State Championship qualifying Youth Raccoon Hunts planned

Youth raccoon hunts sponsored by the South Carolina Coon Hunters Association (SCCHA) and participating regional clubs and chapters will begin in October and continue throughout the fall and winter, culminating with the South Carolina Youth Raccoon Hunting Championship, hosted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The championship hunt is scheduled for March 2, 2019, and will be held at the SCDNR’s Webb Wildlife Center in Hampton County. 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. 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. 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 series of regional youth raccoon hunts are listed below (bench shows are at 4pm and hunts begin at 6pm for all events)
Oct. 20, 2018, Black Creek CHA at 1924 Cashua Ferry Road [Highwy 34], Darlington, SC 29150. Contact Andy Harrelson at (803) 778-0061.
Nov. 3, 2018, Red Hill Houndsmen at 757 North Martintown Road, Edgefield, SC 29824. Contact Wayne Agner Jr. at (803) 215-9911.
Nov. 10, 2018, Saluda County CHA at 509 Center Springs Road, Saluda, SC 29138. Contact Will Deloach at 864-992-8804 or [email protected].
Dec. 8, 2018, Hell Hole Swamp CHA [UKC State Youth Championship event] at 5681 Walker Road, Georgetown, SC 29440. Contact Floyd Lambert at (843) 344-1528.
Dec. 15, 2018, Lancaster County CHA at 2891 South Rocky River Road, Heath Springs, SC 29058. Contact Joel Henson at (803) 283-7815.
Jan. 12, 2019, Orangeburg County CHA at 510 Holstein Road, Bowman, SC 29018. Contact Doug Shuler at (803) 682-0418.
Jan. 26, 2019, Norway CHA at 2811 Bonnette Road, Norway, SC 29133. Contact Mendell Miller at (803) 707-1861.
Feb. 2, 2019, Whitmire CHA [AKC State Youth Championship] at 18193 Highway 176, Newberry, SC 29108. Contact Steven Cromer at (803) 944-2255.
Feb. 9, 2019, Summerville CHA at 200 Coon Hunters Lane, Ridgeville, SC 29472. Contact Ed Kimmons at (843) 619-5265.
March 2, 2019, State Championship at SCDNR’s Webb Wildlife Center at 1282 Webb Avenue, Garnett, SC 29922. Contact (803) 734-3609.
Hunters must qualify at a regional event to participate.