e on Thursday night and soon the west Tennessee hills and river bottoms where echoing with night music. An entry of 234 hounds, representing the first time one and two-year old hounds competed in the same event since the age-split of the Super Stakes program, was considered a strong start for the three nights of qualifying.

Temperatures were unseasonably cool for this neck of the woods with an overnight low of 40 degrees expected. The drop in temperatures may have affected the pups ability to put plus points on some of the cards but there was no shortage of striking and treeing on the casts. In other words, it was a typical “pup night.” The following youngsters were successful in logging two cast wins back to back to secure the coveted semifinal slot on Sunday night. Two nights of qualifying remain as this report is being filed. The Friday night entry was stronger than the first with 255 hounds hunting under cloudy skies and threats of wet weather for the late round.

A large crowd has been on hand in the headquarters building at the Decatur County Fairgrounds, site of the massive gathering of hopefuls hunting for the coveted Super Stakes Champion and Junior Super Stakes Champion titles to be awarded as the final casts hunt on Monday night. Nelda Pritchard, who hosts the renown St. Jude Coon Hunt of the same facility, brought in an excellent kitchen crew. Hunters were lining up at draw out time to sample a fantastic spaghetti plate, piled high with Texas toast on the side for those who had the hongries. The facility here is hard to beat for convenience and offers an expansive area complete with tables and chairs where hunters visit in the off hours and is reminiscent of the Tennis Center at Aurora where the big World Championship and Early Division Super Stakes Championships are held.

Here are the successful pups on night number one:

JUNIOR SUPER STAKES
Thursday Night Qualifiers
(Dogs winning two casts)

Cast 1001Dan
James Misseldine, owner
Marvin Merritt, handler

Cast 1002
Woody Wright, owner/handler

Cast 1003
Buck
Rick Carrier, owner/handler

Cast 1004
Stylish Snow
Craig Boone, owner/handler

Cast 1005
(To be announced)

Cast 1006
Tess
Bell or Creasy, owners
Michael Creasy, handler

Cast 1007
Rock
Newton or Hamby, owners
Danny Hamby, handler

Cast 1008
(To be announced)

SENIOR SUPER STAKES

Cast 1001
Bam Bam
Carroll Delaney, owner
Richard Forest, handler

Cast 1002
Sing
Rich Allen, owner/handler

Cast 1003
Cloey
Mark Plunk, owner/handler

Cast 1004
Buck
Johnny D. Williams, owner
Dewey Jones, handler

Cast 1005
Que
Buck Monroe, owner
David Hill, handler

Cast 1006
Stretch
Jesse C. Rogers, owner
John Ray Williams, handler

Cast 1007
Moose
Howard Blackwood, owner
Ronald Gullion, handler

Cast 1008
Ratamatic
Morelan or Dalton, owners
Ricky Cullins, handler

We’ll have more to report after night number two. The excitement at Aurora at Super Stakes time is hard to replicate but this writer will have to admit that the hunt at Parsons this year, our first of Super Stakes, is very close. Why not come on down to west Tennessee and join us for the remaining nights, We’ll qualify again on Saturday night and then go into the semifinals on Sunday night and finish with the Final Casts in both divisions on Monday.

PKC – At Super Stakes time, where else on earth would YOU rather be?