Today I ended up in a situation that I would rather not again but you can't always predict the future so I'll ask for advice...
In various parts of Europe, cows (& bulls) seem to roam wherever feeding on grass.
Today it so happened that I found myself in a paddock with cows (which have never caused concern) setting up my camera when a rustle in the grass drew my attention to an approaching young bull. I was completely unprepared for this, especially as his attention did not seem to want to waver (or go back to eating grass.) As I'm not very familiar with cows (aside from drinking milk and eating beef), I don't know if this is a seasonal thing or to be expected. I suspect that what it boils down to is that effectively I'm an intruder in "his" domain where "his" breeding partners are. After a bit of staring at each other, I decided that it was time to pack up and find a way out. To my benefit there was a large bunch of trees maybe 6' away, so it was a matter of working out how to pick everything up without turning my head - I considered the bull no less dangerous than a bear and with bears you never turn your back. The bull was close enough for me to give him a poke in the nose with my tripod and that was enough to get him to recoil back, leading me to flinch (complete with calf cramp) but giving me time & space to pickup things and get amongst the trees. At this point the bull watched a little while longer and then lost interest, eating his way to the other side of the field and I limped on away throught the trees, abondoning the shoot.
So I survived my stupidity (going into the field amongst them) but I'm left wondering, was I really in danger or was I just the subject of increased curiosity because cattle increasingly see humans as things that feed them, etc. Or even still, are there other things that I could have done to get out of that situation? Think no gun and I'm alone ... Is there any safe way to traverse a field with cattle in it?
First things first, are you sure it was a bull? It may well have been a male but castrated, usually known as a bullock or a steer in these parts. Not much to worry about there and if it got close enough for you to poke without charging then I guess it was such a beast and merely being inquisitive. Problems can arise when a group stampedes but that is a herd reaction rather than a deliberate attack upon another animal (you).
Secondly, if a bull is in with cows then they are usually fairly quite but there are so many variables involved that there is no guarantee about that. Breed is the major factor here with Herefords tending to being docile while channel Island breeds like the Jersey are never let out of their pen due to being right mean b'stards!
Cows are usually very docile indeed, problematic animals are weeded out of herds and temperament is often a factor in breeding decisions. The exception is when with newborn calves when they can be aggressive but just so long as you steer clear you'll have no problems.
One further tip is that if bulls are old enough to be aggressive (about 8 months onwards, there is no hard and fast rule) you will not see two together in the same field but it's still worth counting the dangly bits; one means its a bullock, two means it's a bull and four indicates its a cow.
All this relates to farming in the UK and Ireland and it may be different where you are, but whatever the location a lowered head waved from side to side, regular snorting and pawing the ground are signs that you best make yourself scarce!