who was selling all his stock because he was leasing out the farm
He has just yarded the last Angus steers to truck out the next morning
Among the 30 steers one was pretty agro and bleeding from the nose.
Tim told me that one had always been a problem and he was glad to see it gone
I offered to go get my rifle and shoot it because "you won't get him on the truck"
Tim said "the loading race is covered and he will go on the truck just fine"

So I get a call at 8am the next morning "get over here quick with your rifle !! "

That one steer was alone in the yards
There was no longer a cover on the loading ramp and there were quite a few rails knocked off the pens

I shot the steer with no issues and Tim told me to come pick up half the meat in a weeks time
"No thanks. It's dog food mate. I've shot psycho cattle before and it's not fit for human consumption"

Been there done that and learned my lesson

Used to help a mate with home kill years ago maybe half a dozen times.
Used the browning A5 and birdshot.
The aiming point wad where most have been describing, center of forehead and there is usually a twisty tuft of hair in the right spot.

I note with wry amusement the one common thread to those yarns: ANGUS