Chief

You got me a what?! I still remember that spring morning when the Empire Builder arrived back from the Friday night sale at the stockyard. I looked in the trailer and there stood the biggest Brahman Bull I'd seen in a short while. Shocked as I was I couldn't contain my excitement. See, we've never been ones to follow the rules of what kind of cows you need to produce in order to make money. Research, trial and error and life lessons are what we abide by at Reedy Creek. So, when I pointed out the bull in headgate being tested to ensure his viability, I never thought he'd be mine.

You see, my God given gift from an early age has been being able to work with animals. Doesn't matter the kind, the species, male or female, I just have the knack for working with animals. Now, as most of you know, bulls are by far my favorite of the Bovine species. This bull was no exception. He was big, gray, and looked like he would just as soon run you over than do what you ask. I immediately named him Chief.

We got him unloaded and put in in our quarantine lot along with a few ladies and my little bottle calf. I went around doing meaningless tasks. Checking the fence, looking at gates and I made it to a corner of the fence that needed attention. I got to work and all of a sudden I felt someone's presence behind me---I turned around and there stood Chief-about 4 foot from me. My heart skipped because, duh, he was huge, he was right there, and he was dead set on me. I thought, well, this is how it ends-trampled by a bull! I instinctively walked toward him and to my surprise he just turned and walked away. I told the Empire Builder I was going to tame that bull and of course he believed me.

I spent the good part of three weeks feeding, working, and annoying this bull. Now, Chief wasn't aggressive by any means. Don't think I was just going about this with a lunatic. Chief wanted to be near me. It wasn't long before he was eating from a bucket and following me around. After about a month he was letting me spray him with fly spray and was then eating from my hand. The Empire Builder just shook his head and said, well that one is ruined. Boy was he right. It wasn't long before Chief proved something else-he considered me just like one of his cows, no one was getting near me without going through him. He was fiercely protective of his herd and he was fiercely protective of me. On more than one occasion Chief kept me from getting trampled by yearlings that were in a hurry, not to mention another bull that was in fact, a lunatic. He also proved that he wasn't going to listen to anyone else but me. That was the down side to taming this bull. No one could do anything with him.

Flash forward to the day that Chief jumped the fence to visit the neighboring herd. One our city folk neighbors called all in a panic. The Empire Builder called me and said, "your bull is out and scaring the neighbors." I arrived shortly after and there was Chief in the middle of the road, blocking it and our neighbor from leaving. I stepped out of my truck and immediately my neighbor asked if he could help me-I explained that the only help I suggested was to get back in the truck. Chief had already stepped in between me and our neighbor's truck- and it was obvious that he was not at all happy about this dude interrupting his date with these new ladies.

I stood right in front of him and told him to get back where he came from. I opened the gate and walked through. Chief let out one of his famous moo-growls (if you've ever heard a Brahman bull moo, then you know it's fierce) and walked in behind me and back to his own ladies. This was the relationship I had with this bull. To this day, I can't explain it.

Today, Chief is in South Carolina servicing a really nice herd of Brahman brood cows. We still see the older gentleman that contacted us through Mr. Stockyard and asked if we really owned a tame bull and if we did, could he buy him. The man explained that he was looking for a bull that wouldn't try and kill him. This was the bull for him. Chief was stubborn, but he was no killer. I'll never forget the day that we loaded him up. Did I cry? Yep. Not ashamed to admit it. In our industry, cows come and go and bulls go before the cows in some instances, but Chief was different. He will always be remembered in my mind!