NFL star hit with backlash for hunting giant mountain lion with bow and arrow

2016 Denver Broncos Super Bowl champion Derek Wolfe said he shot and killed a big cat that had been “wreaking havoc” in a rural Colorado neighbourhood.

Former NFL star Derek Wolfe is facing backlash after he boasted about killing a 195 pound mountain lion with a bow and arrow.

The ex-Denver Broncos defensive said in an Instagram post that he had stalked and killed the big cat after he had been told it had killed two family dogs and was hiding under a deck in Grant, a small town in Park County, Colorado.

“Exhausted, dehydrated, cramping I drew back my (bow) and sent an (arrow) through him,” Wolfe wrote.

The 2016 Super Bowl champion said he fell 10 feet from a rock face with the carcass while trying to drag it back to his truck.

Wolfe, 32, shared a photo of the giant mountain lion on Instagram, which appeared as large as his six ft five inch frame.

While some former athletes and fellow hunters congratulated him and joked about needing a “winter coat”, Wolfe was heavily criticised elsewhere on social media for killing the lion.

“Even dead that Big Cat looks more majestic and powerful than the stupid human who killed him,” wrote one Twitter user.

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A post shared by Derek Wolfe (@derekwolfe_95)

“This is not cool. We don’t kill animals we get out of their space,” tweeted another person.

“Rich people need to find productive hobbies,” wrote one Twitter user.

Some pondered why animal control hadn’t been called in to move the lion.

Hunting mountain lions is legal in Colorado, albeit tightly regulated. A Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson told Fox31 Wolfe had killed the animal legally.