By Rod Smith

THE rogue steer wandering the streets of Nymagee didn't have a name until he learned to turn on the town's water taps.

After he drained Wally Schofield's 18,000 litre water tank the 60 residents of the drought-stricken NSW central west town started calling the Hereford "T-Bone".

Mr Schofield's tank was almost one tap too many.

"Some of the locals said they'd turn him into T-bones," said Pat Dunn, the steer's owner.

"But he's not in the best condition at the moment so some of the locals are now calling him mince."

Among the first of 12-month-old T-Bone's victims were Tom and Bev Ellison who witnessed the tap tampering first-hand.

"He just nuzzled the tap with his nose, turned his head a bit on the side and turned the tap on," Mr Ellison said.

After honing his method twice at the Ellisons' house and the town's other households, T-Bone turned his attention to Mr Schofield's tank.

"When Wally went out he had 4000 gallons (18,000 litres) in his tank then the steer went over and nudged the tap open and had a drink," Mr Dunn said.

"When Wally came back his 4000 gallons were gone."

Nymagee, about 100km south of Cobar ran out of water six months ago and the former copper mining town now relies on heavily mineralised bore water.

T-Bone's attack on Mr Schofield's tank was particularly hard because it was full of painstakingly-collected pristine rainwater for drinking.