Soule: How Do You Capture An Ascaped Calf? I'll Tell You The Story

Every once in a while, a story that should have been a tragedy turns out to have a happy ending. It began on a rainy Tuesday in July 2022.

It was the second day of our Farm Day Camp, and the campers had left for the day. The animals had been fed, and I was looking forward to a relaxing evening when Tad drove into the barnyard towing a stock trailer. I had forgotten I’d agreed to show Tad some of the cattle I was offering for sale. I loved teaching 18 campers how to train their calves but was tired and half-hoped that Tad would not be interested in any of my cows.

But he picked out a cow/calf pair, plus a single black bull calf. The black calf had a halter on but was wild and would need lots of handling and bottle feeding, which Tad agreed to do. Minutes after we agreed on a price, the sky opened, and buckets of rain poured down. That might have been a warning, but it was one we ignored. When the rain let up a bit, we loaded the cattle, and Tad drove away. After he arrived at his Hampton Falls farm, Tad removed the bull calf’s halter and put him in a corral surrounded by a five-foot fence.

As Tad watched, this tiny calf jumped over the fence and scampered into the woods. Tad and the local police searched for the calf, but after a week, they gave up. The little guy would either starve or be killed by coyotes.

That’s what happened to one of my calves a few years ago.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com.