In winter, cowboys could be holed up in a bunkhouse for weeks, so they came up with lost of ways to pass the time. They were very competitive and would bet on anything, even on which fly would fly off a side of meat first!

Apart from horseshoe throwing, whip cracking and roping, they might compete in spitting contests, cigarette rolling competitions, arm wrestling and "pick-a-back" in which cowboys paired up, one riding on another's back, and tried to pull the other team's rider off his mount. (Note from Kirsten: Yes guys, I know it sounds fun, but that's probably not the best thing to try at home, ok? )

Alongside checkers, dominoes, poker, and craps, cowoys played childrens games like marbles and penny at the wall. In this game, coins were thrown as close to a wall as possible without touching it. To play duck on a rock, cowboys had to knock a small rock off a large one with pebbles from 20 paces away.

Horse races, trick riding, and steer wrestling were popular and they developed into rodeos.

Campfire songs were usually accompanied by a guitar or harmonica, but at the bunkhouse cowboys could make other instruments. A rhythm section might include a washboard, pots and pans, and two large spoons. An old piece of lariat stretched from one corner of a wooden box to the top of a broom handle made a passable bass and someone blowing into a large whiskey jug made a sound like a bassoon.

When it came to dancing, one or two cowboys would be "heifer" branded, which meant that they put on an apron or tied a bandanna over their heads and took the lady's part. Polkas and waltzes were the favorites.