"Be careful with that one, he might charge you," Clayton said after he told me to push two bulls into the next yard. As I walked around to the back of him and started to tell him to move up he never broke his gaze on me. He was a big reddish brown bull. When I was about two meters away he put his head down blew air out of his nose and started to charge me. Having never been charged by a bull I immediately turned and ran my ass off in the opposite direction headed toward the fence. I jumped to get over the steal bar fence only making it about half way up, smashing my stomach and ribs on the top bar. The bull got about a meter from me before he stopped charging. He never fully charged at me but I freaked the hell out. Mr. Curly saw the whole thing and was laughing his ass off. Coming back down from the fence with the winded knocked out of me and probably a couple cracked ribs he was laughing at how I was running a million miles an hour but didn't make it up the bloody fence. I was just glad it didn't fling me over the fence. My first one on one run in with a bull, sure to be my last.
The bull muster is the toughest job they have during the year. There are around 1,300-1,400 bulls they must get together and draft. We did three mobs of about 400 each. The reason why bulls are some much more difficult than the cows is because bulls don't calmly stay in the group and sort of just walk along like the cows. The bulls just do whatever they want. Run, walk, don't walk, in every direction. So it takes a lot more work to keep them together and moving at a good pace. Sometimes it's fun to chase them down, sometimes it really sucks.
Once we get a mob into the yard we draft them. Each bull gets looked at and determined if it will go to a specific buyer, back out to feed, or the rejects (the meat works). Drafting is not the most exciting part and takes awhile. But needs to be done. And if you can imagine it gets a little dodgey sometimes when 400+ bulls are crammed together in hot, dusty, close quarters. And being moved around all the time. All bulls do is try to fight, eat, and have sex. Lots of testosterone going around. I have seen more bull balls and dicks in the last week than I care to speak about. Some are calm and just push on through and some are bullies. And sometimes they try to kick and fight us. But for the most part it goes smoothly.
We mustered for 3 days and drafted for 3 days from sun up till sundown, usually earlier and usually later. Rotating and moving bulls into new paddocks and into the yard. Tomorrow we are trucking meat works and bulls going to other stations. Then the job is done. It's been an awesome and exhausting job, ending each day covered in an inch of dirt and sweat with a couple of the best tasting beers I've ever had.
Nat, Michael, Tom and I only have a few more days here then we are headed for Brisbane. Michael is going straight home but the rest of us are going to Byron bay for a few days. Suppose to be a really awesome place. Hopefully it works out.
Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Ma. Without you I wouldn't be alive! But seriously thank you for everything and always supporting me and worrying for me even when I know you don't want me to go on crazy adventures. Happy Mother's Day to my grandma Mama Eileen I love all your emails and can't wait to see you this summer. And a happy Mother's Day to all the other moms in the world.
Cheers,
Franke
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