2017 PKC Pup Shoot-Out Final Four Interviews

The dogs, owners and handlers listed herein have won a prestigious PKC Truck Hunt in the years indicated.

Moderators: R D Carnegie, Kristi Denney, Jerry Moll, Shane Patton, Chris Freiberger

Jerry Moll
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2017 PKC Pup Shoot-Out Final Four Interviews

Postby Jerry Moll » Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:06 pm

By PKC National Youth Director; Amy Thomas

There are a lot of connections to truck with our Final Four tonight who are at the Isle of Capri Casino trying to win the new truck. The 2017 Pup Shoot Out co-sponsored by PKC, Purina, SportDOG, and the Isle of Capri Casino should have a very interesting end for one of these high horse powered young hounds. No matter what, someone is going to win a brand new truck, second place will leave with $2,000 in their pocket, third place will head home with $1,000 in theirs, and fourth place is leaving the casino with $500 dollars in their wallet. No one out of these four will be leaving empty-handed, but how the odds fall for who is the big winner is yet to be determined. As we wait to see how it all turns out, let’s take a moment to learn a little more about these Final Four handlers and the dogs that have emerged at the top of the 64 dogs who came to participate.

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Young’s Southern Grits; Owned and handled by Dennis Young

There are a lot of very interesting circumstances when it comes to the 13 model Young’s Southern Grits being in this Final Four. Dennis Young came to own Grits when he was in search for a good dog and a guy that he knew had to sell Grits because he needed to have transmission work on his truck. It is pretty ironic that truck repairs are what brought the young hound out of Power Pack and the Easy female into Dennis’ ownership.

Grits was around 18 months old when Dennis first got him. Dennis liked that he was out of Power Pack who goes back to the Skuna River line. Dennis has hunted this line for 20 years now and has always enjoyed them. He feels that the Skuna River line has consistently thrown good dogs over the years.

Grits has lived up to that reputation also. Dennis talked about what it is about the young hound that he likes, “He is just a pleasure to have, hunt, and be with. He has a lot of character of his own. I love to coon hunt and I enjoy working with pups, but when I turn Grits out, I expect him to go tree a coon. He has a great handle on him. I travel all week for my job and I take Grits with me. When I hunt with all these people up and down the highway, I have to have a dog that will not keep them out to all hours of the morning or I would not get invited back.”

It was very unexpected for Dennis to find himself even at the PKC Pup Shoot Out this year. He did not even know that he had made it in until Monday before the event. It happened that one of the females who qualified came in heat and was no longer available. That was when Dennis got the call. He talked about this, “Tony called me. The ironic thing about this was when I got my call, I was in the doctor’s office trying to get my blood pressure straightened out. I had to decide it I was going to work on getting that taken care of for this week or be here. When they say, ‘Do you want to come?’ The answer is, ‘Yes I want to come!’ Everything seemed to fall in place.”

Dennis had been to the Senior Show Down last year and really enjoyed it, but he is not one to run for a truck ticket. In fact, he had made up his mind that he was done with the truck ticket race after that trip. It was because he was the Florida State Champion and the Florida State Race winner in 2016 that he decided to try for this ticket. He discussed this, “I told my mother after I had earned the first ticket that I was done with that race. Then I told her I was at it again. She said, ‘I thought you were through’. It was hard to explain. I do not really run for a ticket, but this is fun and enjoyment. I have a job that supports my hunting habit. Hunting is my hobby and enjoyment. I enjoy the people I meet and get to hunt with. I travel more than a thousand miles a day and Grit goes with me every day. Grits knows what it is to hunt on the road and luckily that gets him ready for a hunt like this. I wish I would have had more notice about coming here because I grew up in Grenada, Mississippi and I would have gone there to hunt and would let him get some extra exposure to this area.”

Dennis is fortunate that his lifestyle and having Grit on the road all the time gave him a shot at being able to compete against the other 63 dogs that showed up in Lula, Mississippi this weekend. So far, it has been a very nice experience for him. He stated, “We have had super guides and judges. There has been very little discussion about things being done wrong. If a judge keeps things under control, you will always have good hunts. If you have a judge that does not then you have people that want something for nothing and you have problems.”

