Rocketman55
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Aug 2008
Location: SE Ohio, Glouster
Posts: 2244 |
Thanks Terry, I sure enjoy hunting against the best out there, as it gives me a better perspective as to where I need to improve. I hope Ole Hanna didn't get too shook up on her ride home. Best of luck to you with her.
Jerry Lee, Ole Holly pulled out her cast win at the very end of the hunt, LOL! She scored 400+ but that wasn't quite enough to get into the top 16. I think 500 was the cutoff.
She did have another split tree by herself, good track, just came popping treed, but I couldn't find the danged coon. I think I had second strike and 1st tree on that. I know that coon was there but I sure couldn't get it to look. If I had that one I was in the big dance, LOL!!
But all said and done, Holly looked pretty good. It was exceptionally hot, which seemed to be effecting her striking ability, but she sure was getting treed quick. I had a 3 dog cast and dogs were split on every drop so we burned a lot of time shining each tree.
The guys I drew were really great sportsmen, we had a great cast, great guide, and dogs were looking pretty good, so yes it was a blast. I got to hunt with Mark Looney and his very nice hound, Big River Dan. If you recall, Dan won the Grand American and Southern English Days in I think 2012. I also drew a pretty nice blue tick female that was very balanced as well. She was a great strike dog that got hooked quick and didn't pull, we just weren't able to score her coons. Dan was quick off the strap, and independent hunting dog, that had good track speed, and a nice tree dog. Holly and Dan treed together on one coon with Holly just barely getting 1st tree, then Dan was split from Holly on the next drop and we found Dan's coon but not Holly's. I then was congratulating Mark on winning the cast when our time keeper told us we still had 7 or 8 minutes left in the hunt. After determining that we had 8 minutes to hunt, we cut just Holly & Dan head to head. Dan struck 1st with about 4 minutes to go, then about 1 minute later Holly opened once, straight out in front of us away from Dan. Dan was picking on a tree down in the woods to our right, and I told Mark he was surely in a bad spot as I was gonna tree Holly if she even sneezed on a tree, LOL. Well a couple minutes of Holly being quiet and then BAM!!! Holly throws a triple chop locate (of which I call her treed) and settles into her steady chop. I asked the time keeper how much time was left in the hunt and he said 1:03. Dan never covered in that minute. We went to the tree right along the edge of the cornfield, I hit the squaller and that ole coon started running around in the top of that tree like a grey squirrel. He started coming down the tree, and I thought he was gonna jump right off. But he didn't. Congrats were said again for the second time in the cast, but this time they were directed toward Holly & I, LOL. This was one of the most enjoyable casts I have ever had at a major event. Mark and the other guy were two of the finest sportsmen I could have ever had the opportunity to hunt with, and they both made that cast win very special to me even though Holly missed the Top 16. Great Hunters, Great Guides, Great Hound work, and GREAT SPORTSMANSHIP. Man it was a blast. Thank You to ALL who made that possible for me!!!
Oh and by the way, Tackett you were right, I am just now waking up. I was set up right along Salisbury road and didn't sleep for two days, so I was a bit comatose yesterday LOL!!!
Thanks Guys for asking!! I see ya at the zones!!!
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08-06-2013 11:37 PM
