Most industry insiders understand why having some "Heat in that Meat" is important. When it comes to breeding and raising superstar buckers, let’s face it, duds and hand-lickers don’t generally go on to be electric and rank. Sure, there are exceptions like Red Rock and Little Yellow Jacket who were gentle later in their lives, but for the most part, big-leaguers don’t start out that way.

Take M-17 son Pudd. Most of us have heard the story. If not, here’s the long short of my favorite version. Ty Murray is at Bob Wilfong’s. Bob bets Ty he can’t slap a certain bull calf on the nose. Bob knows this certain calf is a tight pair of jeans waiting for a good reason to rip. And, we all know Ty can’t resist a bet. The slap turns the bull into a hornet. Ty narrowly escapes before getting the fire hooked outa his backside. Everyone present, including Bob and Ty, laugh hard enough to wet their pants. When the laughing subsides, the bull is given the same handle that Ty’s friends affectionately gave him while rodeoing: Pudd. The story is a good example of the depth of joy that a breeder can achieve when he has succeeded with having "Heat in that Meat." So, when it comes to intentionally putting "Heat in that Meat," Who’s Your Daddy?

If Heat is what you’ re looking for, there are a good number of breeders out there that swear M-17 is Your Daddy.

If Heat is what you’re looking for, there are a good number of breeders out there that swear M-17 is Your Daddy. Several years ago, I asked 10 different breeders, whom I respected for their knowledge and program quality, what the best bang for your buck was if you wanted kick and to "heat" up your program. Out of that handful of breeders, four of them said M-17. Those four were Danny Mason, Bob Wilfong, Monty Samford and Lyndal Hurst.

I took their advice, purchased some M-17 semen and talked the boys into using it on good cows whose past offspring had not shown the degree of kick and heat the industry was requiring. After two years of waiting, it was pretty thrilling to see such a measurable improvement in the caliber of offspring— especially in the kick category.

However, I was pretty sad when I heard the recent news that M- 17 had died while on cows at co-owner Jerry Lindley’s. Nobody seemed to know exactly what happened. The three co-owners, Hurst, Lindley and Cody Alford, opted not to have an autopsy done.

"He was in great shape," Hurst recalled. "As a matter of fact, he looked as good as he ever had. What I do know is he went downhill pretty fast. He started looking pretty bad on Friday, was seen by a vet Sunday and died Tuesday night," said a clearly disappointed Hurst. "We’re not positive, but suspect it may have been Hardware Disease."

The 13-year-old grey brindle’s tale winds through a pretty impressive list of accomplished programs. M-17's existence began at the Hargis Ranch, as a product of a mating between -17 and Blue Bitch, a Huffman cow. Danny Mason brought him onto the bucking scene and also got a lot of grief for turning down a pretty good amount of cash for him when the bull was only 3 or 4.

Bob Wilfong was the first to put him to work as a sire, and Vernon Guidry and Mack Altizer put the bull to the road test that can make or break a bonafide bucker. Finally, Hurst, Lindley and Alford pooled their money and bought the bull. Hurst talked about their decision to buy M-17. "Gene Baker and I had bought Houdini and I saw that he passed all the spin on to his calves. I also knew what Pudd and Microchip were all about. Both of those bulls had that heat and kick. I wanted him to put on my Houdini cows. I figured that combination would work. I’d get all that spin from Houdini and all the heat and kick from M-17. That’s what we were looking for when we pooled our money," recalled Hurst.

It appears that Hurst’s strategy has worked well.

"My best coming 2-year-olds are out of either Houdini or Lightning Jack females, and M-17. I think they’re the best calves I’ve ever had," said Hurst.