Area vacationers surprised to find a newborn calf, while canoeing down the North Fork Crow River, on the east side of Paynesville.The vacationers were (L to R): Bridget, Colleen, Brian, and Karly Manion, Rachel, Nick, and Patty Ries, all from the Twin Cities area.
According to the group, they were canoeing down the river and came upon a calf that was stuck on the river embankment.
The calf still had the umbilical cord attached and couldn't walk any further.
Brian and Karly Manion pulled the calf to get it away from the water. That was when they realized the calf couldn't walk.
So Nick, Bridget, and Patty ran to try and find the farm that the calf belonged to.
"We ran from two bulls on the way there," said Bridget. "Patty couldn't keep up and decided to head back to the river."
According to Nick and Bridget, they traveled on foot for nearly 45 minutes looking for the closest farm.
That was when they came upon a man working on a fence at the Voss farm, one mile east of Paynesville.
They explained the situation to the man, who then went to talk to Doug Voss.
"It was an unexpected cow, calving in the pasture," said Voss.
Voss also said some of the cattle, including the missing calf, were not his. He was temporarily housing them after the owner suffered a stroke.
"According to the records I received, the cow was supposed to already have calved," said Voss.
After hearing about the calf by the river, Voss took the kids back in the truck to see if it was his calf. It turned out to be, and they headed back to the farm with the calf.
The group once again was able to get back on their way, losing over two hours helping the calf.
"This is the first time it has ever happened to me," said Voss.
Voss also added that some how the records he received about the cattle were inaccurate and he was not expecting the calf.
The calf is completely healthy after the ordeal, but things could have been much worse had the kids not come across the calf on the river bank.