The Judge making the calls tonight will be Arkansas' Doug Compton, with Back-Up Judge Jackie Newton. The three panel members going to the woods include; Jackie Coomer, Jeff Travis and John Granberry.
PKC's Tony Secoy will join the cast in the woods and relay the Play By Play back to Jerry Moll to share with you on the PKC Home Page. Hope you enjoy!
Here are the Final Four contestants as they appear on the scorecard:
SCH Power Pack
Treeing Walker Male
DOB: 05-15-2007
Sire: SKUNA RIVER BARK
Dam: HARPER VALLEY GANDER
Pack's lifetime earnings; $8,509.46
Owner/Handler; Jerry Frazier of Moultrie, Georgia
Handler lifetime earnings: $24,383.78
Thirty three year old Jerry Frazier lives life large and part of that highly charged lifestyle is a 07 Walker model out of Skuna River Bark and Gander. Power Pack was part of John Strickland's kennel. When John quit the sport, Jerry bought Pack from him. “I knew what caliber of hounds that John had.” That was two years ago. Jerry has only had Pack in about fifteen hunts total with three of those being Pro Hunts before being here this weekend.
Jerry Frazier began coon hunting in 1990 after going along with one of his relatives. In 1991, he decided he wanted to get into the competitive aspect of the sport. It was a wise decision that helped him further himself in life. “I was living in Tennessee when I started. I won a college scholarship in 1994 at the Youth Championship.” Jerry has owned other good hounds before Pack such as Pick Pack Pickles.
It was after he moved to Georgia though that Jerry met his current hunting partner and fellow Georgia Car Credit worker Dennis Griffin. Dennis also shared a love of coon hunting after started hunting with his older brother Linton many years ago. Dennis has his own history with the PKC Truck Hunts. In 2000, he won a red Dodge with Griffin’s Blue Duke, the only Bluetick to win one to this point. Dennis got out of the sport right after that until he met Jerry. Jerry shared what he liked about Dennis, “Dennis is trustworthy and there is a lot to be said for that. We just hit is off and have been friends ever since.”
Now Dennis hunts Pack throughout the week for Jerry. In fact, it was Dennis who qualified Pack for this hunt. Even though Dennis won the ticket and came along this weekend, it is Jerry who has been behind Pack this weekend. “This is the first time that I’ve handled him in a major competition hunt. Dennis hunts with his twelve year old granddaughter who probably knows him better than me.”
Even though he hasn't put as much time in with Pack as Dennis, Jerry's weekend has been successful. “In the first round, Pack had 375 plus on two coons. In the late round, he treed the only coon we saw.”
Jerry shared Pack's strengths that he feels he will bring to the Final Round. “Pack is always by himself. It doesn't matter if coons are moving or not or if he is hunted on feeder buckets or has to go look for them – he is always action packed!”
Even though Pack was flown down to the truck hunt, Jerry will be finding out if part of Pack's action will have him flying home on the plane again or riding home in the new Chevy that he won.
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CH Buck Creek Turner
Treeing Walker Male
DOB: 08-04-2007
Sire: BUCK CREEK MR. SMITH
Dam: STYLISH DEB
Turner's lifetime earnings; $3,015.00
Owner; Larry Remsburg of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
Handler; Darryle Kaiser of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Handler lifetime earnings: $18,602.97
Buck Creek Turner is a 07 model Walker out of Mr. Smith and Stylish Deb. He was bred, raised, trained and hunted by his handler tonight Darryle Kaiser. The fact that Turner ever made it to this point in life is a story in itself.
“It is a miracle that Turner is here. Deb had three pups on a Friday and I just felt she had more in her. I took her to the vet on Saturday and sure enough she had one more pup in her. The vet said that he could perform a C-Section or we’d lose the pup. I told him to let the pup go. The vet went up in her with a noose like thing and pulled the puppy out and tossed it aside. I noticed the pup was moving and had made it. That was Turner. I wasn’t going to keep him because I don’t like to hunt males, but my wife Leanne told me that we had better keep him because he was lucky. My wife and daughters Brittney and Tiffany have been very supportive of my coon hunting and I listened.”
Having family support is important because Pennsylvania native Darryle Kaiser has been coon hunting 32 years. “My neighbor Curtis Raker got me into it when I was twelve years old. He also got me into competition hunting. Being in Pennsylvania is hard for PKC hunting. We are on the outside of all the major hunts. To be here is quite an accomplishment for our state.”
Even with a limited competition base, Darryle has managed to win the US Championship in 1990 against 600 dogs. In his PKC career, Darryle won the first Pennsylvania PKC State hunt and has won the PKC State Race three years in a row with Pennsylvania Sonny, out of Pennsylvania Jill and Pennsylvania Hawker.
