BEING A WOMAN IN COMPETITION HUNTING AND BENCH SHOWING

Being a woman and hunting and bench showing my hounds for competition is not an easy task. When I began doing this my family (folks), thought I was crazy, it wasn't for women to be doing. Since then I have never turned back. Hunting with my hounds is an enjoyable pleasure. All my hounds I have raised them from pups and trained them since they were young to hunt and bench. It has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't change it for the world. The most rewarding part of it is the night the pup you have worked so hard to tree a coon, or bobcat, or bear, or to bay a hog, does just that, the sound that your hound makes is music to your ears on that first tree. I have had difficulties in this sport being a woman, of course men do have their egos, when it comes to competition because at one time it was always a man's world in dogs. I encourage any man or WOMAN to enjoy the pleasure of hounds and hunting and showing them.

Being a nurse myself one must salute other sisters in our cause

This is a picture of one of my best buddies in the world, my Plott Hound Amos. I purchased Amos from Jackie Barker in West Virginia back in 1992. When I first got him he to me was the coolest hound I had ever seen. He through the years has reproduced some of the best hounds that have came about. His bloodlines trace back to National Plott Hound Association Hall of Famers :

This is a picture of myself, Joyce, otherwise known to the internet world as Blondie with my husband's youngest brother Mike from Virginia. We found these baby coons after a tree had been logged out for timber purposes and raised them till they could get along on their own.

There is nothing better than watching your youngest, our 2 and a half year old daughter Bench Show a hound in a Competition Kid's Bench Show. This picture was taken in Higginsville, Missouri at the Missouri Plott Sectional back in May of 1998. Here in the picture is Zoa with her buddy 'PR' CH. Skygusty Sarah Starr, and her mother Joyce. This little girl was PROUD of her dog and her trophy she recieved. Sarah is out of Eugene Walker's stock of Plott hounds there in West Virginia. She is the daughter to AJ and has many excellent hunting hounds in her background. We have used Sarah to hunt racoon, bear, and hog with. She has always been an acurate hunter with plenty of aggression to hunt and get the game.