Like this youngster, the world of PKC beagling and rabbit hunting is brand spanking new! We're seeing our New World of beagling as this youngster sees his - a world full of exciting possibilities!
Clubs now is the time for you to book your fall hunts in either the Small Pack or Hound and Hunter formats. Here's all you need to do:
Contact Steve Fielder at 616-321-1814 or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for all the details.
Your first hunt should be a "Try One" in which the participants do not have to register their dogs nor do they have to take membership in PKC. The club will incur no license fee. Here's all the club has to do:
1. Secure a location to conduct the hunt and provide directions to your location to PKC.
2. Contact the PKC office at 800-238-5009 and request that the club be recognized by PKC. You will receive a club agreement by mail.
3. Designate someone to be your PKC club representative. This individual will receive the hunt materials from PKC before the hunt.
4. Designate someone to be the PKC Hunt Director. This individual will oversee the taking of entries, will pay the winners, and will file the report at the close of the hunt. There is no fee to become a Hunt Director.
5. Determine whether the club would like to hold "Small Pack" or "Hound and Hunter" format hunts. If you are not sure or don't know the difference in the formats, call Steve at 616-321-1814. Hunts may be held on Saturday or Sunday and "One Hour" hunts may be held during the week. Hunts held on Monday through Friday must be one hour in duration. We'll see how these one-hour hunts go and may have to agree that they be split due to limitations caused by darkness. One-hour weekday hunts should be scheduled so that individuals may attend after work. This is "new ground" for beagling so we will have to see how it goes.
Please contact Steve at 616-321-1814 now so that he can schedule the dates you want.
Foundation stock registration of beagles is now open at a fee of $15 per dog. Forms are available from Steve or from the home office at 800-238-5009.
Litter registration is possible also at a fee of $7.00 for the litter plus $2.00 per pup. A litter of six would cost $19.00. Neither the sires nor dams are required to be DNA swabbed or profiled at this point and neither sire nor dam must earn money in PKC events in order to be recorded as the sire or dam of the litter.
If the individual is already a member of the PKC National Coonhound Association, membership in the PKC National Beagle Association is only $5.00 more. If you are joining PKC for the first time as a beagler, the fee is $20.00 per year and includes a one-year subscription to The Rabbit Hunter, the official beagle publication for PKC events. (Note to Coonhound Association members. If you want to receive The Rabbit Hunter in addition to PROHOUND, you must pay the $20.00 fee for membership in each association.)
The PKC beagle program will kick into gear big time this fall. Now is the time to schedule dates in your area and to register your hounds as Foundation Stock in PKC. This will be important to you as the PKC pedigrees begin to unfold.
Think about all the possibilities of hunting for money in PKC. As we develop a network of clubs and Open Events, that will open the door to futurity programs, pro events, Super Stakes, and all the benefits that PKC coon hunters now enjoy. Like the little fellow above, there's a whole New World awaiting us. Let's get hopping!