Things would start off well when Dennis and Grits won the early round with 375 plus. They drew out with RTO's Sally Again owned by Perry Ross and being handled by Tony Walker; Jake's Highway owned by Parsley/Morgan and being handled by Jonathan Parsley; and Big Ridge Psalm owned by Townsell/Townsell and being handled by Brandon Townsell. Dennis discussed the details of that cast, “We had a great judge in Bud Hood. Grits treed the first coon in a hollow log and then treed one by himself. I thought I had a tough break when our guide walked close to Grits and he left the tree as we were going to Highway. I tried to get an interference call, but did not happen. I took what was coming to me and dealt with it. Grits treed again and I am not sure if it was that same tree or not. Bud saw the coon there. After that, the stationary was put on him a couple times, but broke. Highway had a tree that I thought would be a minus when we got to it, but the coon was in clump of vines at the top. That put Grits and Highway closer together. Highway treed a coon, but I still had a good lead at that time. We all had last strike and I treed Grits for 25 points on Highway’s tree. Highway is a nice dog and I am glad we did not have another ten or fifteen minutes in the hunt or I would have been in trouble.

Dennis and Grits were heading back out late. This time they were joined by Justin Gobble hunting his Late Round Bleezy; Mike Thorton hunting Wipeout T that he co-owns with Weaver; and Scott Christen hunting Honest Shine owned by Houchin/Meredith. Grits won with the cast with 450 plus making it look like a blow out when the scores were posted, but it was far from that. Dennis talked about how that late round went, “This was a lot faster paced hunt than what I am used to. It was confusing and not as laid back as I would like things to be. I am 67 years old and all that moving tells on me.”

He continued, “I had first and first on the first tree and it was circled. Two of the other dogs had split and they saw their coon. Then I was behind. One dog treed and so did a female. We went to the female and did not see it. Grits treed and we saw that coon and that put me ahead by 25 points. The dogs treed again, but we did not see it. Grits treed again and Sluggo thought it was the same tree. John Granberry said it was not because of a squirrel nest that was in it and not in the other tree. If not for squirrel nest, I would have been done. Bleezy treed and had coon. The T dog’s tracking collar was not working. T got treed and I am not sure where Grits was treed at, so I had to strike him when I heard him. I was scared it was that first tree and I hesitated, but called him. Grits and T were split with the T dog being a little further on. Then the T dog walked into Grit’s tree and got withdrawn. When they came to score my tree, he had it and that put me ahead by 25 points from the Bleezy female. Then Bleezy treed again, but it was minused and that gave me some breathing room. The stationary was put on Grits a couple times, but it got broke. I did not tree him until the last 10 seconds. When we got there and I saw that it was at least a den, I knew I was safe and had won the cast. I was satisfied to just circle up Grits’ tree and go to bed, but the judges looked and saw the coon in one of the holes. Bleezy was treed again at the end, but the hunt was over.”

Grits had put Dennis into the Final Four. When asked how it feels to be in this spot, he replied, “I like to stay under the radar and I do not want a lot of publicity. I just love to coon hunt and go hard; I hunt 4 to 5 nights a week. This is my fun and relaxation. As for how it feels with this, I am blessed to be here. This is not about us, it is about our Lord and Savior. There are still a lot of good dogs and handlers left in this. Every dog that was here this weekend was capable of winning and it just worked out for us. I just have to say like I said in advice I gave to my son who played professional baseball, ‘Let someone know that you showed up today. You may not win, but let them know that you were there.’ It is the same for this, it is fun and games for me and I just want my dog to well.”

When asked if he had to name an advantage that Grits will bring to the Final Four round tonight, what would it be? Dennis replied, “He tries to tree coons.”

Then when asked if there were any people that he wanted to give a ‘shout out’ to before heading out tonight, Dennis replied, “I have good friend Buddy Mobley in Aberdeen, Mississippi, who is heading here tonight. When I am on the road, Mr. Buddy is always willing to take me hunting. I have coon hunted 35 years and have met a lot of nice people. We try to forget those who are not and build our experiences off of the ones that are good to us. I have a buddy in Georgia, Terry who told me that if I could not win, he would have to hunt Grits for me. I teased Terry about an AKC hunt he went to and about winning it and making it on to the cover of American Cooner and sure enough he did and got on the cover!”

