Wikipedia

Bushwacker (bull)

Bushwacker #13/6 (June 1, 2006 – July 2, 2024) was an American bucking bull. He competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit and was a three-time PBR World Champion Bull, winning the title in 2011, 2013, and 2014. His three titles match the record established a decade earlier by Little Yellow Jacket from 2002 to 2004.[1] He was awarded the PBR Brand of Honor in 2016. He has been referred to as the "Michael Jordan of Bulls."[2] In 2014, PBR co-founder and Director of Livestock Cody Lambert compared Bushwacker to the likes of Secretariat and Seabiscuit.[3] He was inducted into the Class of 2020 in the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.[4]

Bushwacker
CountryUnited States
BreedAmerican Bucking Bull
Brand13/6
SexBull
ColorRed with a Mottled White Face
Weight1,800 lbs
Born(2006-06-01)June 1, 2006
Marysville, California, U.S.
Years active2009–2014
SireA67 Reindeer Dippin'
Paternal grandsireNaccarato Breeding
Paternal granddamAN #11
DamLady Luck
Maternal grandsireDiamond's Ghost
Maternal granddamRatjen Breeding
BreederFlying U Rodeo, Cotton Rosser, Cindy Rosser, Julio Moreno
OwnerJulio Moreno, Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls
Notable riders
DiedJuly 2, 2024(2024-07-02) (aged 18)
Springer, Oklahoma, U.S.
Honors
PBR Brand of Honor 2016
Bull Riding Hall of Fame 2020
Awards
PBR Bull of the World Finals 2011, 2013
PBR World Champion Bull 2011, 2013, and 2014

In 2023, Bushwacker was ranked No. 1 on the list of the top 30 bulls in PBR history.[5][6]

Background

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Bushwacker was sired by #A67 Reindeer Dippin' and Lady Luck.[7] Reindeer Dippin' was born and raised in Marysville, California.[7] He was the Bull of the Finals at the 2004 National Finals Rodeo.[8] Reindeer Dippin's father was from Naccarato breeding on his sire's side and his mother was AN 11, an #34 Oscar's Velvet daughter.[9] Oscar's Velvet was sired by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Oscar.[10][11] Lady Luck's father was Diamond's Ghost.[12] She was raised by David Fournier and acquired by Mikel Moreno.[12] David Fournier and Julio Moreno traded a few heifers each year at the American Bucking Bull, Inc. (ABBI) event in Weatherford, Texas – one of these was Lady Luck. "Julio told me, 'You know, Bushwacker's out of one of your cows' and when he (first) showed it to me, I knew exactly which one. "But I had gotten rid of her mother already," Fournier said.[13]

Bushwacker was born in Marysville, California, on June 1, 2006.[14][7] In 2008, as a two-year-old, he moved to Stephenville, Texas, to work with the late handler Kent Cox. Kent Cox hauled and raised many of Julio Moreno's bulls since 2005.[7] Bushwacker was owned by Julio Moreno of Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls. After he was retired, he was used for natural breeding and had as many as 20 cows with him in the spring. Moreno maintained a Facebook page devoted to Bushwacker.[15] The bull also had a Twitter account. Bushwacker's last public appearance was at the PBR World Finals in 2016.

Pedigree of Bushwacker, red bull w/ mottled face, 2006
Sire
#A67 Reindeer Dippin' (US)
born 1999
died 2017 		Naccarato Breeding (US)    
 
   
 
AN #11 (US) #34 Oscar's Velvet Oscar (ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull)
 
   
 
Dam
Lady Luck (US) 		#780 Diamond's Ghost (US)    
 
   
 
Ratjen Breeding (US)    
 
   
 

Career

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Bushwacker's notoriety was cemented during a PBR-record streak of 42 consecutive buckoffs, and 56 buckoffs in all levels of competition.[16] It started after being ridden by Thiago Paguioto, and after that, no one would stay on him again until August 2013, when J.B. Mauney was finally successful in riding him after nine previous tries.[17]

Bushwacker spent the majority of his career on the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS), the major league tour of the PBR. He only bucked in the Championship rounds and the 15/15 Bucking Battles, which meant only the best riders got to try him. According to Probullstats.com, he had 87 outs with three qualified rides at all levels of competition. Of those, 66 outs and two qualified rides were on the BFTS.[18] In October 2009, Markus Mariluch was the first to ride Bushwacker in the PBR for 88 points in Las Vegas, but this was not on the BFTS. Then, also in October 2009, Thiago Paguioto was the first to ride Bushwacker on the BFTS in Las Vegas at the PBR World Finals for 89.75 points, and then his buckoff streak started after this ride. Then in August 2013, the 42 buckoff streak was broken by J.B. Mauney on the BFTS in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for 95.25 points. The bull scored 46.75 on the ride. Bushwacker would not be ridden again. [19] João Ricardo Vieira, who won the BFTS Iron Cowboy event title in March 2014, in Arlington, Texas, attempted to ride Bushwacker for a $1 million bounty, but was quickly bucked off.[20] He was retired after the PBR World Finals in 2014. The record of 64 buck offs in 66 BFTS outs ranks Bushwacker eighth in all-time buckoffs to date.[21] His career BFTS buckoff percentage is 96.969 percent.[21] He also earned an average bull score of 46.162 points.[21]

Throughout his six-year BFTS elite career, Bushwacker "became a world-famous superstar". During his retirement in 2014, PBR co-founder and Director of Livestock Cody Lambert compared Bushwacker with other preeminent animal athletes Secretariat and Seabiscuit. When asked what Bushwacker has meant to the PBR, Lambert took his remarks further. He immediately placed Bushwacker in an exclusive class of PBR legends, alongside others like the first and three-time world champion Adriano Moraes or two-time world champions Chris Shivers and Justin McBride.

