NFL players are widely regarded as tough, but former defensive lineman Derek Wolfe showed just how fearless he is after he received a call asking if he wanted to stalk a mountain lion that was "wreaking havoc" in a Colorado neighborhood. Wolfe grabbed his bow and arrow and agreed to go find and eventually kill it.
"Late Tuesday night I got a call from @huntnest to see if I wanted to stalk a giant Tom (male mountain lion) who has been wreaking havoc in a rural neighborhood," Wolfe wrote on Instagram. "He had already killed two of her dogs and was living under her porch, nervous what he might do next."
Wolfe, who played eight seasons with the Denver Broncos and helped the team win Super Bowl 50, said that during his search he found a fresh mule deer the mountain lion had just killed. Wolfe admitted the experience was an exhausting one.
"We hiked straight up 2500ft and down the other side, then back up again, back down the other side and then back up again to 9600ft. Exhausted, dehydrated, cramping I drew back my @hoytbowhunting and sent an @sevrbroadheads through him," Wolfe wrote. "Then I had to crawl backwards down the mountain with him to get him to the truck I fell 10ft off a rock face on the way down lol."
According to TMZ Sports, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that Wolfe, who has a hunting license, did everything that was required of him in order to lawfully take down the mountain lion. Wolfe described it as one of the hardest hunts he's ever done during an episode of "The Drive" podcast.
"I love hunting deer and elk, and mountain lions kill deer and elk, and mature male mountain lions kill the cubs of female mountain lions to get them to go back into heat," Wolfe said. "I feel like I am doing my part by taking care of some of these Toms. It is not easy."
Wolfe emphasized that he took the time to take the heavy body back with him, and also felt it was necessary to kill the predator for safety reasons.
"We're going to let him get away? He's already killing full grown deer," Wolfe said. "He was hiding under this lady's porch down the road. She told us, 'Please get rid of him. He killed my dog last year.'"
