NEW SHARON – The last of 36 wayward cows that bolted from their farm during a thunderstorm two weeks ago have been rounded up after their owner stayed on their tail through woods and chest-deep water.

“We found the last of them Sunday,” owner Jeff Harris said. “They were in real good condition and must have found plenty to eat.”

The young Holsteins, some only 6 months old, were apparently scared by a thunderstorm and broke free from an electric fence surrounding their pen.

Harris found most of them last week but the last five proved to be sneaky, he said.

Neighbors sighted the cows during the past two weeks, but they scuttled off every time Harris showed up.

When he spotted them Sunday on Jersey Avenue, a dead-end road, he was determined to stay on their trail. He moved aside heavy brush and waded through the water of a beaver bog. Hot on the trail, Harris held his cell phone above his head to keep it dry, and they finally decided to give themselves up without a fight.