cattle on runway

I definitely feel as I can relate to both parties here:
I own and operate a family cattle ranch in Montana. I also have a outside pilot job fighting wildfires for the USFS.
In my experience cattle will respect and not push a temporary electric fence as long as it’s hot (+6 joules)!!!
The number of feet between each post and number of wires may make some difference however; in my opinion it’s not a contributing factor.
It greatly helps if cattle are accustom to a hot electric fence they simply won’t make the same mistake twice.
I make sure the fence is well grounded and I also like tying survey tape on the fence for better visibility for all animals.
The grazing you are providing for the rancher is extremely generous. Also thank you for your understanding that cattle don’t always stay where intended. It is true good fences make for good neighbors - maybe just a friendly chat about improving their fence would be benifical.
I know most people including myself are proud of their grass runways. Cows will improve the quality of the grass/range on your strip if not overgrazed. The manure if harrowed in will also be great fertilizer.

Best of Luck,
Jim

courierguy said:

The steer used his nose, guess he didn't like the way it smelled, from his reaction. The others were smart enough to have him be the e fence dummy.

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Why is it always the steer who does the test? :-x

skywagon8a said:

Why is it always the steer who does the test? :-x

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Not much left to lose.

Web

A university guy told me the fence creates ozone when charged.....that sweet chlorine smell after a good rain or thunderstorm kids detect. Critters approach to investigate something new maybe?

Gary

I've put in more electric fences to deter bears than I care to think about to protect fish drying racks, chicken houses, smoke houses, dumpsters, remote cabins, campsites and community landfill facilities. It always seemed to me ensuring adequate grounding was the key to success. Different soils and ground type can have a big impact on grounding. Gravel being the worst and moist fine soil the best. For permanent installations I always tried to put in at least two connected grounding rods as far apart as possible. I didn't run a ground wire along with the hot wires, though I know many like to do that. A ground wire running on the fence along with the hot wires requires the animals to touch both at the same time.

One time I installed a fence around a multi-family fish drying/smoking operation. After getting the wires strung and fence charger hooked up, I said it was time for someone to test it. Everyone sort of stood around and looked at each other, then one volunteered and carefully tapped a wire with his hand. He then grabbed the wire and said "I can feel it, but it's not enough to stop any bear." I told him to place one hand down on the ground, and grab the wire with the other. He did. They all got a good laugh at his quick and vocal reaction. Then I said, "bears don't wear red rubber boots".

Jim

In Interior Alaska the soil is mostly non-conductive blown glacial silt (really fine rock dust) and larger river rocks. A well grounded bare copper wire laid near the fence can help zaps

Gary

BC12D-4-85 said:

In Interior Alaska the soil is mostly non-conductive blown glacial silt (really fine rock dust) and larger river rocks. A well grounded bare copper wire laid near the fence can help zaps

Gary

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Run two wires and tie the bottom wire into the chargers ground. This will get the critter properly grounded... we do this when the soil is overly dry not providing the animal with a proper ground or the ground rod not providing a good ground.

Our wolf/bear fence is 8 wires....4 positive, 4 negative. Touch any positive wire and you'll realize that you don't have to touch the negative wire to get a shock. Plus you wont pick up a coffee cup for a few days.
John

Hardtailjohn said:

Our wolf/bear fence is 8 wires....4 positive, 4 negative. Touch any positive wire and you'll realize that you don't have to touch the negative wire to get a shock. Plus you wont pick up a coffee cup for a few days.
John

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I built an elk fence like that around our hay stacks when we had unusually heavy snow one winter. Seven feet tall, too, because some of those critters were athletic.

It's funny how people would travel a thousand miles for a nice elk hunt and I was chasing them away with a shotgun.

ensuring adequate grounding was the key to success.

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I've thought about sticking the ground wire from the fencer into the creek running through the pasture. Seems that would be pretty good.

Actually, water is an insulator. Pure water. Conductivity depends on what is in it. Like salt water.

180Marty said:

I've thought about sticking the ground wire from the fencer into the creek running through the pasture. Seems that would be pretty good.

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The dog and I were walking up from the bottom of the place this morning, and I spotted some activity about 1000' away, something had just jumped the far corner of the barbed wire fence. I looked a bit closer, while still walking uphill, and it appeared to be a moose. Not unknown at all around here but also not a everyday event. About the same time I zeroed in on it, it zeroed in on me, and immediately started directly towards me. No biggie, it'll veer off I thought, it kept coming, and when it disappeared for a few seconds in a swale, I decided to haul ass back downhill. When I stopped and turned around it was just walking into the tree line, about 75' away. His behavior seemed aggressive to me, (I felt real exposed and vulnerable anyway, with no where to hide or climb, right out in the open, down lower there was some things I could, maybe, climb)maybe curious also? Anyway, he (a big bull) may have been responsible for past fence breaks. You moose experts, did I do good by running away, or should I have stood my ground and made myself big, which has worked for mountain lion and black bear close encounters for me?

I was on a narrow strip of land on Lobster Lake in Maine when I heard a lot of noise splashing in the swamp heading in my direction. I hid behind a tree. It was a Moose. When it appeared to be coming directly in my direction and fairly close, I stepped out from behind the tree and said in a loud voice "Hold it Moose that's close enough." The Moose turned around and trotted away. I was a bit nervous as I didn't know what else to do. They are intimidating.

courierguy said:

(...) You moose experts, did I do good by running away, or should I have stood my ground and made myself big, which has worked for mountain lion and black bear close encounters for me?

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Not a moose expert, but had plenty of encounters. Considering this is the rutting season, the big bull might have thought of you as a competing bull, or a cow.
Neither would have led to a good outcome, so running away was prudent.

That’s the trouble with Kansas , no moose

AKClimber said:

Not a moose expert, but had plenty of encounters. Considering this is the rutting season, the big bull might have thought of you as a competing bull, or a cow.
Neither would have led to a good outcome, so running away was prudent.

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He most likely thought I was another bull, just from the way I carry myself and general aura, no way am I subscribing to the girly moose scenario! No good outcome either way if he had caught up with me. Close inspection later of the e fence showed he didn't disturb it, interesting as in places it's just bare wires and hard to see, he must have stepped over it. I imagine that like with bears and cougars, just making a bit of noise while on a trail is a good idea, let them know you're coming and they'll get out of the way. I will do so in a few minutes, as the path thru the trees is twist and has poor sight lines, and I'll have the dog walk point.

Eddie Foy said:

Actually, water is an insulator. Pure water. Conductivity depends on what is in it. Like salt water.

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Yeah, and all the creeks around 180Marty’s place flow exclusively with deionized water. 8)8)