Final Four Cast Real Nail Biter

The Final Four of the 2001 PKC World Championship was one of the most exciting ever with the winner being declared by the tie-breaker rule. It's widely known that Silver Dollar Stone, owned by Darrel Newton of Benton, KY and handled by Ronnie Smith of Harrisburg, IL is the winner in what may be the closest finish in the history of the event.

In the final eight minutes or so of the Final Cast, the Queen Ann female of Wes Wooten's is carrying 25 strike points and is declared treed for 100. All three remaining hounds - Oz, handled by Kevin Turner, Bellar's Ann, handled by Scott Engle, and Stone are struck for 25 points with a line on the shut out. As the five minutes dwindle, all three remaining handlers tree for 25, bam, bam, bam! Oz is the first of the three, followed by Stone, and then Bellar's Ann.

The cast goes in to find Queen Ann treed just off an old railroad bed to the right. Oz and Stone are treed just to the left of the straight line leading to Bellar's Ann who is deeper in. Oz is moved to 100 tree points and Stone is moved to 75. Judge Kevin Roberson left backup judge Billy Vincent with Wes Wooten and leaves guide Phillip Thompson and this writer with Oz and Stone. He accompanies Scott Engle to his tree, which as been upgraded to 100 tree points as well. Both females have drawn minus points and will not figure as winners of the cast with hunting time in short supply.

The drama that unfolds at the tree where Oz and Stone are anchored intensifies with the lengthy delay in Roberson's and Engle's return. Turner and Smith know what's up. Their hounds are tied at 275 plus but Smith is leading with more plus tree points. A huge fallen log adjacent to the tree provides the perfect waiting bench. If the tree that provides the canopy for our vigil holds a coon, Oz is the World Champion. He's 25 points higher than Stone in the treeing order. If the tree is circled, the tie holds with Stone the winner. If the tree is slick and minus, Stone wins on overall score; 200 to Oz's 175. The hunt time expires and everyone knows it's over. But until we light the tree, no one knows who the world champion will be. It's a great story that I can't wait to finish in the December issue of PROHOUND.

Shown in the photo here are, left to right: Judge Billy Vincent, Roger Dale Carnegie, Judge Kevin Roberson, PKC President Roy Tramble, Kevin Turner with Oz, Wes Wooten with Queen Ann, Ronnie Smith with Silver Dollar Stone, Scott Engle with Bellar's Ann, and guide Phillip Thompson.