Shooting the lead cow ends up removing that learned behavior of where and when to go and typically is a little older which leads to tougher meat. Better for the herd to let the old gal go She didn't get there being meek and stupid.
That's true. If I have a choice, I'll avoid the lead cow, assuming I can figure out which one she is. My last 2, though, didn't give me a choice. Last year it was a single cow with a bull and the year before that, I was moving in on a large herd when a lone cow walked into sight at about 75 yds. I didn't spend any time debating on whether either one was the leader.
