Yippee! Hubby took another drive past the rancher that acted hesitant when we stopped to ask if he'd seen granddaughter's missing calf 11 days ago, and there she was! Lying inside the fence and she DID have an auction tag on her, I just didn't see it when we picked her up. Verified the number with the man who sold the calf to us, and sure enough, it matches! She has scours, but otherwise, looks ok. Now to get the man to answer the door, and to get her back. Wish us luck! Jan in Co
Lost Calf--FOUND HER!!!
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Heck, just look the old guy up in the phonebook, call him up and tell him, "Hey neighbor. I got a heifer in yer pasture. I'll be over to git her in a minute. You got a pen or somethin' I can catch her up in?" If you come off like you know what you're doing, I'm sure he'll come around to helping you.
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drumming my fingers...why was he hesitant? Is he trying to steal her? Can't wait to see how this turns out. Yeah for the tag!
I would try to get a picture of the calf, with the ear tag showing if possible, before I tried to recover her. If he hesitated when asked about her he probably knew she was there and didn't want to give her up. If he knows you have spotted her she may or may not still have an ear tag.
I would also give the local law enforcement agency a heads up about the situation. Not any sort of accusation, just tell them what has transpired and that your are going to try and recover your calf.
I would also give the local law enforcement agency a heads up about the situation. Not any sort of accusation, just tell them what has transpired and that your are going to try and recover your calf.
Ok, called the brand inspector to let him know she was sighted, and asked what to do if the rancher won't give her up. He said he thinks the guy doesn't even check them very often, and shouldn't be a problem. We went up, the man had just gotten home, and was amazed she was in with his herd. He walked out with us, looked and said "yup, there she is!" We tried to get them into a pen, but for whatever reason, maybe because they didn't recognize US, the main herd took off for the other side of his land. He has a HUGE pasture, some of it is leased goverenment land, but said he'd try to get her penned up. No problems there, thankfully. Now, to get her home and work on those scours before it get too hot again! We played it cool, even tho I think she's been in with his herd since the first night. I'm just so thankful she's still alive! Thanks for all your good words and experiences. Jan in Co
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Just wanting to know how she got in with his herd. Who opened the gate to let her in? 
So glad he didn't put up a fight!
So glad he didn't put up a fight!
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She probably crawled through the fence somewhere. If he doesnt check his cattle closely often, he wouldn't have know she was there. Probably doesn't want to admit he doesn't check too often. As far as catching her, he has the best chance of calling his cattle in for feed without strangers being around. Most likely your calf will come right with them and then he can get her separated for you to haul home. Glad things turned out well.
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To quote Lawrence Welk: "Wunderful, wunderful, wunderful."
I doubt she would have lasted that long without finding a friendly cow somewhere in the herd.
I doubt she would have lasted that long without finding a friendly cow somewhere in the herd.
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Just love this story...so happy for you!
The rancher finally caught the little brat in a pen, but she crawled under the panels and he had to catch her again. Called us twice to say he had her penned up and come get her anytime! I was so thrilled that he was nice about it, and that he actually got her caught! I had put in a couple calls to some ropers to see if they could help, as I never thought those cows would come up close to the house, and he uses some government, leased pasture, so it's pretty vast. Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll try to get some pictures and figure out how to post them here. Jan in Co
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