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I've heard folks talk about brush-country cowboys who've roped deer. They say it's a really entertaining rodeo! The deer generally gets so tired out from fighting the rope that a couple of guys can hold it down and take the noose off.
Early Californio vaqueros used braided leather lariats as much as 60 and 70 feet long, compared to the more modern 40-footers. Working in pairs, they'd occasionally get optimistic and get two ropes on a grizzly. All well and good as long as it was two ropes; the bear would choke down. Bad news if one guy missed the throw.
Mexican cowboys are as wild on horseback as a Mexican busdriver on a mountain road. One of their games is to stand on a handkerchief with the end of the rope between their teeth. A horse is released from the chute, and they rope his front feet. Do it right and you keep your teeth. Step off the handkerchief, you lose. Do it wrong on the roping and you wind up with a gap-toothed smile.
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