Spring not only marks the new growth in nature but March also ushers in the new blood in PKC when the up and coming young hounds gather in Lula Mississippi to hunt it off for the new truck sponsored by the Isle of Capri Casino Mitch Smith Chevrolet PKC Purina and SportDOG. The Pup Shoot Out is a time for these young hounds to come together and start building on their competition experience while providing their owners and handlers a chance to not only win big at the casino but also the opportunity to drive home a new truck. We are going to take the time now to get to know our Final Four of the Pup Shoot Out a little better before they head out to the woods to see who will emerge as the top winner of this event.
Wipe Um Up Chick
Owned by Axford and Thompson
Handler Tracy Thomson
Wipe Um Up Chick is a 2010 model Walker. She is out of Wipe Em Up Sam and Wipe Em Up Millie. Chick is following in her fathers paw prints by getting Tracy Thompson into this Final Four. Chicks sire Sam is the dog that Tracy won the Pro Championship with in 2009 and then also went on to win the 2010 Michigan State Championship with him. Tracy raised and trained both of Chicks parents and is proud of the success he has ha with this line. Tracy ended up with Chick less than a year after he raised her litter. Tracys good buddy took the pick of that litter and that pup happened to be Chick. After his buddy raised her up and got her started Tracy bought Chick back when she was around nine months old. Chick came under the ownership of Axford and Thompson when Curt Reitz a good buddy of Tracys introduced him to Mr Bill Axford. At that time Mr Bill and Curt owned I Knots Famous Amos. They were looking for someone to hunt Amos in the Super Stakes and that was when Tracy came into the picture as a handler. Since then Tracy and Mr Bill have been partners. It has been an excellent fit. Tracy said that he cannot say enough about Mr Bill. He said that you meet a lot of good people in coon hunting but the last two people that he has partnered up with which are the late John Horner and now Mr. Bill have made some big shoes for people to fill. Like her father Sam Chick is also experiencing PKC success. Chicks past successes include her getting into the semi-finals of the Spring Super Stakes and winning the Michigan State race with this year. Chick earned her truck ticket for this event in the month of August 2013. She was the high earning hound with around $1682. Tracy headed from Michigan to Mississippi unsure of how things would go for him and Chick. Chick was not as tuned up as he would have liked her to be for this event due to the harsh winter that Michigan has experienced this year. However rusty she may have been Chick proved that once she could get out and spread her legs she would keep herself moving forward round after round. In the early round Chick drew out with Machine Gun Sally owned by Andy Landreth and being hunted by Dustin Weed along with Little Miss Dottie owned by Charlie Glass and handled by Brandon Glass with Pusher owned by Eric Sweet and being handled by Ki Roberts to round out the cast. None of the scores were great and outside of Chick all of the dogs drew minus as their final score. Tracy shared how that cast went for him and Chick. He said that they took what they needed and guided through. He said that he and Chick stayed clean and made a few den trees and that was about it. He said that he and Chick managed to stay out of the minus column in that cast and that is what advanced them to the late round. In the late round Tracy and Chick then drew out with Workmans Redwood Nite Rider owned and handled by Evan Workman along with Ragans Hatchie Rv Dottie owned and handled by Murray Ragan and Reezens Late Night Prophet owned by Groves and Thomas and handled by CJ Thomas. Tracy said that three of the dogs made a tree right out of the truck. That tree was a den. When Tracy and Chick turned off that tree Chick got in there and treed a coon. That was the only coon in that cast that was treed and seen. The rest of the hunt just played out for them. Now Tracy and Chick find themselves in the Final Four. Tracy said that he feels pretty lucky to be in it since he has not been able to hunt Chick since November. He said that he came down to Lula Mississippi grasping for straws and then ended up in the Final Four. To Tracy this is making it to the top because he feels that the dogs in this event are the elite of PKC. He said that all dogs have to earn their tickets and that shows that they are the top of the competition out here. The only handler and dog that Tracy has been to the woods with before tonight is Ronnie Bone and Hunting Man. Tracy judged the handler and hound at the Super Stakes but he did not get a lot of extra knowledge that would help him tonight because Hunting Man got out of pocket and Ronnie withdrew him before Tracy could really see him hunt. When asked what strengths he feels that Chick is going to bring to this last cast Tracy said that Chick is usually a pretty good strike dog and quick tree dog. She has a coon most of the time. He also added that they are all just dogs and when they have not been hunted up it is hard to say how things will go until you turn them loose. Tracy also added that Chick is the type of dog that gets better the more she is hunted. He is hoping that this third and last round will bring them some luck. When asked if there was anything he wanted to say before going out tonight Tracy said that he would like to thank the good Lord for seeing him through and giving him the opportunity to do these things that he enjoys. Tracy also said he could not do it without Mr. Bill Axford. Tracy said that Mr Bill is the backbone of this whole thing. He said that he would not get anywhere without him. Tracy also wanted to mention his wife Heather and sons James and Tray who backed him all along the way. Tracy also said that he would like to mention Daniel Alvin who is a good buddy of his son James. He said that Daniel has hunted Chick in the hunts and is as excited as he can be. Like everything else Tracy said that he was sure he was leaving someone out and did not want to hurt anyones feelings. There is one really big motivation for Tracy to win this truck and that is for Mr Bill Axfords father Pappy. Tracy said that he knows that Pappy is smiling that they are in the Final Four but he want to see him when they win this truck. Guess we will see if this Chick has what it takes to get the job done!
