(snip)
Then I began to look around and noticed several more cows walking right toward me, so obviously I started taking a few steps backward. Before I knew it there were about a dozen cows 'stalking' me in this field. As any rational person
would do I turned around and went back to my tree stand. No sooner than I could climb up and look back down I had the whole herd looking right back up at me. What to do what to do.
LOL!!! That is SURREAL -- frightening! I wonder what they were thinking. Did they have murder on their minds? Do cows have minds?
I have to ask you something, though: you said that any rational person would climb the tree: are cows dangerous in any way, like their male counterparts? Will they charge or something? 'Cause I'd be thinking "big, goofy, cud-chewing hamburgers; what could they do to me?" Am I an ignorant city girl? Or -- irrational? LOL
They finally got bored with me and ran off after I threw a stick behind them.
Wouldn't it have been funny if they'd fetched the stick and brought it back to you? hahahha
I was much more cautious when leaving the woods this time. I went over by the fence line and crawled all the way to the house where my wife's cousin had been waiting. I told him the story and he laughed hysterically all the way back to my house.... I can't attend an in-laws family function with out hearing this story. 
Well, it's a good story; can't blame 'em! LOL (I wish Dali had been there to paint it!)