Bear versus Cow

This series of photographs (with captions) is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen!

As the story goes, the photos were taken at a cattle ranch in Kettle Valley, British Columbia, and show what happened when a rogue black bear took on a team of Simmental beef cattle:

 

Interesting photos from a ranch where every year they have to deal with some pretty weird stuff. This year, a bear had been bothering the herd and I guess enough was enough.

A couple of evenings ago, the farmer went out to check the cows and saw a very strange sight and was able to photograph the event.  A black bear approached our cow herd which turned out to be a very big mistake on his part.

cowbear1

The blonde and white Simmental cow we know as I-12 went right for him.  She is a very good cow, a very attentive mother and about 12 years old.  She’s in her prime and knows that bears are bad news.

cowbear2

cowbear3

She  tried her best to mash him into the ground.

cowbear4

cowbear5

There are a couple of photos where the bear is biting I-12’s leg and clawing her face but she is not giving up.  Her stiff tail shows how agitated she is.  Wayne said all the cows were bawling, the bear was squealing, the calves were running around with their tails in the air.

cowbear6

cowbear7

cowbear8

A younger cow, R-55, an Angus-Cross cow, age 7, is helping her out as best she can. It is an incredible photo to see two cows at once trying to crush the bear.

cowbear9

I looked up the calving records of both cows who are so aggressive in these photos and they are both good, calm cows around us and have given us no troubles whatsoever.  I’ll have to add in my notes that they have a very distinct dislike of bears.

cowbear10

We’ll be watching I-12 over the next few days to see if she needs treatment for infection.  I don’t know how willingly she’ll come to the corrals for treatment, but she might not have a choice.

cowbear11

cowbear12

Finally, the bear decided to vacate the area.  We thought he’d be dead for sure, but there was no sign of him the next day.

cowbear13

We’ll have to keep an eye out for eagles in the trees or flocks of ravens flying up.  We’re sure he’s got some broken ribs out of the deal at the very least. 

Wayne couldn’t believe his eyes when he witnessed this ruckus.  This is another once-in-a-lifetime photography event to add to all the others he managed to document this summer.  It is amazing.

 I’d like to thank Serge for sharing this incredible story with us…just goes to show what you can accomplish when you work together as a team! 

Outdoorsguy 

 

 

 

 

20 thoughts on “Bear versus Cow”

    1. Serge, yes, I think that guy will be taking it easy for awhile…although they are an extremely resilient animal as you know, I doubt the bear sustained any serious injury from that tussle.

      Outdoorsguy

  1. That bear got its butt whipped! Mothers are very protective of their young. My wife is only 5 foot nothing, but let me tell you, if anyone came after one of our boys, she would turn into the nastiest momma bear you’ve ever seen! There’s nothing that comes between her and her kids! I pity the fool that tries anything…

  2. hey sureshot, we must have the same wife b/c mine’s the same way. a real sweetheart, but cross her or our kids wrong and watch out.

    Jeff, fantastic blog! That is just crazy. Even to get photos up that close. wow!

  3. Why are sausages fighting with steaks? And how did they make it look so realistic?

  4. Hey Keebler and Sureshot sitting around the house one day with a couple of buddies and i happened to call my wife my old lady , well all i saw was a flash and she fired a fork at me and chipped my tooth. WTF. they can be protective over there young and the names . LAFAO.

    1. Geez, I’m going have to post some images of our wives attacking someone!

      Outdoorsguy

    1. Ah man, you cant trust anything you read on the Internet anymore!

      I had a feeling in the back of my mind the location might be false, that’s the first thing they always seem to play with.

      At least the photos are neat..and I dont believe they have been altered.

      Outdoorsguy

    1. Hey man..the Setting has absolutely no adverse effect on this series of photos, in my opinion..they’re just fabulous!!

      Really, I would want my region to take ownership of such a great series too!

      Outdoorsguy
      P.S. Thanks Serge for the sending the cougar one as well..I’ll have to decide if its too graphic to post

    1. Ok, I went thru them again and you are correct. I’ll try to put that one together for next week.

      In your opinion it looks authentic, right? I know it sure looks real!

      Outdoorsguy

  5. Quick, Call PETA to protest the treatment of that poor bear by human domesticated cows.

    1. TZ, stories and photos disseminated on the Web tend to be that way…it wasn’t so much the setting or origin of these images that was interesting, as what was being depicted.

      I personally didn’t hold much value in this ranch being located in Kettle Valley, BC, but thats ok..it could have been just about anywhere.

      Outdoorsguy

Comments are closed.