Clear Creek Dixie
Owned by Jack Maggard II
Handled by Johnny Marcum
Last month at the Senior Show Down, James Baskin had a connection to three of the hounds in the Final Four. Once more James is involved in a part of this Final Four. Jack Maggard bought Clear Creek Dixie who is a 2009 model Walker from James last month. Dixie is out of Bone Collector and a female that goes back to Backwater Pearl and Nocturnal Nitro. She could be following in her daddys footsteps and Johnny said that he hopes that he is going to be following in Doug Comptons footsteps tonight. Johnny Marcum came on as Dixies handler because he has hunted with Jack and has handled for him over the past couple years. When Jack bought Dixie last month Johnny did his part to get her ready and get to know her by hunting her hard this past month. Jack Maggard learned about Clear Creek Dixie through word of mouth. Jack talked to several people about her. Then Jack learned that James Baskin had her and had only hunted her a couple times. Since Jack had already done his background check on Dixie he called James and bought her over the phone. Dixie's past successes include the Arkansas Top 16 and money won in open events. Johnny also has some past success at handling winning hounds for Jack. Johnny has won around $5000 dollars with the Late Round Bound dog that Jack owns. However making this Final Four is Johnny biggest moment in competition so far. Johnny is not completely happy with just being in this Final Four though. Johnny said that he is glad to get to the Final Four but that he wants to win it. He said that if he does not win it then it will just be another cast. Johnny's hard work getting Dixie ready for this hunt paid off for the two of them as they started this casts here in Lula Mississippi. On the first cast Johnny and Dixie drew out with Blk Elks American Dream owned and handled by Charles Conway along with Rats Pimp Juice owned by James and James and handed by Devin James and Boogar Hollow Karma owned by Brown and Whison and handled by Larry Wishon. Johnny shared how that cast went for him and Dixie. Johnny said that the cast went really good. He said that about a minute into the hunt Dixie and two other dogs treed a coon together. Then after that tree Dixie got by herself and treed another coon. After that second coon, Dixie made a couple den trees and the other dogs took some minus. She won that cast with 250 plus. On the late round Johnny and Dixie drew out with Actions Jessie owned by Billy Burden and handled by Shawn Burden along with Charlie Creek Big Mike owned and handled by Dick Brothers and Hurricander Harley owned by Danner and Woods and handled by Shelby Danner. Johnny described how that late round went for him and Dixie. He said that Dixie made three den trees and that it was a boring cast because the coons were just not moving. The other dogs got some minus points and Dixie stayed out of trouble. Johnny said that Dixie just squeaked by and that was a luck cast for them. Dixie won that cast with a score of zero. Now Johnny and Dixie find themselves in the Final Four and Johnny said that he is really excited. He has drawn Ronnie Bone a couple times in casts but has not hunted with any of the other dogs. Johnny is looking forward to this last cast because he says that he knows his dog and knows what he is holding. This makes him very confident going in. When asked what strengths that Dixie brings to this last and prestigious cast Johnny said that Dixie is nothing flashy. She is a real big dog with an average mouth. He said that her accuracy is what makes him so confident in her. He said that when Dixie trees she has coons and is not a slick treer. Johnny also said that Dixie is sneaky in her style. Johnny said that you might think she is a half mile through the country and then she will fall treed only a couple yards from you. Before heading out tonight Johnny wanted to be sure to thank PKC and the casino for having this hunt. He said that he came last year and this is one hunt that he wants to come to every year. He also wanted to give a special thanks to Jack Maggard for letting him hunt a dog like this. Johnny said that if it was not for Jack that he would not be able to come down to the Isle of Capri and do the things that he does. Johnny also wanted to thank his friends and family for supporting him. Clear Creek Dixie was bought on her reputation of being a winner and so far that has paid off for her new owner Jack Maggard. Johnny Marcum is hoping that Dixie live up to her southern name and get them a truck while she is down in Lula Mississippi!