Even though he does not like the spotlight, Dennis may be the next one to grace a cover with Grits. Grits was bought because of money needed for a truck repair, he spends most of his life traveling in a truck with Dennis, and now he is one of four hounds in the running to win a new truck tonight. If nothing else, Dennis Young has truly enjoyed an experience of a lifetime this weekend and hopefully tonight’s last cast will not be the one to get his blood pressure up!


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Full Throttle Melt Down; Owned by Landreth/Landreth, Handled by Dustin Weed

The thing about Dustin Weed and Full Throttle Melt Down is that they are always a contender for the win when it comes to the big game! The 12 model Walker off of Robert Stiver’s Full Throttle Jiggs has many titles under his belt from National Race Championships, to Walker Championships, to the Breeders’ Showcase Open Division Championship just to name a few. Melt Down and Dustin are seen in many Final Fours and have even made it into the Top Six of the PKC World Championship. In all of their interviews for their success, there has been one thing that has been at the top of their ‘to do’ list and that is win a truck.

Melt Down has been a big enjoyment for Andy, his son Dillon, and Dustin. The hound has put them in many magazine articles with all that he has accomplished. When asked what it is about Melt Down that he likes, Andy replied, “Everything he does. He wins us a lot of money and it is enough to keep us hunting.

Dustin Weed has trained Melt Down and he knows him well. Melt Down has brought many victories for Dustin and the Landreths, but Dustin’s ability as a good handler has been in place before Melt Down was even born. In fact, Dustin has been in this Final Four spot for the truck before when he was still a youth hunter. He ended up in second place that night, but he knows what it feels like to get this close. Now is his opportunity for a second chance and to see if Melt Down is the hound that can make a longstanding dream come true!

It really is no surprise to see Dustin and Melt Down in this Final Four of the 2017 Pup Shoot Out at the Isle of Capri. The two had been on quite a winning streak last year and continued with it since this year has rolled in. They recently hunted two nights at the Black Eye Pea Classic in Texas and won it all on Friday night. Texas is the place where Melt Down also earned his pup ticket last January. The first of the year is always a time that Andy Landreth enjoys because he gets a break from farming and can enjoy some R and R.

Andy and his son are also at the Isle of Capri this weekend with Dustin, but Andy definitely will not be getting any rest and relaxation tonight. He is not heading out to the woods, but is going to stay back and watch the play-by-play from the casino. Dustin joked, “He will probably wear a hole in the carpet pacing.”

Winning a truck is something that Dustin has come close to and Andy has always wanted to see Dustin accomplish. He shared, “I always thought that if Dustin could make it to the Final Four, then he would win it.”

Dustin’s journey to this Final Four position began on Friday when he drew out on the early round against Simple Life Mocephus owned by Soles/Burdue and being handled by Rodney Soles; Kansas Big Top owned and handled by Blaise Bauer; and Hardeman's Harry's Jeb owned by Cress Hardeman and being handled by Kalem Loyd. Melt Down won his cast with 375 plus for that first step to tonight. Dustin talked about how that round went for him and Melt Down, “We had a good cast and he looked good. He treed two coons and had a den.”

However, the next step to the truck goal was going to have some big obstacles to overcome. Dustin and Melt Down drew out in the late round with quite the cast of hounds and handlers. There was a whole lot of experience paired with young dog talent on that round. Dustin was joined by Jeff Nelson hunting Nelson's Northern Dixie; Mike Carroll hunting Slow Talking Duke co-owned by him and Roger Shabel; and Randy Leonard hunting Kerry Rooks’ Awesome’s Hard Time Smoke. Mere point placement separated the winner from the losers on this round. Dustin and Melt Down eked out the win with 175 plus.

