Artwork > All Sculptures, Animals & Wildlife > Cagey, Mean and Onry
Cagey, Mean and Onry
Specifications:
18″H x 13″W x 12″D
Edition of 30
Price:
$4,200
Scott’s Piece Description
During spring and fall roundups in Arizona, cowboys scour deep canyons, tall, thorny brush and thick stands of pine trees for cattle. Each year there are always a few that get away. Occasionally, there are steers that elude the loop for years. These cattle become experts at hiding in dangerous places average cowboys won’t look. They become known as “remnants”. I spoke to an ‘ole boy' one time named, Joe Haught, who was often hired specifically to go out and bring these ‘Cagey, Mean and Onry’ cuss’s in (He was called a ‘Remnant Catcher’). I heard it described that ‘One might as well attempt to rope and catch wild deer as to bring in one of these moss backs.’
Note: In the above text I used the term ‘moss backs.’ Some cattle elude capture for so long, believe it or not, moss starts to grow on the top of their backs.
As another aside: Someone told me, after I had written this piece description, that onry is spelled ornery. My orneriness didn’t want to change it. So there you have it!
Image Gallery
Curator Review
Not every steer that roams the range is destined for the herd. Some become legends in their own right—phantoms of the backcountry, hardened by years of evasion. “Cagey, Mean and Onry” captures one such relic of the range—an outlaw longhorn who has outwitted loops, eluded riders, and learned every trick the canyon can teach.
Rogers sculpts the lean tension of the moment with masterful control—each twist in the rock echoing the animal’s wiry defiance. The lowered horns, the high alert stance, and the wary downward gaze speak of experience and cunning, not fear.
This is no mindless brute. It is a survivor, a strategist, and a symbol of the West’s wild edge. And like the remnants it represents, the sculpture doesn’t just depict a scene—it honors a tradition. One that knows, sometimes, the fiercest spirit comes not from the herd—but from the ones too smart, too tough, and too ornery to be caught.
Get In Touch
We’ll confirm if this sculpture is available now or reserve your place in the next casting (4–5 months).
Phone: 1.435.469.1646
Email: hello@scottrogerssculpture.com
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