Dan's Hang Tight is National Champion!
5/9/2010 2:56:22 AM
Greensburg, IN - Troy Benge is the recognized guide of the AKC Nationals and according to the chatter around the coffee pot after tonight's big final four shootout in which the cast treed seven single raccoons in the two hour hunt with four hounds competing, Troy doesn't even have the most coons! Dudley Jones told me they saw nine in one area on his Open event cast tonight! That's clue number one in realizing why we continue to choose the Greensburg area for the Nationals.
Winning the remarkable final cast by a narrow 25-point margin is 66 year-old Dan Ham of Martinsville, Indiana with a five-year old Treeing Walker male that Ham calls CNC Dan's Hang Tight. Hang Tight scored 325 plus including two first trees with coon seen in the contest. The win earned Ham the prestigious AKC All American Cup, the AKC National Champion Treeing Walker trophy, and a Garmin Astro 220 GPS-enabled tracking system.
The cast, fearing the windy conditions leading up to tonight's final cast unanimously agreed to split the prize money before the hunt began and to hunt for the National Champion title, the All American Cup and the sponsored prizes. AKC staff went into conference with the host clubs and the judges and all agreed that it would fine to do so. AKC thought this plan to be a good test of the importance of the title and the All American Cup as the ultimate reward for the National Champion. The results as evidenced by the level of competition and the closeness of the scores proved the decison to be wise. Each dog in the final four earned a cash award of $3,225.00, an amazing figure considering the $75 entry fee!
Placing second in the cast was Angie Reid of Seaman, Ohio with her Black and Tan male, CGN Bruce Almighty. Bruce scored 300 plus in the contest. Placing third was Jason Cooper of Lake Village, Indiana with his Treeing Walker female Little Girl. Girl treed three coons alone in the hunt but drew some minus and finished with 225 plus. Taking fourth was Bobby Reynolds hunting the Mr. Hammer Treeing Walker male for Rick Vogel. Hammer's final score was 175 plus after taking a 125 point penalty when he called Hammer split treed late in the competition.
The Clifty Creek Coon Hunters of Dupont, Ind., and the Rush County Coon Hunters of Rushville, Ind., did their usual great job of providing the kitchen and a great staff of judges and guides for this year's National Championship.
Quality, quality, quality. No other word can describe this event. Last year's final four treed six raccoons. This year the tally was seven. Anybody want to wager whether the coons-scored total will rise even higher next year?
We are qualifying dogs now for the 2011 Nationals. Take a look at the entry fee, compare it to the awards and place it smack dab in the middle of some of the best coon hunting on the planet and you may just want to put the AKC National Championship on your calendar for next year.
Fun, fair and feasible - AKC coonhound events!
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