Dustin talked about his late round, “We cut loose and they treed a coon. The six caught me and I took 75 minus. They cut back loose and must have messed with something because Duke took 175 minus. Meltdown treed on a den and then a coon. Duke treed a coon. Then Melt Down treed again on a den. Duke treed and then Smoke treed. Melt Down treed at end of hunt and had to have a coon to win and he had one.”

Finding themselves in this Final Four may be nerve racking for Andy, but it is a moment that he has hoped for since he has had hounds competing in PKC. He talked about it, “I am just excited to be here. It is one of the things that has been on my bucket list and here we are. We are going to try to do it tonight. I know that I have a good handler behind Melt Down.”

When asked about what advantage that he felt that Melt Down would bring to the Final Four round, Dustin hesitated to answer. He then said, “I remember the last time I was hunting in this and you asked me that. I said my advantage was to tree a coon and the dog ended up treeing two dens! The thing about Melt Down though is that he just always keeps you in the game, so that is his advantage.”

Dustin has a big support group behind him and before he heads out tonight, he wants to take a moment to recognize them. He shared, “I want to thank Andy, Dillon, my mom and dad, my wife, and baby girl for being there by my side. I also want to thank all of my friends and family for their support.”

Andy added in his words of thanks, “I want to thank Dustin for handling Melt Down along with all people that have been there for me in the past. I also want to thank PKC for putting this event on, so we all can have a shot to win it.”

Andy, Dillon, and Dustin have spent a lot of time together in the woods since January. Melt Down is ready and has shown his capabilities to win time and time again for the three men behind him. Now he has a really important cast tonight and it is one that could make a big dream come true…we are going to be finding out here in just a little bit if he can put a little ‘Dirt’ on the tires of a new truck!


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American Tow Dolly; Owned by Ashley Guthrie, Handed by Austin Sigmon

Now with a name like American Tow Dolly it is pretty fitting for her to be in the running. A lot of wear and tear goes along with the miles that are driven with a coon hound in the back of a truck. However, a tow is not needed when you are tooling around in a brand new truck. That could be just the case for Ashley Guthrie and Austin Sigmon tonight if Dolly can pull off one more cast.

This 14 model Walker female is off of Slow Talking Buzz and Long Shot Tazie. Austin and his wife Mary Elizabeth owned her mother. They decided to breed her to Mike Carroll’s Slow Talking Buzz to raise a litter. Austin gave Dolly away when she was four months old, but then ended up buying her back ten months later.

Austin is not new to PKC, but this is his first time to get to this point in the truck hunt. Austin has been active in the registry for about 12 years now. When he was around sixteen years old, he finished second in the PKC Youth World Championship. He has continued to enjoy competing in the registry and has great support from his wife Mary Elizabeth. She has not only been by his side, but she has handled their dogs in the hunts also. The Sigmons have enjoyed winning Pro Hunts, getting Dolly into the Top 16 of the PKC Super Stakes, and winning the North Carolina State Hunt three different times with three different dogs that they have owned.

It is not secret that Longshot Bigfoot has been a winner for them, but Dolly is one that they have really enjoyed also. She definitely made herself part of the Sigmon household and even stayed in the house. Austin shared what it is about her that he likes, “She is a pretty good strike dog. She is not real flashy, but she hustles and is good about having a coon.”

Her hustle last July earned Austin a truck ticket when she did exceptionally well at the Breeders’ Showcase. She and Sundy Best got in every single night and hunted it off every night. Sundy won one night and Dolly won the other. That success earned Austin and Dolly their truck ticket that has got them to this spot this weekend.

However, that could have just as easily not been the case. It was out of the blue that Austin would get a call from Ashley Guthrie about purchasing Dolly. The two knew of each other, but did not really know each other before Ashley bought Dolly. Ashley talked about how he came in on her, “I bought her from Austin at the end of November. It was the week before Mark Hall’s Invitational Hunt. I did not have anything to hunt and I had tried to buy Heelz back from Eric Henry, but could not. When I got Dolly, they told me that she was close to coming in heat. We went to Mark’s and she got struck, but we did not see any coons. She came in right after the hunt and I think a lot of her being off had to do with that was she so close to coming in.”

