Page 15 - Fiction Rough draft--The Great Elopement_La Gran Fuga, setting rural PR, early 1940’s_Float

what can I do if a bull charges me?

In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it may stumble upon you.

In your outings through cow fields you may stumble upon a bull, or it may stumble upon you. In dire situations like
these it is important to keep your head. Your body is producing fight or flight endorphins and neither is acceptable.
Remember, a bull will usually leave you alone unless it becomes agitated.

Before a bull charges he will perform a broadside threat; standing or walking sideways to you is its way of showing
you how big and powerful it is. At this point you should be directly facing the bull returning it's threat as this
sometimes gets the bull to back off. Start backing away slowly but do not run or turn your back to it. Find an exit
immediately.

Have you considered your options if the bull does charge? A bull has a longer stride than you and has twice as many
legs. If you think you can outrun a 2,200 pound piece of meat coming at you at 33 mph please reconsider. Unless the
bull is several multiples away from you of the distance you are from the fence, you may have to face it. Take off an
article of clothing such as a hat or a jacket or get a bag of mushrooms or a backpack ready. As the bull nears throw
the object as hard as you can to the right or the left in a horizontal fashion. The bull ​should​ follow the target away
from you. Jump out of the way if you have to.

Don't lie down. While this may work with a horse, you will likely be trampled by a bull.
Don't start running first unless safety is within reach as it is much faster than you are.
Don't run towards the bull. It is unlikely that you will be able to jump over it or clear its horns.

Your best bet at avoiding such a scenario is to just ask the farmer if there are any bulls in the field. A bull raised
solitary in a pen and not socialized with the herd from an early age may try to exert it's dominance over humans as it
would in the herd. Even an adult bull may have tendencies to challenge humans if is isolated.
The shroomery.com excerpt 7/21/04