"He is as important to the sport as any of the riders we have ever had and more famous than most of them and more well known," Lambert said. "We will have all of the great bulls from now on, and all of the great bull riders from now on, and we will never replace Bushwacker or Chris Shivers or Justin McBride or Adriano. We have fans that don't know any of the riders' names that know Bushwacker," Lambert said. "Lots of them. It's a level that no animal has taken it to so far – until Bushwacker."[3]

Retirement

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Moreno retired Bushwacker from competition in October 2014 after winning his third World Champion Bull title.[22] When the PBR awarded Bushwacker the PBR Brand of Honor, Julio brought him to "accept" the award in person in Las Vegas during the PBR World Finals in late October and early November 2016. The PBR actually built a stage for Bushwacker inside the South Point Hotel where the awards were held. This is the first time an animal has been on stage to receive an award from the PBR. J.B. Mauney attended and spoke fondly about his longtime rival.[23]

"I hung on to him long enough for them to say I made the whistle, but in my eyes he is the greatest bucking bull there will ever be," Mauney said. "People will raise bulls their entire life and they will never have a bull like Bushwacker. It couldn't have happened to any better gentleman that I know than Julio Moreno." Mauney and Bushwacker met 13 times in Bushwacker's career. Bushwacker bucked Mauney off in all but one of those rides. The always superstitious Moreno said, "I thank J.B. J.B. was on him 13 times and Bushwacker's number is 13. It kind of worked out good like that."[23]

Death

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Bushwacker spent his final years in the Springer, Oklahoma, ranch of Julio Moreno's stock contracting partner Dallas Schott, where he died on July 2, 2024, at the age of 18.[24][25]

Honors

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  • 2009 American Bucking Bull, Inc. (ABBI) Reserve Wild Card Champion[26]
  • 2010 ABBI World Champion Classic Bull & $250,000 winner[26]
  • 2011 PBR Bull of the World Finals[14]
  • 2011 High Marked Bull 9 times[14]
  • 2011 PBR World Champion Bull[27]
  • 2013 PBR Bull of the World Finals
  • 2013 PBR World Champion Bull[27]
  • 2014 PBR World Champion Bull[27]
  • 2016 PBR Brand of Honor[28]
  • 2020 Bull Riding Hall of Fame[29]
  • ProBullStats Hall of Fame[30]
  • 2023 ranked No. 1 on the list of the top 30 bulls in PBR history[5][6]
  • Held the PBR Premier Series record of 42 consecutive buckoffs for several years;[26] was surpassed by Cool Whip with his 43rd consecutive Premier Series buckoff at the 2024 PBR World Finals[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Little Yellow Jacket Sets the Standard". PBR.com. January 17, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "Bushwacker is the Michael Jordan of Bulls". Newsweek.com. October 11, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Bushwacker ready to be honored in Las Vegas". Professional Bull Riders. October 20, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "PBR Top 30". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "From the Vault: Bushwacker becomes the greatest bull in PBR history". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Professional Bull Riders - Looking back at Bushwacker's career". Professional Bull Riders. November 28, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "Flying C Livestock - Bucking Bulls and Heifers - Reindeer Dippin". www.flyingclivestock.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  9. ^ "Featured Bull: A67 Reindeer Dippin". Rank. June 21, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Design, Born to Buck Web. "Breeder's Connection - Champion Bucking Bulls - Lot #01". www.thebreedersconnection.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  11. ^ "Oscar - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Flying C Livestock - Bucking Bulls and Heifers". www.flyingclivestock.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  13. ^ "Professional Bull Riders - Bloodlines for the greatest". Professional Bull Riders. October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Cartwright, Keith Ryan (December 2011). "A Tale of Two Champions: Kent Cox and Bushwacker". No. Nov/Dec 2011. The American Bucking Bull.
  15. ^ "Julio Moreno, Owner Of PBR Champion Bucking Bull Bushwacker, Talks With Jason Hetland". YouTube. March 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  16. ^ "Moreno congratulates, then challenges Mauney". Professional Bull Riders. www.pbr.com. August 19, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Streak Slayer". PBR.com. August 18, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  18. ^ "13/6 Bushwacker (17903) bull profile & stats". probullstats.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  19. ^ "Out List for 13/6 Bushwacker (17903)". probullstats.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  20. ^ "Vieira wins Dr Pepper Iron Cowboy V". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Bushwacker to receive Brand of Honor". Professional Bull Riders. June 22, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  22. ^ "Buck stops here: Famed bull Bushwacker to retire". usatoday.com. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Bushwacker and Mauney team up for surprise". Professional Bull Riders. November 2, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  24. ^ "Three-time world champion bull Bushwacker passes away". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  25. ^ "Remembering Bushwacker (2006-2024)". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c "Professional Bull Riders - Brand of Honor: Bushwacker". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c "Past PBR World Champion Bulls 1995 to Present". probullstats.com. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  28. ^ "PBR Brand of Honor". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  29. ^ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "ProBullStats Hall of Fame bulls". ProBullStats. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  31. ^ "Cool Whip surpasses Bushwacker for most Premier Series buckoffs". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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