Picked up a tip about 'cow camping' from a thru-hiker at the diner

This guy mentioned setting up his tent near cattle grazing areas because the ground is usually flatter and less brushy. I tried it on the Uinta Highline Trail last month and it saved me like 20 minutes of site clearing each night. Has anyone else used that trick or is it bad for the cows or something?

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elliotc102mo ago

That's a solid tip, I'll have to try it out.

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william9172mo ago

And that's actually something @elliotc10 might want to watch out for too because the cows themselves can be a bit of a problem. They get curious and might mess with your gear or even step on your tent if you're not careful. I've heard stories from other hikers about waking up to a cow licking their tent or just standing there staring at them. Also you gotta be smart about where you put your food bag because cows will knock stuff over looking for scraps. Still beats clearing rocks and branches for half an hour though, so I'm probably gonna keep doing it.

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