Dear Abby
Owned by Lynch and Howell
Handled by Jeremiah Howell
When looking for advice people Dear Abby definitely comes to mind. Dear Abby also came to mind for Jeremiah Howell when he was looking for a good hound to hunt. Jeremiah learned about Abby a 2009 model Walker out of Riverbend Style and Crockers Quick Slash through Jeremy Scott. Jeremy helped Jeremiah purchase Abby from Bailey Hendricks and Andrew Perritt of Oklahoma last year.
Jeremiah said that he decided to buy Abby because she had all the tools he was looking for. He said she could do everything he needed and tree the hard coons. Those skills helped Abby earn her success including making it to the semi-finals of the Fall Super Stakes and winning open event money. Abby earned her truck ticket for this event in June of 2013. Jeremiah and David Lynch his initial partner on Abby hunted her together for about a year. Then Jeremiah decided to buy out Davids portion of Abby. Being the sole owner on Abby has paid off for Jeremiah this weekend too as he is looking at some good odds of winning a truck. In the early round Jeremiah and Abby drew Tennessee Primetime owned and handled by Corey Sexton along with Stylish Ugg Lee owned and handled by Nickey Hale and Valley Creek Side owned by Ramsey and Ramsey being handled by Robert Sprouse. Though the scores did not reflect the intensity of the cast, Jeremiah described it as a nail biter down to the very end. Jeremiah said that Ugg and Abby treed a coon right out of the truck. Then Side treed a coon solo. Ugh and Primetime then treed on a big slick tree and Jeremiah said that Abby was treed right next to them on another slick tree. After that Abby got way in there and had a second coon treed by herself. After that coon they had not heard the other dogs so the six was run and eventually broke. After being released Abby struck in again and went back to the coon she had just treed. Jeremiah said that when he was leading her off he was starting to wonder what was going on. Abby came off that and Ugg treed right after that. Jeremiah said since he was still leading that he was playing defense. Abby struck and ran a track to the right. Ugg had a coon. Abby got treed. The guide told Jeremiah that out of all the times he had been hunting in there that this was only the second time that he had been in the area where Abby was treed in. Abby had gotten into a swamp and the water was over the mens chest. It was there that two of the dogs withdrew from the cast. Jeremiah said that when they headed into Abbys tree they had a little over a half hour in the hunt and by the time they got to her there was only a little bit over ten minutes left. Abby had another coon there in the swamp. Then Ugg struck for 100 points and Abby struck for 75 points. Abby treed for 100 points with six minutes left. Ugg treed and Jeremiah said that Nickey played it smart and let him settle in and waited before he treed him. When the men got in there the dogs were split treed. Uggs tree was slick and Abby had a coon. That is why Jeremiah said that it was a nail biter to the end even though the scores did not show it. However that next round was not near as exciting for Jeremiah and Abby as that first one. In the late round, Jeremiah and Abby found themselves going up against Cains Xs Insane Witch owned by R Nick Cain and handled by Jerrod Douglas along with Fergys Wipeout Smoke owned by Heath Johnson and being handled by Doug Heavener and All Buzzed Up owned by Ward and Ward and being handled by John Ward. Jeremiah described how that cast went for them. He said it was pitiful and the kind of score card that you want to wad up and throw into the trash. He said that Abby stayed out of trouble the longest and that a cast win is a cast win. He is right because it was that win that put Jeremiah and Abby in the Final four. When asked how he feels before this Final Cast Jeremiah said that his back hurt and he had a headache but outside of that he felt pretty good. Jeremiah said that he was nervous coming down to Lula with the weather Iowa has had lately. He said that it has made it hard to hunt and he has only gotten fifteen days of hunting in on Abby. To add to that Abby is six weeks bred to Whats Up Spot. Jeremiah did not know how she was going to hunt. At this point now he feels pretty pumped right now and is hoping for the best and so far he has gotten it. When asked if has hunted with any of these dogs or against any of these handlers before Jeremiah said that he has not hunted with any of the dogs. He did draw Tracy Thompson one time. Jeremiah is about to see every one and every hound in action tonight but the main one he is concerned with is Abby. When asked what strengths he feels that Abby is going to bring to this last cast Jeremiah said that when you are down to this point all the dogs are all good. He said that if the coons are moving then Abby will have as good of chance as anyone else. Jeremiah said that Abby is across the board on strike that she will tree one to herself or she will get some of another. When asked if he had anything he wanted to share before he goes out tonight Jeremiah said that he wanted to wish everyone else in the Final Four good luck.
