Master bull-handler H.D. Page knows Bo from both a rider and breeder’s perspective. The multi-award winning PBR Contractor of Year was not always on the back of the chutes. In fact, he spent a good portion of the 90’s packing a riggin’ bag and nodding his head. During his bull riding career, Page drew the notorious blond bomber Bodacious a stunning three times.

“The first time I got on him was at Edmond, Okla. at an IPRA rodeo in ‘90 or ‘91. He smashed my face pretty good on the way up,” recalled Page.

The next time Page drew the bull was at his hometown rodeo in Ada, Okla. at a $1,000-added PRCA rodeo. While $1,000 seems like peanuts for getting on a bucker that usually sent his rider to the ER, Page didn’t hesitate to cowboy up. Page talked about the out with color and plenty of humor.

“At Ada, which was a $1,000-added PRCA rodeo and pretty much my hometown rodeo, I drew him a second time. K.J. Pletcher had had his face smashed pretty good and had this big, green helmet he’d been wearing. I don’t know how, but they talked me into wearing it. Then just like before, Bo hit me again, but this time on the way down, right in the helmet. So then the helmet spins around on my head. I could’ve killed those guys for talkin’ me into wearing that helmet. I couldn’t see where I was or how to even get to the fence with this helmet on sideways. I was trying to see out the earhole. It was pretty embarassing with the whole town there to watch me,” a self-conscious Page added.

His luck didn’t get any better when it came to drawing the bull nobody wanted to get on.

The very next weekend at Athens,Texas, when Page called back for the draw, he couldn’t believe it when they told him he had drawn J31A a third time, and only a week after his last encounter with the bull.

“When I called back and they told me I drew him again, back-to-back weekends, I said, ‘you gotta be kiddin’ me!’ So, this time, I got me a game plan together,” revealed Page. Although he doesn’t think Bo bucked as hard this time, his friends that were present all disagreed.

“At Athens the next weekend, I didn’t think he bucked as hard as he usually did. These guys say he did, but either way he was still up and down and circled around to the out gates. He still hit me in the face again on the way down,” complained Page.

This out had a much different outcome however. There was no comedic overtone; just that of disappointment. Page ended up riding him, but didn’t get a score after one judge DQ’d him for a slap.

“I was gonna be 90 something on one side and on the other the judge said I slapped him. I’m not too sure that I did though. Especially since that judge didn’t particularly like me,” joked Page.

Hating Bo as a draw from a rider’s perspective is one thing, but judging him as a producer is another. Since Page is the only person to both climb on board the bucker and also to haul bulls that have Bo’s blood pumping through their veins, nobody could give more insight into this multi-dimensional bovine.

“I wasn’t real high on him as a producer initially, but I’ve seen some pretty good stuff out of him—especially his daughters. Most of the Bo offspring are pretty droppy. Some guys like that style — up and down with a lot of drop, but some prefer bulls that are a little smoother. I guess it just depends on how good of a rider you are, as to whether you like bulls with his genetics or not,” said Page.

When it comes to producing, Page echoes many others in the industry. He knows there’s a large amount of Bo blood out there from which success stories has been plucked. Nonetheless, Page is one of a handful of guys who can also appreciate what it takes to promote a bucker as a sire.

“I mean there was a lot of his genetics out there, but nobody promoted a bull better than Tallman promoted Bo. He really pushed that bull to be a prominent sire,” Page said.

Page has hauled a good number of Bo sons and bulls out of Bo daughters that have bucked in the PBR and PBR Finals. Frequenting the backpens at PBR events is 77 Hustler aka Super Duty, one of the most recent D&H examples of the power of Bo’s genetics.