ut. The roar on the metal roof of the headquarters building was deafening as if God was saying, “Be still and know…” as we attempted to call the casts. Longtime Flora member Schyler Wylie invoked the Lord’s blessing on the hunters after the National Anthem was played and the Flag honored and the Lord said, “That’s good.” The rains ended and the only soaked scorecards coming back to the tables were the result of wading waist-high cornfields.

Storms of another kind sprang up throughout the Clay County oilfield country last night. The casts of qualified hounds, tempered and whetted to a razor edge in the PKC national, state, breed, pro, and youth races, created their own storms as competition reached a fever pitch on night number one. The handlers are equally fine-tuned, realizing that someone (“could it be me?) on the final night of this contest will take home enough cash to visit their friendly truck dealer and drive a new one home on the Monday following, tossing the payment book out the window in route.

Here’s the way the hounds hunted and finished on the first of the two qualifying nights here at Flora.

EARLY ROUND

Cast 101 – Totally Awesome Abby, Gregory Taylor, 350 plus
Cast 102 – Kiddy’s Wipeout Ruby, Kiddy/Kiddy, Jonathan D. Warrington, 125 plus
Cast 103 – Crackerhead Molly, Bill West, Bryce David Miller, 200 plus
Cast 104 – Oklahoma Butch, Woolman/Woolman, Josh Woolman, 475 plus
Cast 105 – Bad Habit, John Strickland, Jeff Ricklefs, 200 plus
Cast 106 – Adams Crook, Pete Adams, 275 plus
Cast 107 – Buck Creek Josie, Teddy Williams, Rick L. Stretch, 25 minus
Cast 108 – S. Hawkeye Abbey, Cary Stender, 100 plus
Cast 109 – Hardwood Speck, Bane or Bowling, Spencer B. Seals, 475 plus
Cast 110 – All Nite Undertaker, Jerry W. Spurlock, Brad Hall, zero
Cast 111 – HUB’s Homer, HUB Kennels, Dale Bolding
Cast 112 – CC Hoosier Roxy, Ronald A. Wiegmann, Terry Coulter, 200 plus
Cast 113 – Hardwood Stylish Ann, Carlton Mitchell, Buddy DeLettre, 25 plus
Cast 114 – Half Breed Jessi, Kirby/Meyers/Corky, Brett Meyers, 75 plus
Cast 115 – Venom, Cameron Hines, 75 plus
Cast 116 – T Paws Incredible Abby, Bill Bays, Bennie Cooper, zero
Cast 117 – Salt Creek Jenni, John D. Strickland, 150 plus
Cast 118 – Beals Blue Thunder, Brian Beal, Blake Beal, 425 plus
Cast 119 – Fly, Gary Todd, 250 plus
Cast 120 – Lexus, Erick Fairchild (Did not make deadline)
Cast 121 – Harley, Leon Childers, Scott Engle, 350 plus
Cast 122 – Rex Northern Mandy, Nelson or Steinmetz, Jeff A. Nelson, 425 plus
Cast 123 – Millan’s Wild Jessie, Scott Millan, 125 minus
Cast 124 – Insomniac Jack, Wade Ward, Derek Woolman, 75 minus
Cast 125 – Wipeout Willie, Creasy/Scott, Peanut Scott, 325 plus
Cast 126 – Bud, Waller/Mullins, Brian Waller, 125 plus
Cast 127 – Kansas Gem, Bauer or Gilliam, zero
Cast 128 – Stylish Runt, Dennis Thornhill, 200 plus
Cast 129 – Hurricane Hanna, Farris Harness, Billy Paul Rogers, 150 plus
Cast 130 – Stylish Whitey Gal, William E. Cochran, John Langley, 200 plus
Cast 131 – F. Willie Nellie, Fred Schlegel, Marc Ruble, 250 plus
Cast 132 – Rat Attack Sassy Too, Swanson or Montgomery, R.D. Trout, 325 plus
Cast 133 – Red Hot Eye Knot, Weaver or Noneman, Alan Noneman, 275 plus
Cast 134 – Turkey Creek Billy, Dave Roberts, 350 plus
Cast 135 – Gator, Tate/Clark, Travis Tate, 75 plus
Cast 136 – Tess, Turner/Rutherford, Robert Beggs, 250 plus
Cast 137 – Kansas Junior, Blaise Bauer, 225 plus
Cast 138 – Southern Pines Mo, Walker/Cross/Smith, Ronnie Smith, 250 plus
Cast 139 – Hardwood Smoken Joe, Smith/Vogel/Cannon, Jack Coomer, 175 plus

