Maverick (animal)

[2] Other analogous U.S. terms include slick,[1] hairy dick,[3] and, in Spanish-speaking areas of the Southwest, orejano.

Occasionally calves would fail to be collected in the annual round up and escape branding.

[1] Some animals are left unbranded today for reasons that include being destined for the show ring, to avoid a scar on a hide intended for leatherworking, and opposition to a practice seen as cruel.

These animals, however, are not left free of identification, receiving instead some form of somewhat more humane methods, which include freeze branding, tattooing, attachment of ear tags, and microchip implanting, usually in the neck.

When one is, the most common practice is to make a concerted effort to locate a possible owner; failing that, the animal is typically put up for public auction at a sheriff's sale, with the proceeds used to defray costs incurred in its handling.