UKC Coonhound Weekly Bulletin, Edition 31
December 2, 2025
Source: Trevor Wade
Email: twade@ukcdogs.com
The weekly bulletin is back after its first off week, where I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and had your fill of family, fun, and food of course. The family and I got to go down to Tennessee and enjoy time with most of my family. Its crazy how fast time passes. Before you blink, it will be Christmas and then 2026 will be here, which I hope is the best year yet. But first, lets see whats happening in UKCs Coonhound Program.
PAST EVENTS
There wasnt much for major events on the major event schedule this past week, luckily enough with some of the weather issues that a lot of our country dealt with. As always, I post all major event results here as they come in: Coonhound Standings/Results
UPCOMING EVENTS
For the first time in a while, we do have several events on the calendar for this weekend. There is one major event in Oklahoma and then two Youth State Championships in the south.
- Battle of the Breeds in Ada, Oklahoma
- Florida State Youth Championship in Crawfordville, Florida
- Mississippi State Youth Championship in Bude, Mississippi
Good luck to those competing and safe travels to everyone to and from their destinations!
WHATS HAPPENING?
1) Time for our latest Top Ten Bench Show update. The standings were updated today with some point movements. It is not finalized yet, but you can see it here: Top Ten Bench Show Standings
I will get you an updated list of missing reports in next weeks bulletin.
2) I also updated the UKC Tournament of Champions Qualifiers List today. We are now up to 1,167 dogs. There is one month left to get those cast wins, dont miss out! See the list of qualified dogs here: UKC Tournament of Champions List of Qualified Dogs
As I told you a couple weeks ago, there was some movement with the TOC Region locations, with two new TOC Region locations locked in. Those Regions are Georgetown, Kentucky and Eufala, Alabama. So having said that, unless something unexpected happens, here will be your options for TOC Regions when you enter up in a few months:
Kirksville, Missouri
LaGrange, Indiana
Mt. Gilead, Ohio
Georgetown, Kentucky
Conway, Arkansas
Manning, South Carolina
Eufala, Alabama
3) The time is here to get entered into the 2026 Grand American!
- I put the Grand American entry form here (click here).
- You can find a ton of other information on their Facebook page. They are really good about sharing information on there. Go to: Grand American Coon Hunt Official Event Page
- Check out the Grand American Web Page for more information.
- AND NEW THIS YEAR, they have online entry! You can enter for the Grand American right here: https://www.thegrandamericanhunt.com/
4) Speaking of Grand American, entries opened for the 2026 Grand American Pro Slam yesterday at 9am ET. It filled quickly, thank you to everyone who jumped on board. Your entry list is below:
1) Kodi Cooper
2) Mikey Covington
3) David Lewis
4) Ashley Dalton
5) William Wilson
6) Zachary Turner
7) Alan Pinkston
8) Coey Watson
9) Tripp Anderson
10) Justin Allen
11) Coey Watson
12) James Brixey
13) Charlie McPherson
14) Rusty Arnett
15) Colt Perryman
16) Davin York
5) The finishing touches for the Winter Classic event ad are being applied, and it should be out by the time next weeks bulletin comes out. Stay tuned for more information regarding that.
6) And since we are talking about Winter Classic, be sure you get over to the UKC Shop and pre-order the new UKC Winter Classic event tee and long sleeve shirt. They are on sale now through January 4th so get in while the gettin s good. Go here: Winter Classic Pre-Order
DOG OF THE WEEK
For the Dog of the Week section, we are continuing our trend of looking at each breeds first GRNITECHHOF. So far we have looked at the first Black and Tan, Bluetick, and English. Today we will shift gears and look at not only the first Plott Hound, but the only Plott Hound to ever achieve this degree, GRNITECHHOF GRCH 'PR' Scout's Carolina Maximus HTX. Lets find out more about him.
Name: GRNITECHHOF GRCH 'PR' Scout's Carolina Maximus HTX
Breed: Plott Hound
Date of Birth: 7/28/2011
Owned by: Chris Rochester of Greenville, SC
Bred by: Robbie Cody
Three-Generation Pedigree:
--- NITECH'PR'WAR CHIEF PLOTT SCRAG
- GRCH GRNITECH'PR'CODYS AND SMITH CAROLINA SCOUT HTX
--- 'PR'BRUSHYFORK'S SADIE
GRNITECHHOF GRCH'PR'SCOUT'S CAROLINA MAXIMUS HTX
--- 'PR'CODY'S GOOD NEWS PRINCE ALBERT
- CH'PR'CODY'S GOOD NEWS SWEET SUE
--- GRCH'PR'CODY'S GOOD NEWS PRINCESS
I love looking at these accomplished hounds win history if for nothing else than seeing how different each ones path is. Maximus started his trek to GRNITECHHOF in January of 2014 with his first cast win as a 2-1/2-year-old hound. Nine months later he got his 3rd Registered win to finish to NITECH. Ironically it took him less time than that to finish to GRNITECH, winning his five Champion cast wins in six months to earn that degree with wins all over South Carolina.