Since then, Ashely has learned more about his purchase and he is impressed. He talked about what it is that he likes about her, “Her strike ability makes her heard to beat. She is a 100 strike dog and can be struck off the lead, if needed. She is always by herself and good about having a coon. Her strike is what makes her hard to beat.”

However, Ashley saw that Dolly had a bond to the Sigmons and he paired them back up together. He talked about their bond, “Mary Elizabeth loves Dolly and treats her like a house dog. I think that is probably why Austin has done so well with her, they have bonded. When I bought her, I did not let her sleep in my bed and I do not think she liked me like she does them. When Austin got her back, he went right back to winning with her. Austin hunted her in the North Carolina State Hunt and won first place to make her the North Carolina State Champion.”

Winning is what Austin has been doing since he left the Isle of Capri Casino for his first cast. On the Early Round, Austin and Dolly found themselves heading to the woods to hunt against Spider Man owned by Burch/Nettles and being handled by Derrick Nettles; Wipeout Little Bud owned by Shackleford/Swords/Granberry and being handled by John Granberry; and White Oak Bottom Jim owned and handled by Dewayne Matlock. It would be an interesting hunt for Austin or at least getting to Dolly’s last tree would be an adventure!

Austin talked about that first cast, “I had first strike, but then drew 100 minus points for treeing her too quick. She treed a den and then I took 25 strike and 50 tree points on a coon. When we recut, I treed her with about 10 minutes to go. It took us about 2 hours to get to her. We went swimming and all kinds of stuff. The hunt was over an hour and a half before we ever got to score the tree, but she had a coon.”

The late round would find Austin heading back to the woods, but at least not having to go swimming before it was over. This time, Austin and Dolly drew out with Lamar Pettyjohn hunting Mill Creek’s Winslip co-owned by him and Weaver; Hunter Jones hunting Just Kidding Tess co-owned by him and Davis; and Cheyenne Cummings hunting his Redneck Backwoods Shack. Dolly would win the cast with 450 plus. Austin talked about that round, “I had 550 points, but the six caught me. Dolly was treed with two minutes left in the hunt, but I did not have to tree her. She had a coon there. The late round was a good one. We treed five coons.”

Now Austin is in the Final Four. When asked how he felt about that, he shared, “It feels pretty good. I have always wanted to win this hunt. This is my eighth time here and I have only won one cast before this.”

Ashley is also thrilled to see Dolly and Austin in the Final Four, he said, “I am super excited. I wish I could have been there hunting her myself. I have a youth conference this weekend and could not get free. I almost had two in the Finals with Justin Chism and Impact, but they took a bad hit at the end of their cast.”

When asked about what he thought she would bring to the Final round as an advantage, Austin shared, “She has heart and she never quits. She always hunts and hustles, so she always gives you a shot. Every time you turn her loose, she is 110% and will be wide open.”

Ashley added, “Dolly has all the ability in the world. She will do what she has to find those coons and I feel that she is going to tree as many coons as anyone else and will take a high end strike.”

Before Austin and Dolly head out tonight, both men were asked if they had anyone that they wanted to mention. Ashley started off, “Austin and Mary Elizabeth are the ones who got her qualified and got her in the Final Four of this truck hunt where everyone dreams to be. I really appreciate them for all they have done with Dolly. I have to thank the Lord for allowing Dolly to be bought and blessing us with this sport. I also want to mention Cecil Pittman. He has taught me everything I know and I appreciate him and all the guys who help me hunt my dogs.”

Austin continued with his words of gratitude, “I really have to thank my wife Mary Elizabeth for sure. She hunts these dogs with me and does so much in the sport. She is a huge part of my life and I truly appreciate her. I also want to thank the people back home; we could not do anything without them helping us out with the kids. I would like to mention Greg Dillinger who used to own Dolly before I bought her back. I also want to thank Ashley for figuring out that Dolly worked well for me and putting us back together. I am enjoying getting to know him better.”

