02/07/2025
The Final Cast of the UKC Winter Classic Pro Slam is in route to the woods to figure out who will get the biggest portion of tonight's $7,000 up for grabs. First place will get $3,000, second place will get $1,750, third place will get $1,250, and fourth place will get $1,000.
The final cast is comprised of the following:
Judge/Guide: Jimmy Smith
Assistant Judge/Play x Play: Jared Lehman
- GRNITECH(4) ‘PR’ 4X World Champion Floyd, TW, M, 4, Terry Bennett, Walt Koshko, MO, Handled by Terry Bennett
- GRNITECH ‘PR’ Skuna River Gunner, TW, M, 4, Alan Holding, Jason Cooper, Jace Cooper, IN, Handled by Payton Roberson
- GRNITECH(3) ‘PR’ Rock Em W***y, TW, M, 6, Alan Holding, David Pettit, Jason Cooper, IN, Handled by Tyler Pettit
- NITECH ‘PR’ Rehmeier’s Rotton, TW, F, 2, Nick Rehmeier, MO, Handled by Nick Rehmeier
The play by play of tonight's 90-minute cast will reside in this post and I will update the original post as updates come in so they don't get lost or jumbled in the comments.
- The cast has left the fairgrounds around 7:53 Central time in route to a prime spot on the Mississippi delta. They are thinking it will be 45 minutes or more before cutting loose.
- Currently it is 65 degrees but it is set to drop into the mid 50s as the night progresses.
- Update, "We are at the hunting spot!! Everyone getting dogs collared up."
- Give us about 6min and we should be ready for ACTION!!! Got a Side by Side taking everyone a mile back off the road in the middle of some big timber.
- Dogs have been cast. Official start time is 9:05 for those keeping a scorecard at home.
- Action right after the minute! Rock is struck for 100, Rotten for 75, and Gunner for 50. They are giving a lot of mouth.
- There is Floyd in for a quarter. Rock is left handed running wide open and the rest of the cast is straight ahead. Cast is tightening up.
- Rotten is treed for 125! Wait, the judge determines she is still moving and she is minused 125 points.
- Rotten retreed for 125, followed by Floyd for 75.
- Two minutes gone on the tree so the cast is in route. 400 yards or so according to Jared. 12 minutes gone in the hunt.
- Tree is dead with no other hounds being treed in. Cast is in route to the first tree of this final cast.
- Rotten and Floyd are handled at the tree with 18 minutes gone in the hunt.
- Update from Jared, "Plus them up!! C**n is found QUICKLY" Rotten and Floyd are now in the plus column.
- Score update 20 minutes in: Floyd has 100+, Rotten has 75+, Rock holding 100 strike, Gunner holding 50 strike.
- Rotten and Floyd are recast. Jared did let me know that they can hear both Rock and Gunner opening. Rock is around 650 yards to the left and Gunner is close to 500 yards straight ahead.
- Rotten is struck back in for a quarter, followed by Floyd for a quarter as well. 25 minutes gone.
- Jared says the dogs have moved into a section of the timber with some standing water and smaller trees. The guide is hoping they get back into the good timber.
- According to Jared, "Jimmy asks if there is anyway they can get the dogs gathered up and regroup. That got a good chuckle out of the cast members."
- At the 30 minute mark, things have slowed. Cast hasn't moved since recasting Rotten and Floyd and the 6 is working on and off on the trailing hounds. One hour to go!
- Score update 30 minutes in: Floyd has 100+ holding 25 strike, Rotten has 75+ holding 25 strike, Rock holding 100 strike, Gunner holding 50 strike.
- Jared hears a dog loading up deep..... Rock declared treed for 125! A mile away from the cast according to the telemetry system. Time to get walking... 37 minutes gone from the hunt.
- Not to be left out, Gunner has joined the party. He is declared treed for 125 left handed of the cast about 300 yards.
