Could You Take Down This Enraged Wolf with Your Bare Hands?

Jack Abernathy did it the first time when he was fifteen. The year was 1891.  At that time Jack was a six-year veteran cowpuncher on a West Texas ranch which was plagued by wolves.  One day his favorite greyhounds were chasing a wolf and Jack was trying to keep up on horseback.  When the desperate wolf spun around to attack the dogs, Jack instinctively moved to protect his dogs.  He leapt from the horse and attacked the wolf with the only thing he had: his fists. He struck a blow straight at the wolf’s nose just as the wolf viciously lunged.  Jack’s fist lodged in the wolf’s throat, and the fight was suddenly stalemated.  The furious wolf was still very much alive, but he could not bite or fight.  Jack held his dominant position until another cowboy rode up and helped bind the wolf with rope.  Jack then killed the wolf, hauled it home and weighed it.  Jack’s first dead wolf weighed 130 pounds.  Jack weighed 127.  He went on to catch over 1,000 wolves this way, keeping some alive for sale to Zoos, parks or experimental breeders.  When President Roosevelt heard about the colorful Abernathy, he took a vacation to Oklahoma Territory to ride with Jack and watch him jump on a wolf from a running horse, thrust his hand into the throat, and then wire the muzzle.  Abernathy did this on the President’s first afternoon ride.  Jack Abernathy, the piano-playing, singing, gun-toting cowboy busted broncs, settled wildernesses, and drilled oil gushers.  Before he retired he wore the badges of under-sheriff, posse member, deputy marshal, U.S. marshal, and Secret Service agent. But best of all, he had two awesome sons you’ll meet in another post.