Now the time has come to see if Dolly will be able to be the one who will have an old truck in tow while the Sigmon’s drive home a new one for Ashley Guthrie. We are about to find out just what their future holds and if the truck is in that picture…


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Dirty White Girl; Owned by Shabel/Jones/Morrett, Handled by William Stokes

Now if it seemed that Grits had a connection to trucks, the story behind Dirty White Girl being at the Isle of Capri Casino is even more ironic when it comes to trucks! This 13 model Walker female off of Dirty White Boy was supposed to be hunted by Nathan Morrett, but at the last minute, Bill Stokes was asked if he could fill in. That may not have been a problem, but Bill’s truck broke down and he had no way to get her or get to Lula, Mississippi. If it were not for Bud Hood (an ambassador to these sport for many years as Bill described him), Bill and Dirty White Girl would not be in this Final Four tonight.

Bill talked about how everything worked out for him to handle Dirty White Girl and for him to get to the hunt this weekend, “I just got her Sunday. Nathan had sent her to Jeremy Jones. I could not meet up with Jeremy to get her because my truck was broke. Bud hunted a double header in Indiana and picked her up for me. We met at the Casey’s in Greenup. In the meantime, I ordered an axle and I hoped to have it before having to head here, but I did not get it. Bud then drove over here and got me. He brought me to Roger Shabel’s cabin to hunt and then to the casino. I am now driving his truck now to go out on the casts. Without him, I would not be here.”

It is hard to believe that Bill Stokes is in the Final Four of the Pup Shoot Out with a female that he only had five nights to hunt and get to know. However, he is a hard hunting PKC handler and has established himself as a successful one since hunting in his first World Championship in 2003. He made it to the Finals of the 2007 PKC World and he also has won the Super Stakes along with many other cast wins along the way. Paired up with a good hound like Dirty White Girl, Bill always has a chance at that big win and tonight proves just that.

Dirty White Girl has also made this crunch time in getting to know her an enjoyable task for Bill. He talked about what he thinks of Girl, “There is not a person alive that would not like this dog. She is a sweet little dog that just wants to please you. During the day you do not even know she is there because she is so quiet. When you take her out hunting though, she is always rambling and moving and trying to make something happen. So far, when she has treed, she does not leave. She is just an all-around dog that it would be hard not to like.”

Liking her and getting to know her and prep for this hunt with such short time are two different things though. Bill had to get to work quickly and he did just that. He talked about what they did before he had to draw out on that first cast Friday night, “I hunted her Sunday and Monday night, but I laid her up on Tuesday to give her some rest. On Wednesday, Bud came and got us and drove us to Roger’s cabin. On Thursday, Mike Carroll came to the cabin and we hunted. I just hunted her a few drops to keep her rested up. Then we came here.”

Bill has been to the truck hunt five or six times before tonight, but this is the first time he has won a cast. His winning streak at this event must have been accumulating because when it all burst through, it did not stop. It all started on his early round when Bill and Dirty White Girl drew out with Bad Track Sniper owned by Wells/Raines and being handled by Austin Lane; Huff Hollow Shot owned by Umbarger/Travis and being handled by Jeff Travis; and Stylish Slide owned by Wood/Wallace and being handled by Justin Wallace. Bill and Girl won the cast with 75 plus.

Bill talked about how that cast went, “We went to government ground. We cut them in there and they all got struck. Sniper and Slide treed, but it was an opossum. Shot and Sniper got treed on one tree and Slide was treed on another. The one tree was slick and Slide had a den. That was when I heard mine. When we pulled the dogs off and recut, I could not hear her anymore because she was in over a mile. Luckily the dogs went towards her. Sniper covered Girl and Shot went past and treed. Girl had a coon. Shot’s tree was slick. Then Sniper and Girl treed close again. I did not have to tree her, but I did for 50 points. They had an opossum. Slide treed again, but it was after the hunt over. One coon was the only thing we looked at, but we had a good cast for opossums.”

Bill’s first cast was not a coon hunter’s dream and the late round would also be a tough one. It would be a battle of the Midwest coon hunters when he drew out with Jed Finley hunting Trader's Wreck It Ralph, co-owned by him and Ralston; Justin Chism hunting American Impact owned by Ashley Guthrie; and Kennard Little hunting his female Queen. Bill and Dirty White Girl won that cast with 125 plus, but it was anyone’s game at any point in the cast.