Most of the time people write to Dear Abby for advice and if she wins tonight other coon hunters may be asking Jeremiah Howell for his advice on how to win a truck at the Isle of Capri Casino in Lula Mississippi with Dear Abby. She definitely has overcome the odds against her so far to get this far so who knows what she may do later on tonight.
Hunting Man
Owned by Randy Morgan
Handled by Ronnie Bone
Randy Morgan has owned his fair share of winning hounds and Hunting Man is proving to be another on that list. Paired up with Ronnie Bone the seasoned veteran of this group Hunting Man has made his way through the first two casts needed to get to this point. Hunting Man is a 2011 model Walker out of Rock Bottom Sweat It. Randy Morgan bought Hunting Man last year at the Bear Creek Classic. Ronnie Bone suggested to Randy that he buy Hunting Man because Ronnie felt that he was a good dog. Ronnie Bone has been handling Hunting Man for the past year. He handled him in the Super Stakes and also earned the truck ticket with him in April. Since then Ronnie has just been hunting him and working other dogs also. Even though Ronnie Bone has been coming to the PKC Truck Hunt for many years this is the first time that Ronnie has found himself in the Final Four. Ronnie said that he has only won three casts total before now. Ronnie said that for some reason at this hunt he has always just had bad luck. However this time things seem to have fallen into place for him. In the early round Ronnie and Hunting Man drew Hillbilly Bone Slayer owned by Sean Bacha and being handled by Tyler Young along with Full Throttle Jiggers owned by White and Stiver and being handled by Robert Stiver and Flat Run Petes Image owned by Stallard and Stallard and being handled by Jeff Stallard. Ronnie said in the cast he just struck and treed Hunting Man. Ronnie said that Man got a little bit of everybody's trees and then had a coon at the end of the hunt. He said that Roberts dog took a slick and Tyler's dogs went with him but Tyler did not tree in. Hunting Man ended that cast as the winner. In the late round Ronnie and Hunting Man found themselves heading to the woods with Concrete Ink owned by Bob Dudley and being handled by Terry Nix along with Flatrock Tinkerbell owned by Froese Jr and Cornett and being handled by John Day and Big Shot owned and handled by R David Long. Ronnie said that they cut loose and struck. Then Man fell off and got treed. It was a den with a coon on outside. Then one dog had a slick and drew some minus. Terrys dog had a coon. Then the cast turned loose with twenty minutes left to hunt. Ronnie said that the dogs ended the hunt trailing. Ronnie said he was happy that they only hunted an hour because he hates a two hour cast. Now Ronnie and Hunting Man find themselves in the Final Four and it is going to be a lot longer than an hour for Ronnie in the woods tonight. When asked how he felt going into this Final Four Ronnie said that his light battery is low and he cannot find his charger. Ronnie said that he hopes he wins but he is not planning on it because he has just never had much luck before at this hunt. However he said that his wife hopes he wins and he would like to win for her and Randy Morgan. When asked if he has hunted with any of the other handlers or hounds in this last cast Ronnie said that he knows Tracy Thompson but not the others. He is about to get to know them all very well before the night is over. When asked what strengths he feels that Man is going to bring to this last cast Ronnie said that Man better have luck. Ronnie said that he is going on luck because Man is just a dog. When asked if there was anything that he wanted to say before going out tonight Ronnie said that if he wins he is not taking a picture of Man with him in the front seat of the truck. Ronnie said that to him dogs are made to ride in the back of the truck and he will gladly take a picture with him on the tailgate. Ronnie Bone is a seasoned veteran and he has won a lot but this could be his first truck. Ronnie said that what makes a good handler is a good dog and that he has been lucky to handle some good dogs. Now the time has come to see if Hunting Man is going to be added to that list for Ronnie Bone.