With a bulk of his wins coming before the GRNITECHHOF title even existed, as you can imagine, his competing slowed down over the next couple of years. It was in the last months of 2019 and then through 2020 that he was campaigned again, and got the last 14 wins he needed to become GRNITECHHOF, getting that coveted 37th Grand win in November of 2020 in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
If you are counting, that is almost seven years between his first cast win and his last. During his career he won six casts in 2014, 15 in 2015, nine in 2016, one in 2018, four in 2019, and 10 in 2020. What an impressive career for the first and only GRNITECHHOF Plott Hound.
UKCS HUNTING OPS PODCAST
I hope our bench show enthusiasts enjoyed last weeks episode on the Top Producing Bench Show Sires and Dams. I had a lot of folks asking for that since we have focused on hunting accolades the past three years, and this was completely new information for even me to look at. Once the series ends, Ill share some of the information that the programmers compiled for me here, but I sure hope you all give it a listen.
In last weeks episode, Allen and I went through Black and Tan, Leopard, Bluetick, and English hounds. In tomorrows episode, well take a look at Plott, Redbone, and Treeing Walker hounds.
COONHOUND ADVISOR
This probably should have been the first topic covered in this section as it is the very basics of getting calls correct in your hunts, but better late than never. This week Im going to pull a section from the October 2023 Advisor and walk you through the questioning procedure. Hopefully this helps someone out there.
Everyone has instances every so often where they feel they are getting wronged on a cast. Its inevitable if you are in enough competitions. Luckily, there are procedures and guidelines in place to help you out in those situations. No matter how many times those procedures have been combed over in this column and on the web, its common place for people to try to bend them, disregard them or just flat out not know them. So, lets take a minute to hash them out.
Step 1: If you disagree with a call made by the hunting judge, immediately question the call, and ask for a cast vote. This step must be done and everyone on the cast must vote. A handler refusing to vote will be scratched per Rule 14(b)3. It takes a majority to overturn a hunting judges call.
Step 2: If you are not satisfied with the result of the cast vote (or a non-hunting judges ruling), request a question mark be placed on the card to be presented to the Master of Hounds or Hunt Director. Rule 14(b)4 is key, stating situations not questioned and notated at the time judges decision is made, will not be considered.
Step 3(Only for MOH format): Attempt to resolve the question in a calm, respectful manner with the Master of Hounds, handler who requested the question, the judge, and the remainder of the cast. The Master of Hounds will make a decision based on the information provided. Keep in mind that no complaints will be considered by the Master of Hounds after a period of thirty (30) minutes has elapsed from the time that the scorecard has been turned in.
Step 4: If the question cannot be resolved by the Master of Hounds, the handler may request a panel be formed. If Hunt Director format is used, you skip Step 3 straight to Step 4. A $20 Panel Fee must accompany the request. The Master of Hounds or Hunt Director will assemble a three-person panel comprised of responsible, impartial, and knowledgeable individuals. The panel will hear all sides and make their ruling. If the panel rules with the handler, the fee will be refunded. If the panel rules against the handler, the fee will be retained by the Host Club. The panel meeting must be within one hour after the deadline for the return of the scorecards.
Step 5: If the handler does not agree with the panels decision, the next step is to fill out a UKC Appeal Form while the panel is still assembled. The form must be filled out by the handlers on the cast, members of the panel and the MOH/HD. A fee of $20 must accompany the appeal that is mailed to UKC with the report. Additionally, the panel MUST complete the Panel Meeting Results Form when an Appeal to UKC is filed and include it with the report that is submitted to UKC.
Step 6: UKC will investigate the matter and make a final ruling. If UKC supports the individual filing the appeal, the fee will be refunded. A written statement reflecting the final ruling will be mailed to those involved. UKC reserves unto itself, in its sole judgement and discretion, the right to make corrections it deems necessary.
All these procedures and guidelines are found in the rulebook. Just as handlers and event officials are bound by the rules, so is UKC. There are no shortcuts in getting resolutions to these issues. Make sure you are familiar with the process before you attend a hunt.
Guided by the belief that dogs make a difference by being the best partner a human can have in the field, on the job, or in a competition event, UKC is a community for people and dogs to pursue excellence together. Founded in 1898, UKC has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of Dogs That Do More, and their owners, by providing essential resources to help owners and breeders make informed decisions. The dog-human bond is celebrated through family-friendly programs highlighting the instincts and heritage of purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike at over 18,000 licensed events annually.