Bill shared details of how the late round went, “It was basically about the same way, but we treed three coons on that round. We cut them and they went 175 yards on one. I had first strike and last tree with Girl. Jed had third strike and first tree with Ralph and Chism’s dog was split about 20 feet away from them. Impact was slick and Girl and Ralph were on a den. The other female was still at large. We cut off of that tree and Girl and Ralph got through there together. Ralph split off and Girl ran a little track and treed. Ralph came back in to her on that one. I had 125 points on that and Jed got 100 points. Impact got treed again and had a coon. Then things really slowed down. Finally Impact got treed and had another coon and that put him on the plus side with 75 point. Queen took a strike minus on Impact’s second coon. Ralph and Impact were all were within reach of the cast win then. Queen and Girl got into some rough stuff. Queen treed, but she had a den. We cut her on from that. Chism treed Impact again deeper and he had a den. That was it for action in the hunt. Ralph ran the rest of hunt and mine treed again after hunt. It was slick, so she at least picked a good time to do that. If she has a fault, a slick is it. Jeremy told me that the more she is hunted, the less slicks she trees and she has gotten better for me with that. I was just telling Jed about that on the cast and ‘boom’ she hit me at the end with it.”

Girl’s bad tree did not count in such a close cast because she at least waited to get off the clock to do it. Neither of his casts were easy wins, but Bill said that they were both good casts when it came to judging and people on them. Now Bill and Girl are in the Final Four. When asked how it felt to get to this spot, Bill replied, “It feels very good, who would not want to win a truck? Anytime you get into the Finals, it feels good. With this hunt, you are hunting against the best of best of young dogs; they had to be to get here.”

Roger Shabel also is happy to co-own on another one in the Finals of the 2017 PKC Truck Hunt series, he shared, “This is living the dream. Nate, Jeremy, and I have had her for at least two years. Nate bought her, has hunted her, and handled her and let us buy in as partners. He deserves all the credit. I actually got to hunt with Girl and Bill the last two nights. She is a pretty nice little outfit. She loves to get off by herself and is pretty accurate. With a little luck, maybe we will win, who knows. I think we have the right guy handling though!”

When asked if he had to name an advantage that Girl would bring to the Final Four round, what would it be? Bill stated, “I would say it is her hustle. She is always moving around trying to make something happen. She is not a jealous dog either and if she cannot be first, she will be second. I do know that the little dog is tired. When I go to get her out the box, she is like ‘Oh no not again!’ She is stoved up and stiff.”

Hopefully Girl has gotten enough rest to gas her up for the hustle she is known for in the woods. Bill will be finding out soon, but before he does, he wanted to mention some people for their support, “I would like to thank Rodger Shabel, Nate Morrett, and Jeremy Jones because without them, none of this would be possible. I also want to thank my wife for putting up with what I do and staying out late. She never complains and I appreciate all her support. I would like to thank PKC and those who put these hunts on for us to be able to compete in. PKC has a rule system where you do not have to fight and this is the main reason I hunt in this registry. I think it is the best of the best and I cannot find it like this anywhere else. I also get to put up with Bud Hood this weekend. Actually, I owe him everything for all he has done for me to be here.”

It would be really ironic if Bill Stokes would win a brand new truck when he had to hitch a ride to get to the event since his was broke down. Bud Hood might ask to take it for the first drive though since if it were not for him in the driver’s seat, Dirty White Girl might not have made it down to the Isle of Capri Casino in the first place!


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Prepare yourself and your hound. Hunt the dog, read the Blue Book, and your Good Book!

Ashley Guthrie
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Posts: 476
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:08 pm
PKC Name: Ashley Guthrie
City, State: Douglas, GA
PKC Member Since: 07 Mar 2005
Annual Membership Expires: 14 Feb 2024
Lifetime Handler Earnings: $50,443
Cell #: 912-381-4403
Location: Pearson, GA
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Re: 2017 PKC Pup Shoot-Out Final Four Interviews

Postby Ashley Guthrie » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:19 am

Great interviews!
SS Champ Res NCH PCH The American Power Trip
#TeamAmerica
#TheAllAmerican


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