The Trained Waterfowling Steers of Texas

Most waterfowlers have a favorite image, one that captures the essence of the hunt along one of North America’s migratory flyways. It might be sculling boats and rafts of bluebills on the Great Lakes, canvasbacks and sink boxes on Chesapeake Bay’s Susquehanna Flats, or flights of mallards navigating impossibly tight Arkansas timber. In Texas, one of the most endearing images might just be a prairie hunter shooting over a trained steer. 

Inland and coastal Texas hunters first shot ducks over oxen during the late 1800s. The practice originated when farmers and ranchers, who saw their livestock walk to within a few feet of resting birds, began to train steers specifically for the hunt. The idea was simple enough; train the animal so hunters could walk alongside it while the owner controlled it with a halter and stick. As the ox approached resting waterfowl, it allowed one or more hunters to rest their large bore fowling pieces across its back to take the shot. A well-trained animal never stopped grazing.