SCDNR News Release-Regional hunt is qualifying event for championship
The S.C. Coon Hunters Association has joined up with regional clubs and chapters since October to sponsor youth raccoon hunts. The hunts began in the fall and will run through the end of February. The S.C. Youth Raccoon Hunting Championship will fall on March 2 at the SCDNR’s Webb Wildlife Center in Hampton County.
The Orangeburg County Coon Hunters Association is sponsoring the next regional, which is scheduled this Saturday, Jan. 12, in Bowman.
Hunters will meet at 510 Holstein Rd, Bowman, S.C. 29018, and the contact is Doug Shuler (803-682-0418)
The regional club-sponsored hunts are all qualifying events for the state championship and are designed to teach the participants ethics and sportsmanship through participation in low-intensity competitive events.
Each hunt has two age groups
The top two hunters in each age bracket (Juniors: 12 and under, and Seniors: 13-17) and the Sportsmanship Award winners in each age group will qualify for the state championship hunt. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded at the South Carolina Youth Championship hunt, for the first-place finisher in each age group.
Two additional $500 scholarships will be awarded based on participation in the qualifying youth hunts listed below. Proceeds from the sale of SCCHA personalized license plates fund the organization’s scholarship program. For additional information about the scholarships or other programs of the SCCHA, visit the group’s website at: www.sccoonhunters.com.
These hunts are no-kill events
Competitors in the series are allowed to hunt in as many regional youth hunts as they choose, and all events are free of charge. In accordance with competition hunt rules, no raccoons are killed during the competition and guns are not allowed on the hunt.
Interested youth hunters and their parents or guardians should contact the sponsoring clubs (see below) for information regarding specific hunts. Each hunter is responsible for bringing a dog to the hunts, and need to be able, with minimal assistance from an adult, to acknowledge when his or her dog “strikes” and “trees.” Points are awarded by judges based upon the order that the contestants interpret their dogs’ barks to identify when the dogs strike a raccoons’ trail and when their dogs have treed a raccoon.
Dates, locations and contact information for the remaining regional youth raccoon hunts are listed below (bench shows are at 4 p.m. and hunts begin at 6 p.m. for all events)
January 12 – Orangeburg County CHA
Hunt Address: 510 Holstein Road, Bowman, SC 29018
Contact: Doug Shuler (803) 682-0418
January 26 – Norway CHA
Hunt Address: 2811 Bonnette Road, Norway, SC 29133
Contact: Mendell Miller (803) 707-1861
February 2 – Whitmire CHA (AKC State Youth Championship)
Hunt Address: 18193 Hwy 176, Newberry, SC 29108
Contact: Steven Cromer (803) 944-2255
February 9 – Summerville CHA
Hunt Address: 200 Coon Hunters Lane, Ridgeville, SC 29472
Contact: Ed Kimmons (843) 619-5265
March 2, 2019 – State Championship at SCDNR’s Webb Wildlife Center*
Hunt Address: 1282 Webb Avenue, Garnett, SC 29922
Contact: (803) 734-3609
*Hunters must qualify at a regional event to participate.