All of this is quite an accomplishment, but it is an even bigger honor for Larry Remsburg, who is the owner of Turner. Darryle met Larry a veteran coon hunter of 45 years through the nite hunts. “I used to own all my dogs and knew he was looking for a handler. I called Larry up and talked to him about handling for him. He said, ‘Let’s hook up and do some talking.’ Without him, I wouldn’t be here. He has been great to hunt for.”
Turner has done well in his home state of Pennsylvania, but this is his first major national event outside of the Super Stakes. Darryle and his hunting partner and co-pilot for this trip, Cameron Saunders, made the 16 ½ hour drive to get to Lula early Wednesday. “We came down to hunt with our friend Greg Stull here in Mississippi before the Show Down began.”
Letting Turner stretch his legs before it was time to get down to business has obviously paid off because now Darryle and Turner are in the Final Four. Darryle is hoping that this round goes as well as the first two. “Our first two casts went really good. We treed three coons. I had a hunt with good judging, good guys and good guides. It was the same with the second round. We couldn’t ask for anything better.”
When asked what strengths Turner was taking into this last round, Darryle said, “Just getting by himself with a coon - what he does best.” If he stays true to task, Darryle will be glad he brought along Cameron to help drive a truck back on the long trek back to Pennsylvania!”
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SCH Evan's Big Ego
Treeing Walker Male
DOB: 07-10-2005
Sire: DAVIS' STY HARRY'S HAMMER
Dam: CORDES REDHEAD KATE
Ego's lifetime earnings; $7,514.30
Owners; Phillip Evans/Dave Seese of Fayetteville, Tennessee
Handler; Phillip Evans of Fayetteville, Tennessee
Handler lifetime earnings: $4,610.88
Ego is a 05 model out of Dave’s Stylish Harry’s Hammer and Cord’s Redhead Kate. Having a Big Ego is also the reason that the 27 year old Tennessee native Phillip Evans is here this weekend. Phillip had taken a short break from coon hunting after starting to coon hunt with his granddaddy Bill Griffen at the tender age of six. “I really liked the dog aspect of coon hunting.”
Phillip began competition hunting when he was fourteen years old through David Gleghorn. However, due to limited time and a lack of a good dog, Phillip got out of it for a while. Even though he wasn’t participating anymore, Phillip was missing the sport. Then three years ago, he heard about Ego and things were about to change!
“I heard that Ego was a good dog so I bought him from Danny Byrum.” Though he was back into hunting, Phillip wasn’t pushing his new dog too hard. That was about to change when David Seese heard about Ego and wanted to buy into him. “I hunt with Ronnie Nickens and David Gleghorn who hunt Claxton owned by David. After I sold David half of him, Ego has been on a roll.”
That winning streak has included getting into the Final Four three out of six nights at the Sunshine Jamboree, getting in at a $500 added in Santa Fe, and qualifying this past December for the 2013 Senior Showdown. These accomplishments have pushed Ego to the top of the Tennessee State Race and Walker Breed Race in addition to the lead of the National Male Race. Now Ego can add placing in the Final Four of the 2012 Senior Showdown to that resume.
Phillip came down to Mississippi with Kelsey Owens who rooted him on as he advanced round to round. “On the first cast we had three den trees. He made two of them. On the last one, he made it too, but I waited until the twenty-five. The other dogs had taken minus on an opossum. On the second cast, Ego made two trees and we found one coon. The other dog also treed a coon. Both cast were good with good guides.”
Phillip shared what strengths Ego brings to this last cast. “He doesn’t get tired. He is as good on the third cast as he is in the first cast. He has a good mouth and also usually has a coon.”
Hopefully that energy level will pull through so Phillip and Kelsey will be driving home separately with one Big Ego!
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GCH Childers' Polly Ann
Treeing Walker Female
DOB: 06-08-2006
Sire: RANKS STYLISH ROCK
Dam: JAMISON STYLISH FLY
Polly Ann's lifetime earnings; $15,187.29
Owner; Leon Childers of Fairborn, Ohio
Handler; Brent Springer of Hillsboro, Ohio
Handler lifetime earnings: $31,453.54
The 06 model Polly Ann, out of Stylish Rock and Stylish Fly, is the only female in tonight’s Final Four. Her owner Leon Springer and handler Brent Springer aren’t worried about their little female being outnumbered. She has been doing well in the Pro Hunts and placed in the Final Four of the 2010 World Hunt with Brent behind her.
Her owner Leon Childers knows a good dog when he sees one and he saw one in Polly Ann. “I hunted with her when she was five months old and noticed she had a lot of potential. I asked her owner Tim Jaminson what he’d take for her. He wanted about twice what she was worth, so I went ahead and bought her.”
Leon Childers has been hunting PKC since 1993. He’s done well in the Pro Hunts, the Super Stakes and got his Crow dog in the Final Four of the World Hunt. It was through his participation in the hunts that he met fellow Ohio coon hunter Brent Springer.
