We all know toothy cows are terribly dangerous, and if we recall our histories well, we'll remember that they once gave a regiment of Fangs great trouble. However, that incident involved a herd of cows and a pack or more of horned hounds! And the Fangs in question had furthermore been harried by preceding troubles before the wild creatures struck.
What I'm wondering is this: if a lone soldier were in the forest and came upon a toothy cow, how much of a chance would they have of coming out alive, and might the soldier have a chance at slaying the beast and hauling away the meat?
Would the answer change if the cow were distracted when the soldier engaged it in combat?
Some initial thoughts:
The event with the Fangs would suggest that tppthy cows could solo an entire squadron. However, we have at least two other incidents that might suggest otherwise:
Maraly Weaver is know to have hubted and slain a cow. However, she may've had help. It's unclear.
Oood tamed a toothy cow once. Granted, he was a troll.
I think the rangers probably had developed effective tactics for toothy cows, but they may have requires more than one person. Maraly got one with a spear, but the cow endured for a day or so afterward. The only ways I could think of for a single person to defeat one would be arrows or spears launched from a tree or tall boulder where the cow couldn't reach. If the person was not in a high spot, perhaps poison/tranquilizer arrows would work (see p. 67 of TWatWK). If they only had a sword, perhaps throwing it could work (see p. 61 of N!oBE)?
It probably depends on the cow and depends on the soldier! 😂 And it probably also depends on the circumstance - whether one or the other has the element of surprise and/or a particularly good weapon.
The rangers did used to keep the beasts at bay so the forest was relatively safe.
If you read A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest, there is an incident in which a clever band of the first rangers overcome a large herd of toothy cows. The element of surprise largely contributed to their victory.
The chance would be nothing if he wasn't armed with a ranged weapon and perched in a tree. One of my neighbors shot a feral hog with a .22 and it chased him up a tree. Feral hogs are known for being aggressive and turning on people, and most hunters prefer to hunt them with semiautomatic weapons due to this. Killing an aggressive bovine would be much more difficult, particularly with primitive weapons.