I've hunted for 40+ yrs and at least 30 of them, I've dealt with cows. This yr is a little different. In the past I hunted on family property, and had to hunt around cows. It was an inconvenience but usually they'd only ruin one hunt on a trip. This go round, the land owner of my lease, has brought cows in to graze during the "offseason." One issue is we can hunt exotics yr round, so for them, there is no off season but I can get around that because I've dealt with that for yrs. My main issue is that the cows have busted down my feeder pen, twice in the last three weeks. I filled up my protein feeder 3 wks ago. only to find it empty and knocked over this past Saturday on my first trip hunting. So I busted my @$$ all day and reinforced the pen and refilled the feeder. I started getting trail cam pics yesterday of cows in the pen again. Now, almost 24 hrs later, they're still in the pen. Spoke to the lease manager about it, and it sounds like I'm just SOL, and now have to either tear down and rebuild the pen, or just leave the gate open and not feed until the cows have been rotated out of the part of property that I'm in. I'm pissed but I hate to b***h about it, because when anybody complains about anything, it is frowned upon, and I do kinda understand that. But I'm now out ~$500 in protein, have a damaged but repairable feeder, and can't feed protein without a lot more money invested, until the herd is moved. Not really expecting anything to be done about it, but guess I just needed to vent. Thanks for lending your eyes and ears.

Yeah it’s weird with cows - I’ve had them on the lease for years with no pens and they just never bother our feeders

All my lease hunting was done around cows. One place we didnt even have feed pens and the cows were never an issue, the other we did have feed pens and they were never an issue.

Post a picture of your feed pen? or at least describe its size construction and height.

Its likely not big or tall enough.

Cows , pigs and turkey's.......the corn/protein vacuums of the wild

Not much you can do but buy panels and T-Posts and some heavy gauge wire.

Good luck, I feel your frustration.

Electric fence to keep the cows out? I'm not sure how you would do it without also affecting the deer but someone on here might know.

Yes, solar electric fence. Fry their azz! Won't affect deer at all, they will hop right over it. Good powerful charger and battery is between $100-300, with fence cost around 10 cents a foot. Cheap in the long run

agree, build a better pen and/or put a electric solar powered hot wire. The hogs and cows demolished several of my feeders south of Ozona until I built better pens.

that's because you did a shoddy job of building pen

i know

been there , done that ... threw away the T shirts

T posts, every 2-3 ft

cattle panel raised up to 5 ft
tied tightly with double haywire , 3 per post

additional t post outside of pen to use as support;
by tying the pen panel to the outside t post
basically preventing the cow from pushing the panel in
and gaining easy entry

i've had several brangus cows jumped my 5ft panel

i then put additional t posts in between sticking out

one of the cows i called: lady Gaga
the additional posts were there to ; Poke her face


pens were cow-proof thereafter

Put a strand or 2 of barb wire on top and don't put any feed in pen they they can smell. How tall is your pen now?

If using short panels, 30-36, I'd suggest a hotwire about 10-15" above the panels. That should turn the cows. If you're using 48-50" and they're still busting in there's not much more to be done other than re-inforce with more Tposts and possible even some 2-3/8" pipe posts and see if that turns them. You could also add a barb along the very top and see what happens.

Another issue-what is the graze situation like? If he put cattle on already thin land, they'll likely keep busting in if there's nothing else to eat.

where i hunt and keep corn out, is a 3 strand barb wire fence, tight wire had to add extra T-posts closer together, deer jump over and the cows don't get in anymore.

If the land is almost barren nothing will keep the cows out, when they get hungry the cattle can tear up just about anything to get to a food source. I have used just 4 strands of barbwire strung on T posts. The cattle panels look better and keep hogs out, but our hog problem is almost nil and none.

on the positive side ...
Tis sure the landowner appreciates ya feeding his cows..

Been down this road and yes it's frustrating. Extra t-posts and barb wire will fix the problem for most cows...except the really determined ones. T-post down every feeder good for when they do get in. I hate cows except on my plate!

It was doing fine keeping the cows out. It's when the bull showed up, that the panels weren't enough. Once he got in, the cows followed where ever he pushed in. I may try some of your extra measure, but I'm done dumping money in it until they're gone. It was built to keep pigs and sheep/goats out because cows weren't on the property. They showed up a couple weeks back, and my problems started.

This may sound crazy - but put a cheap feeder outside your pen. Make sure your T-post are driven in at same angle as legs of feeder and tie off really well. Buy 3 10' galvanized pipes and sleeve them with existing feeder legs. This will get the feeder high enough. If the cows have access to "free" feed they will be less likely to jump the pen.

You could always ask the land-owner how much for the grazing rights and then buy out the guy that is currently running the cattle.

This is the best business approach by far.

Yup.

Or build better pens.

Or buy your own land.

All good options

Had a friend who dealt with this for years. He finally got mad enough and offered enough to the landowner and 'bought' out the cattle lease. Now he just runs enough token cows to maintain his ag exemption. I'm trying to get him to switch over to a 1D1 Wildlife exemption. It would be easier and a lot less aggravation for everyone involved. We'll see.....

Solar powered electric fence around the top.....tractor supply will run around 300 for everything you need. Make sure you get a unit that is built for cattle, not goats and sheep....

x2 - If you're dealing with a bull or hungry cows adding electric fence is the only way you're gonna keep them from pushing anything down.

If cows didn't taste so dang good we'd shoot'em like prairie dogs.

Build the pen back and put up a three wire electric fence around it, the strongest one you can buy and your problems solved. It’s truly a great feeling when you get to see them get blasted and run off bucking and kicking