Probably several things adding up to stress that bull. Poor condition, and his mama ran him off to have her new calves, perhaps. Also, temperaments among individuals vary. He was likely pissed off and used from multiple attempts to rejoin his mother. I killed a young bull one fall that, even then, kept attempting to join his mother and her calf. I'd watched them for several weeks prior to season, and she took a chunk out him more than once. I fixed his problem for him with a running shot- shotgun slug at 30 yards... I jumped him, and startled, he made a bee-line for the old lady, but had to get by me first.
We had a young bull here years ago that was just plain Ornery - which is what we called him. He blind-sided and bruised one neighbor lady when she was getting in her car. Another neighbor wanted to go to town one day but Ornery was by his truck. He nailed Ornery in the ribs with a flu-flu arrow. Ornery jumped, then picked up the arrow and chewed on it. Rip decided he could go to town the next day. Rip later ate Ornery I think, season be hanged.....
He almost got me one day when I was pounding on my boat, with him bedded in the driveway about 35 yards away. I looked up in time to see him charging me, and barely beat him to the door, where he stood with his face pressed against the glass daring me to come out and fight like a man. In turning the corner at the stairs to the deck above, following me as I made the door, he knocked my Pentax film camera off the steps and broke it.
Another time Ornery was licking road salt off my tailgate when I came out, and he started for me. I went back in the house, got my wrist-rocket and the biggest piece of split shot I could find, and when he tried it again I nailed him in the nose at about 10 feet. I went to town....
One spring I was coming back from town and had to ease the truck by a yearling cow just separated from her mother.
She was standing in a puddle in the middle of the road, head and ears hanging, and didn't move as I went by her, her head just inches from my mirror. A more dejected looking animal I have never seen - even my dogs! My wife had come home 20 minutes or so earlier, with identical scenario.
"My Mom doesn't love me anymore!"
