Born to buck

Overbrook, Okla. - J.W. Hart called it the best bull sale in the world, and Cord McCoy said it will likely set the tone for the bull market for the next 10 months.

For the Page family, which has been in the bucking bull industry for more than 30 years, the D&H Cattle Company Bred to Buck Bull & Female Sale is its annual event to sell yearling bulls with proven pedigree and females that, according to the sale catalog, "come right out of the heart of the herd."

"I'm tickled to see the interest in the business," H.D. Page said afterward. "You would think the deal would get old, but your adrenaline just keeps pumping. These calves, when you raise one like that, it gives you new energy, new life and a new outlook on things. It kind of keeps you pumped up about your business.

"The PBR has done a lot over the years for the enthusiasm of the fans and keeping our deal rolling. We're sure thankful for that."

"It gives you new energy, new life and a new outlook on things."

After more than 10 years, it's become more than a sale.

Page called it an event.

They began Friday evening by bucking their sale bulls, and followed with an ABBI-sanctioned futurity event that night. The sale, which took just over four hours to complete, took place Saturday afternoon, prior to the WinStar World Casino Touring Pro Classic.

The sale took place at the Red River Livestock Auction barn in Overbrook, Okla., while the bull riding event was in nearby Ardmore at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum.

This year's sale was streamed live on the internet, but Page said he recommends that those who haven't experienced an auction in-person make plans to attend the next one in Overbrook.

He does, however, recognize that it might not be for everyone.

"People are in and out of the business all the time," he said. "Some people thought they wanted to raise cows and raise calves off of bucking cows, and then they figure out later, 'Well, we'll just go buy a couple 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds, and just get right in and play with something like that.

"It is a lot of work, but if you enjoy the work, it is a pretty rewarding business. That's what this production sale is about. It doesn't appeal to everybody, and not everybody wants to be a cowboy and riding a horse every day. There (are) options for everybody, and that's the neat thing about it. You can get in on yearling bulls, or you can get in on the cows and start from the ground up."

This year's top sale brought in more than $40,000 for half-interest in Page 113Y, which is a Mudslinger son out of a Backlash daughter. Page added that the yearling also goes back to the dame of Western Wishes.

"This calf has Mudslinger and Western Wishes top-to-bottom, all the way back through his pedigree," Page said. "Those two bulls were raised up together and it's a pretty neat deal. Those bulls hated each other.

"We're tickled to sell half-interest."

Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.