BUSHWACKER

Bushwacker posing in KC

B’wack, Bush, “my bull crush”, “the bovine love of my life”....these are just a few of the names I’ve heard, referring to the reigning World Champion Bucking Bull, Bushwacker.  Since being sidelined by surgery, just after Christmas last year, we’ve certainly not seen enough of our Bovine Champ in 2012!  I’m hoping that after the summer break, handsome Bushwacker will make a triumphant return, and show off his dazzling moves, which he executes with both strength and grace.

Posing for me in Las Vegas!  Handsome boy!

 The numbers are stunning, if you’re in to all that statistical stuff.  Bushwacker has not been ridden in 3 outs in 2012, not ridden in 17 outs in 2011, nor ridden in 20 outs in 2010 (PBR and Touring Pro events).  In 2009, he registered 8 outs and was ridden at the Finals in Las Vegas.  Guess he did not like that too much, he’s bucked off everyone since October of 2009!  His average bull score is 46.024 points, out of a possible 50 points!  His highest score came last year, at the Finals in Las Vegas, where he recorded a 48.5 point score in a buck-off!  I believe those numbers can stand up to any professional athlete!  Bushwacker is simply the best!

Bucking off JB Mauney en route to winning Bucking Bull of the Year!

I had the pleasure of being in Las Vegas last year when Bushwacker put on a show, like no other.  I was also in Kansas City in March of this year to see one of Bushwacker’s rare outs of 2012.  Being on top of the chutes, I had a special treat of watching the bull handlers bring Bushwacker in to the back pens and load him in to the maze of chutes and gates in preparation for his out.  I guess being the champ, Bushwacker was not really in the mood to cooperate.  One very nice handler was petting him on the rump, trying to move him along with pats and whistles.  But it wasn’t until Bushwacker’s personal handler Kent Cox (or “butler and chauffer”, as Kent once told me), and that all too familiar pinch in the ribs, did Bushwacker finally move in to the chute he was supposed to be in!

Navigating the back pens in KC

The "infamous" pinch from Kent Cox got Bushwacker moving along!

Once the gate opened, Bushwacker made quick work of Luke Snyder in the arena - 3.85 seconds, to be exact!

"Forget about it, Luke!"

"Go ahead Shorty, just try and pet me!!"

But in order to get the story of Bushwacker’s begininng, I contacted stock contractor Julio Moreno and Kindra Pierce.  They were kind enough to share details about Bushwacker’s early years, and the fact that he was a bit of a rascal as a calf!  Says Julio and Kindra, “Bushwacker was named by our partner's wife, Sue. Her father was hugely involved in the western movie world years ago and she always remembers a "Bushwacker" being tenacious and mean, which was quite fitting for Bushwacker when he was a baby. He was really mean as a calf and up until his 3 year old year. I remember gathering and sorting bulls with Julio one day, including Bushwacker, to take him and some other young bulls to Nevada to buck. He came at me and my horse and tried to hook the both of us. Then, he would stand there with his head held high, shaking it back and forth like he was saying, "are you really sure you want to get that close to me?" From that time on, we left him up and in a pen where he was hand fed twice daily so he could get used to us. It worked. A couple of months later, we took him to Carson City, NV to buck him for the very first time with a rider. We bucked him out of the right hand delivery (he is a left hand delivery bull) and he really bucked. We were at a loss [for] words, really. Shortly after that, Julio asked me if we should take him to his very first PBR Touring PRO event, where [we] took him to Santa Barbara, CA to buck with the big boys. I told Julio to take the gamble and put Bushwacker in the short go at his very first event because I had that much confidence in him. Julio was a bit skeptical at first, but he went through with it. Bushwacker bucked in the short go and REALLY bucked. From there, he went to one more Touring Pro event in Stockton, CA. By this time, Ontario, CA Built Ford Tough was right around the corner. We were unsure if we we're going to put him in the short go due to his age, but it would be a test for him. He went on to compete at the ABBI Wild Card where he advanced to the ABBI Classic Finals and won 3rd place overall, as a 3 year old. We sent him to Kent Cox's in Dublin, TX where he competed his 4 year old year in the ABBI Classics, where he was later crowned the the ABBI Classic Champion and the Reserve Champion PBR Bull of the Year. As we know now, he was later crowned the PBR World Champion Bucking Bull of the Year. We are breeding cows to him now, hoping his resume will pass on to his calves.”

What a thrill it was to see Bushwacker crowned 2011 PBR World Champion Bucking Bull!

The winner of High Bull Score at the Finals, 48.5 pts!

Stock Contractor Julio Moreno and his partners accepting Bushwacker's awards!

I, for one, can not wait to see Bushwacker back in action.  He surprises us with new and exciting moves each time he bucks!  As he gets older and wiser, I bet he’ll thrill us fans in a whole new way!  And to those nay-sayers, who think there’s better bulls out there...

A thousand Thank You’s to Julio Moreno and Kindra Pierce for taking time out of their very busy schedules to share some details about their most magnificent bull!!



ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUSAN HANRAHAN