Brent wasn’t born or raised with coon hunting, but after going along one time, he has stuck with the sport for fifteen years now. Brent got involved in the competitive side on his own accord. “I read about it in the books. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned on my own.”
Leon obviously had the same eye for a winning handler as he did for a winning hound. “I was in need of a handler and found it in Brent. I had seen him in the hunts and knew that he was good.” Since pairing Polly Ann with Brent two years ago, she has accumulated close to $15,000 in winnings.
Both Leon and Brent have been to the Truck Hunt before, but this is the first visit to it by Polly Ann. “This is the first truck hunt ticket we’ve ever tried for. I don’t really try to win them at the local events. The only reason we went for truck ticket was because it was the beginning of the month and we got in the Final Four of English Days. We hunted it off and then we were on a roll. The Truck Hunt is a fun event to attend anyway.”
Polly Ann didn’t have beginners fright though. She started her run off just right. “On her first cast on Friday, Polly Ann treed three coons. She had two of those to herself. Then in the late round, she treed three singles to herself. We didn’t score the last one because I didn’t need it.”
When asked what strengths she had for the Final Round, Brent said, “Polly Ann doesn’t make many mistakes. She will get by herself most of the time and she is good about having a coon. She has a lot of heart and that is one thing that will definitely help her.”
Leon is about to see if his luck at the casino is about to pay off big with his pick on this handler and hound. Things are definitely looking up by making it into the Final Four tonight.
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Now that we have learned a little more about each of them, one can’t wonder which will be driving home in the truck purchased from Mitch Smith Cheverolet and made possible by Purina. Will Power Pack show he has the rpm’s needed in this last round to win the new truck? Will Buck Creek Turner be able to turn the corner on his competition to earn him a new Chevy? Could Big Ego have the ability to match his name so he can ride home with a big head in his new truck? Or will the only female in this cast Polly Ann have the upbeat hunt needed to bring home a new truck?
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The Final Cast
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Sunset tonight is scheduled for 5:34 PM CST and the Weatherman predicts it will be a cloudy 58 degrees with WNW wind at seven MPH. There is only a ten percent chance of precipitation. The weather will not change much through the cast with the temperature only dropping to fifty degrees by midnight.
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The cast just left for the woods, we should be underway soon.
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The cast has arrived and getting ready to turn loose.
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The dogs have been cast inside the levee. Pack struck for 100.
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Polly for 75, Turner for 50 and Ego for a quarter.
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Pack is DEEP and the opposite direction of the others, he's getting hard to hear.
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While tightening up on Pack, Ego is treed behind the cast for 100, Turner for 75. Polly is still trailing. The two is working on treed dogs.
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Working two again, dogs may be in the ground. Cast still moving toward treed dogs...
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Turner is minused 75- for moving, still going toward ego. Ego is found and handled in the ground. Circle him up for 125.
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After walking Ego his minute, the six is applied and Turner opened, Ego is recast.
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Tony says it seems like Pack is in there a mile.
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Ego is restruck for a quarter and Turner is treed for 100, but the two is being worked off and on.
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Pack and Polly are still out of the general area.
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Having a hard time reaching Turner, in a deep slough. Ego had covered Turner after the five.
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The fur ball is there! Plus up Turner for 125+ and minus Ego for 25-. Walked a minute, six is working.
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The six is broke and Turner and Ego are recast.
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Ego is restruck for a quarter near where Polly is working. Turner is struck for a quarter.
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Turner treed for 100. Ego is treed for a quarter. Two working.
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Ego minused his quarter for moving.
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Turner and Polly are handled at Turner's tree. They were in a hole at the base of the tree. Circle Turner 125 and delete Polly's 75 strike points.
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Turner and Polly are walked a minute and released.
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The six is working on Pack and Ego. The fifteen is working on Turner.
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The six got them, minus Pack for 100- and Ego for 25-. All dogs are competing for 100 strike points. The fifteen is off Turner.
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Score summary:
Pack: 100-
Turner: 75+ (125 circle)
Ego: 75- (125 circle)
Polly: -
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Polly struck for 100, Turner for 75. Stationary on Turner.
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Not much hunting time left.
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Ego struck for 50 and treed for 100, Polly for 75. The cast is walking a long way around some deep water. The dogs are treed near the levee.
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Plus em' Up, Polly Wins the 2012 PKC Senior Showdown!
Both Turner and Ego are "Dead Lock Tied" . They will split second and third place or flip for it. They are rounding up dogs now.
The handlers of Turner and Ego chose to split second and third.
Final scores:
Fourth Place, Pack: 100-
Second/Third Split, Turner: 75+ (125 circle)
Second/Third Split, Ego: 75+ (125 circle)
First Place, Polly: 175+