PUEBLO, Colo. ― The PBR returns to Billings, Mont., on Friday. Billings is a regular stop on the Built Ford Tough Series, and has been the scene of some big rides over the years, including Cory McFadden's 95.5-point effort on Little Yellow Jacket ― one of the highest scoring rides in PBR history.

Billings will host the fourth 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season, and the pen of 15 bulls PBR Livestock Director Cody Lambert has put together for that are the best bulls we'll see over the weekend. We've seen Asteroid or Bushwacker at the past couple of events in a row. We won't see either of them here, but we will see two bulls that can present a legitimate challenge to the top two ― D&H Cattle's Shepherd Hills Tested and Marlene Henry's Mick E Mouse.

Shepherd Hills Tested has been ridden just once in 43 career outs, and when we last saw him at the Iron Cowboy in Arlington, Texas, he turned in one of his best trips yet, and dialed up the difficulty to the level of Bushwacker and Asteroid. Mick E Mouse turned a lot of heads in Albuquerque, N.M., when he turfed Chase Outlaw in short order and sparked a lot of discussion about whether he should have outscored Bushwacker and Asteroid.

"He very well could have had the most difficult trip of the year in Arlington," Lambert said. "They marked him 46.75 points, and they marked Bushwacker 47.5, but really there wasn't even that much separating them. When you see them for under 3 seconds you're kind of splitting hairs between those two.

"Mick E Mouse's trip in Albuquerque was just like that ― he was that impressive. He was the very first bull out there with Chase Outlaw, and he didn't get the highest score, but he was as good as you'd want one to be. He showed that he can challenge Bushwacker and Asteroid and hold his own. He's a big bull ― probably 1,800 pounds ― and he's got a lot of up and down. He can jerk a guy down before he ever turns back, and even once he's in a spin he's still got the up and down movement."

We'll also see Jeff Robinson / Bar 3D's Meat Hook, who threw off J.B. Mauney in Albuquerque, and Shane Proctor in Tacoma, Wash., in his last two outings. Meat Hook doesn't rely on any kind of tricky moves that add difficulty, and he tends to have great timing, but he bucks so hard he still gets plenty of the top guys on the ground.

"Every time someone rides him, it looks like the best ride they ever made," Lambert said. "He's got so much kick, and bucks so hard that if anyone gets a little bit out of shape, they're coming off. So, about the only way to stay on him is to stay in perfect position."

Jeff Robinson's Rango will make his 11^th appearance on the season at the 13^th event of the season. No other bull has as many outs on tour this season, and Rango ranks among the top bulls this season as well.

"We don't talk about Rango that often because he's been a little overshadowed by the top two bulls just about everywhere he's been," Lambert said. "He's 10-0 this season, and really he's only been ridden three times in his career, and all three times he had something of an off day for him. He's in the same class as Smackdown, who we'll also see here. They both are likely to be among the top 5 bulls at the end of the season, but they are both underdogs when it comes to winning the World Champion Bull race."

There is one high profile Montana bull in the 15/15 round. Bird Bucking Bulls' Chocolate Thunder lives in Cut Bank, Mont., near the Canadian Border. He was outstanding in Billings last year.

"This is a great deal for Chocolate Thunder," Lambert said. "It's a benefit to him to be on his home turf. Typically he has to travel farther than most of the other bulls when he goes to an event. Albuquerque was a long haul for him. Billings is much closer to his home, and he should be great here."

Shane Gunderson's Buck Wild has been a regular at Built Ford Tough Series events out West, and he's been one of the highest marked bulls this season. He's still difficult to get out of the chute on, but he's worth the effort, because he's one of the best bulls to earn a high score on once he's in the arena.

"He's one of the best bulls to draw in the 15/15 round if not the best," Lambert said. "He's got plenty of action, but if you watch him buck, he tends to kick straight out rather than up over his head. His back stays pretty level, and when a bull does that he could jump 15 feet in the air and still wouldn't be that hard to ride."

Follow Slade Long on Twitter @ProBullStats