- There will be a slight delay in reporting of the trees. The Judge, Jimmy Smith, has instructed our Play by Play man, Jared Lehman, to go with the handler to Gunner's now closed tree, while the rest of the cast proceeds to Rock's tree. This is at the halfway point of the hunt with 45 minutes gone and 45 minutes to go.
- Score update at the halfway point: Floyd has 100+ holding 25 strike, Rotten has 75+ holding 25 strike, Rock has 225 pending on his tree, Gunner has 175 pending on his tree.
- Jared and Gunner's handler, Payton Roberson, have arrived at Gunner's tree to wait on the cast. Jared says it's the only decent sized tree in the section they are in.
- While we are waiting, I got another update from Jared, "Gunner sure is TREE DOG! Floyd and Rotten are trailing around in the water about 250 yards from this tree."
- One hour gone in the cast, thirty minutes left to hunt. Our Play by Play man is still at Gunner's tree, waiting on the cast to arrive from scoring Rock's tree. We will update as soon as we can.
- Gunner and Rock's owner is at Gunner's tree and according to his handheld for his telemetry system, Rock should be recut, so that means we may have news soon. Meanwhile, Floyd and Rotten are still trailing within a few hundred yards of Gunner's tree.
- Jared thinks he can see lights in the distance. Or the sleep deprivation is starting to catch up with him. We'll find out shortly. 16 minutes left in the hunt....
- 10 minutes left to hunt, still waiting on cast....
- We have news... the cast has arrived at Gunner's tree. Rock's tree was plussed and he now sits with 225+. He was recast. The cast is now in the process of shining Gunner's tree. 9 minutes to go.
- In other news, Rotten was minused her 25 strike points for coming into the cast while they were coming to tree. She has since been restruck for 25 and now is declared treed for 125.
- Oh no, more news. Gunner's tree has been minused. He made a rare mistake. That's a 175 pump. He is recast.
- Rock is struck back in for a quarter 1.97 miles from the cast. He sounds treed to Jared...
- Score update with just 3 minutes left: Rock 225+ holding 25 strike, Floyd 100+ holding 25 strike, Rotten 50+ with 150 pending on her tree, Gunner has 175-
- Cast is in route to Rotten to score her tree. Sounds like they are in some water. Knee deep. 300 yards to go.
- It's the last minute of the cast and they want to listen. Gunner is struck back in for a quarter. Rock can be heard treeing every breathe but that won't come into play at this point. Stationary can't catch him and no reason to tree him.
- And the stopwatch chimes to signal the completion of the 90 minutes of hunt time. Rock is your winner! Two years in a row for the 6-year-old hound owned by Alan Holding, Tyler Pettit, and Jason Cooper of Indiana at this Winter Classic Pro Slam. What a feat for that team.
- Rotten's tree is still to be scored for placement. Stay tuned.
- The cast is having a little bit of trouble getting to Rotten. There is a deep swamp between them that has had some help from the local beaver population.
- Nick has his hands on Rotten. Shine time has been started. This could be a $500 swing here....
- And no one is home, Rotten is minused both ways, ending her night with 100-.
- Final scores: Rock 225+, Floyd 100+, Rotten 100-, Gunner 175-
Final Cast Placements
1st Place - $3,000
GRNITECH(3) ‘PR’ Rock Em W***y, TW, M, 6, Alan Holding, David Pettit, Jason Cooper, IN, Handled by Tyler Pettit
2nd Place - $1,750
GRNITECH(4) ‘PR’ 4X World Champion Floyd, TW, M, 4, Terry Bennett, Walt Koshko, MO, Handled by Terry Bennett
3rd Place - $1,250
NITECH ‘PR’ Rehmeier’s Rotton, TW, F, 2, Nick Rehmeier, MO, Handled by Nick Rehmeier
4th Place - $1,000
GRNITECH ‘PR’ Skuna River Gunner, TW, M, 4, Alan Holding, Jason Cooper, Jace Cooper, IN, Handled by Payton Roberson
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