Wolf Creek Cattle Company

Bad Blake

A year and a half ago, Dennis & Kathy Tebow decided to get in to the Bucking Bull business.  They started with 3 bulls.  Today, Wolf Creek Cattle Company of Magnum, OK has close to 70 bulls!  In 2012, Wolf Creek had bulls at 15 PBR Built Ford Tough series events and 6+ Touring Pro events.  Four of their bulls were in Las Vegas for the PBR World Finals.

I was excited to have the opportunity to talk with Reece Arnold, who manages the day-to-day operations at Wolf Creek Cattle and also finds the bulls for Dennis & Kathy to buy.  Reece works very closely with Dennis everyday to make sure the operation is running smoothly and the bulls are being cared for as best as they possibly can be.  Reece likened his working relationship to that of an extended family, saying they have dinner together a few times a week and that Dennis & Kathy are fun loving people, who provide a family atmosphere at work.  They go to as many PBR events as they can and along with Reece, are always looking for bulls to improve and grow their herd.  A major addition to the Wolf Creek Cattle Company is new driver/bull caretaker, Rex Meier, father of Oklahoma bull rider, Austin Meier.  Rex has been by to pick up the rig and start the process of learning how Wolf Creek works and getting to know their bulls.

Wolf Creek has 1 truck, but 2 sets of bulls.  The “better, more experienced” pen is kept for use in Texas, Oklahoma and events east of there.  The younger bulls go out to the west coast.  They need the truck time and learning experience of life on the road.  There they settle down and get in to a routine.  While on the road, the bulls are fed twice daily, morning and evening.  At home, the bulls are fed 13 pounds of a high energy mix feed, between 7:30 - 8:00 in the morning.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the bulls are exercised to improve lung capacity while bucking.  When the bulls are turned out, hay is added to the diet.  Routines are very important and each aspect of their care is to ensure the bulls are healthy and happy!

In Hartford CT October 2011, Kody Lostroh prepares his rope on Dark Shadow, his championship round opponent.

When I started to review the list of bulls Wolf Creek owns, the names of Bad Blake, Back Bender, Dark Shadow, MVP, Skatman Hou, Russian Roulette and Tapout immediately jumped out at me.  In 2011, Back Bender was the ABBI Classic World Champion, with Bad Blake finishing a close 2nd.  An extremely impressive way to start the herd!  Since then, Wolf Creek has added Boss Hog, Jitters, Whiskey Cures Ugly, TribalTuff.com and Condor Cocktail to name a few.

Back Bender strolls by me after bucking off Ty Pozzobon in NYC, January 2012

Back Bender is currently sidelined with a heel problem and may not buck as often in 2013.  I sure wish him a speedy recovery, and hope that that handsome boy makes it back to the BFTS real soon!

Bad Blake bucked great but was ridden by Valdiron de Oliveira in NYC for 88 points

Bad Blake, who, thanks to new sponsor Joe’s Boot Shop in Clovis, NM, is now “Joe’s Boot Shop Bad Blake”.  Reece told me that “Bad Blake has a neat personality.  There’s no petting him but he is always playful and spunky.  He gets extremely mad if he is left behind from an event!”  I asked Reece about the fact that Bad Blake was ridden several times in 2012.  He explained that “Bad Blake has a pattern when he bucks and will get ridden more.  No tricks, just kicks and spins.  Guys at the BFTS level should be able to ride a bull like that.”  Reece went on to tell me that Bad Blake was ridden in Las Vegas at the Finals for 87.5 points.  Since then he was bucked at LJ Jenkin’s Touring Pro event in Clovis, NM and was back to his Classic year form.

Other Wolf Creek bulls to watch for in 2013 are T90 High Cost of Living (from JW Hart), O50 MVP (from Baker & Carter) and 132B Whiskey Cures Ugly.  Reece believes these 3 bulls are on the verge of a break out year!  High Cost of Living was bucked in the 15/15 Bucking Battle here in CT earlier this year.  He bucked off  Valdiron de Oliviera.  He was a bit hard to handle but has settled down since then.

I asked Reece about how the bulls get along on the ranch.  He said, “once they are all sorted and in their pens, they all get along, no major power struggles, just a few scuffles which is mostly playing.”  He noted that 132B Whiskey Cures Ugly has a neat personality, 631 Tapout is standoffish and that usually 238 Skatman Hou is the first to feed.

I questioned their philosophy about breeding, bloodlines and what they look for in a bull.  Reece said he is not concerned with bloodlines, he is just looking for great bucking bulls, no matter where they come from, or, as he put it, "you can't ride a set of papers and you can't buck a set of papers" .  He noted that some of the great bucking bulls have not necessarily been good herd sires.  So as long as a bull can buck, Wolf Creek is interested.

My interest in bull names prompted me to ask Reece about Wolf Creek’s naming strategy.  He explained that most bulls come named and they don’t change the names.  Occasionally he and Dennis will come up with some unique name or something that really seems to fit a bull, so they will change a name at that time.

Wolf Creek Cattle Company is getting bulls ready for a trip to New York City, for the opening of the 2013 PBR season at Madison Square Garden.  They are waiting for the specific list of bulls, but in the mean time, the bulls are being rested and prepped.  Mineral shots, deworming and hoof care are at the top of the list, but mostly time off the truck is the best medicine.  Over the PBR break bulls went to the Clovis NM Touring Pro event and a set will be taken to Kearney, Nebraska next weekend for an event there, but that was it, as far as travel.

In closing, I asked Reece about the sponsors for Wolf Creek Cattle and he thanked “AC Nutrition”, who produces the special bull feed for Wolf Creek; “Joe’s Boot Shop” in Clovis, NM; and “Multi Min 90” who produces the mineral shots promoting good bull health.

It was an absolute pleasure to spend some time with Reece on the phone, and I am thankful he was willing to take time out of his busy schedule. I’d also like to thank JD Reasoner, of Wolf Creek Cattle, who was able to connect me with Reece for this interview.

I am excited to see the Wolf Creek bulls in New York next month, and follow their journey through 2013.  And if I may be so bold, stock contractors...watch out!  Wolf Creek is coming with a great set of bulls and we will be seeing a lot of them next year!!




Photograph of Bad Blake by Reece Arnold, used with permission.  Three event photographs by Susan Hanrahan