It was all about hounds and kids Saturday, as the 17th Annual Youth Coon Hunt Challenge was held at Old 74 Fox Preserve in Hallsboro.
The event was free to all youth, and is designed to help young hunters learn more about the more than 200 year old tradition of American raccoon hunting with hounds.
Participants came from as faraway as Onslow County and a South Carolina. Competitors were divided into age classes, with the youngest competitors not quite as large as their hounds. The treeing contest was judged on how many times a dog barked when a coon skin was run up a tree, simulating the behavior of a real raccoon hiding in a tree.
The kids also participated in a dog care and training class, bench show, and squalling contest. A number of the young sportsmen and their families stayed for a judged night hunt as well.
The challenge is held every year, and is sponsored by the Columbus County, Coastal and Twin State Coon Hunt Clubs.
We’ll have a list of the winners in a later update.