LATE ROUND (These hounds will advance to the Quarterfinals on Saturday night.)

Cast 1001
Wipeout Willie, Creasy/Scott, Peanut Scott

Turkey Creek Billy, Dave Roberts

Kansas Junior, Blaise Bauer

Bad Habit, John D. Strickland, Jeff Ricklefs, 225 plus , Cast Winner

Cast 1002
Tess, Turner/Rutherford, Robert Beggs

Speck, Bane/Bowling, Spencer Seals

Gator, Tate/Clark, Travis Tate, 75 plus, Cast Winner

Undertaker, Jerry Spurlock, Brad Hall

Cast 1003
Gem, Bauer/Gilliam, Bruce Gilliam

Harley, Leon Childers, Scott Engle

Sassy Too, Swanson/Montgomery, R.D. Trout, 300 plus, Cast Winner

Cast 1004
Kiddy’s Wipeout Ruby, Kiddy/Kiddy, Jonathan D. Warrington

F. Willie Nellie, Fred Schlegel, Marc Ruble

Half Breed Jessi, Kirby/Meyers/Corky, Brett Meyers, 375 plus, Cast Winner

Buck Creek Josie, Teddy Williams, Rick L. Stretch

Cast 1005
Red Hot Eye Knot, Weaver/Noneman, Al Noneman, 400 plus, Cast Winner

Venom, Cameron Hines

Hurricane Hanna, Farris Harness, Billy Paul Rogers

HUB’s Homer, HUB Kennels, Dale Bolding

Cast 1006
Fly, Gary Todd, 25 minus, Cast Winner

Hardwood Smoken Joe, Smith/Vogel/Cannon, Jack Coomer

Oklahoma Butch, Woolman/Woolman, Josh Woolman

Beals Blue Thunder, Brian Beal, Blake Beal

Cast 1007
Adams Crook, Pete Adams

Salt Creek Jenni, John D. Strickland, 325 plus, Cast Winner

Bud, Waller/Mullins, Joe Mullins

Crackerhead Molly, Bill West, Bryce David Miller

Cast 1008
Southern Pines Mo, Cross/Walker/Smith, Ronnie Smith

Totally Awesome Abby, Gregory Taylor, 375 plus, Cast Winner

Rex Northern Mandy, Nelson or Steinmetz, Jeff A. Nelson

Millan’s Wild Jessie, Scott Millan

Cast 1009
Stylish Runt, Dennis Thornhill, Cast 450, Cast Winner

Stylish Whitey Gal, William E. Cochran, John Langley

S. Hawkeye Abbey, Cary Stender

Hardwood Stylish Ann, Carlton Mitchell, Buddy DeLettre

Cast 1010
T Paws Incredible Abby, Bill Bays, Bennie Cooper, 350 plus, Cast Winner

CC Hoosier Roxy, Ronald A. Wiegmann, Terry Coulter

Insomniac Jack, Wade Ward, Derek Woolman

Friday’s temperature will reach 88 here in southern Illinois but will cool considerably at sundown. Saturday’s high will reach 77 according to local forecasts and will be about perfect for the National Bench Show Championship and the PURINA Tour show as well. We invite you to join us!

PKC – It’s where YOU need to be!