Alan Kalal Coon Hunting Veteran... - Huntinghoundsmen.com

Coon Hunting Veteran...
By Vickie Lamb
Recently I had several heart-to-heart conversations
with veteran coon houndsman Alan Kalal, a
staunch Treeing Walker breeder and supporter
well known for his penchant toward fine females.
He’s got an interesting story to share, and it’s
here… in these pages of American Cooner.
Sometimes it’s best to start at the beginning, and
upon review of many notes generated through our
discussions, that just seems the thing to do! So,
without further ado, fifty-two year old Alan Kalal
was born in the northern state of Minnesota to
Ray and Jane Kalal of Prior Lake. His dad was a
dairy farmer, but when Alan was at the tender age
of two, Ray Kalal sold his farm and began working
as a garbage collector.
Having been a lifelong coon hunter, it seemed
only fitting that Alan develop interest in the
sport, and by the age of six he started to tag along
with his dad. Although it wasn’t very often at that
age, it didn’t take long to set roots, and by the
time young Alan was seven or eight years old, he
became a more frequent shadow as he begged to
go along.
By the time Alan was nine, his dad bought him
a dog. Recalls Alan, “Dad got me a dog—my very
own dog—and he was a grade bluetick male. I
named him Smokey. He wasn’t that great of a dog,
but he was all mine and I thought he was something
special.”
Soon thereafter, however, the elder hurt his back at work
and ended up having heart problems that sidelined him from
the garbage collecting business. This thrust his earning
potential in a different direction. Alan said, “Since he couldn’t
do too much as far as work was concerned, he would travel
down to the home of Leon Abbott in Huntingdon,
Tennessee, and he’d buy three to five dogs at a time. Then
he’d bring them back with him. I would hunt them and tell
dad how they were in the woods and he would sell the
hounds and go get a few more.
“And, while this was going on,
I was working on neighboring
farms and saving up my money
to buy myself a new dog. You
see, by now, that grade dog,
Smokey, and I weren’t clicking,
you might say. I was thirteen
years old. Then, the day came
when I made a trip down to
Tennessee with my dad.
“When we got there, Mr.
Abbott told me he had just the
right dog for me. Then, he took
me and showed me this threeyear-old
Treeing Walker female.
He told me everything about
her and right then and there, I
bought my very first registered
dog.
“I named her Kalal’s
Minnesota Star. And then I
started reading the magazines
and told dad I’d like to try com-
Ch. Nite Ch. Kalal’s Minnesota Star,
my first Dual Champion
Alan Kalal
Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Insane
Jane, 2001 Walker Days Champion
petition hunts and bench shows. At first, he wasn’t too up
on that idea, but with quite a bit of begging from me, he gave
in and soon thereafter, we went to my first show and hunt.
“That was a blast! Now, back in those days up here in
Minnesota, there were mostly Blueticks, Black & Tans and
Redbones, so I stuck out like a sore thumb with a Treeing
Walker. Then, the fact I had a female was even more strange
to people, because almost everyone hunted males in the
hunts.
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Beauty,
my first Grand Nite Champion
and first State Champion

Nite Champion ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Cookie
“And back in those days, the hunts were three-hour hunts.
So, all night long, I did a lot of learning even though I sure
wasn’t winning. This learning came about, thanks to many
of the good hunters of surrounding states, like Jim
Rosenwald, Dave Nelson, Denny McNelius, and Clint
Coburn, to name a few. These men always handled good
hounds and they were never too good that they wouldn’t help
me out with rules clarifications as we hunted. That first
summer was a real learning curve for me. Then, when Star
came in heat, I took my dad’s eight-year old female — her
name was Kalal’s Minnesota Rose — and won my first hunt
with her and also made her a Nite Champion.
“I didn’t hunt any more hunts that year, but instead pleasure
hunted all fall and really studied and learned everything
I could about Star. That winter, my dad and I took Star down
to Missouri and bred her to Dual Grand Champion
McCallister’s Finley River Banjo. A few months later, she
had a litter of pups and it was the greatest thing to me to
raise those puppies.
“As I recall, I sold all but two of the females that I kept for
myself. When Star was ready to hunt again, it was off to the
hunts and shows with her for me. In the very first hunt I
entered her, we got a first place win. Then, I entered her in
more hunts and shows until I needed a fifth place or better,
and also a Best of Show to finish her to a Dual Champion.
“Well, luck was on my side, because in the very next show
and hunt she did win her Best of Show and she also took
third in the hunt. Star became my first Dual Champion. So,
then I started working the two pups on the bench that I’d
kept out of her and things worked very well with them. They
both became Grand Champions and one ended up winning
the 1977 Minnesota State Show.
“At that same State Hunt, I hunted with Clint Coburn and
he told me about a female he had and said he’d sell her to me.
Then, I went to Wisconsin to try her and I liked what I saw.
Needless to say, I came home with her. Everything worked
out fine with that deal, because a guy called and wanted to
buy the two Grand Champion females I had. I sold them to
him so that I could put all my time in my new female. I
named her ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Beauty.
“I hunted her in the fall of 1977, and liked her a lot. That
winter, I wanted to breed her, so dad and I again went to
Missouri to the same dog I’d bred to Star. That was Dual
Grand McCallister’s Finley River Banjo. And Beauty got
heavy with pups that spring, so I had nothing to put in the
hunts.
“While looking and reading in the magazines to find one to
push while Beauty was out of commission, I talked with Ken
McCurdy from Arkansas. He told me about a female he had,
and since he was coming to Iowa, we met him there and I
bought my next female. I named this one ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Kalal’s Minnesota Candy, entered in four
casts, won three 2nd place wins and one
4th. She died at the young age of two
years old.
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Misty went from nothing to Grand Nite
Champion in ten total hunts and was my
second State Champion.
Minnesota Cookie. She was one of the best pressure tree dogs
that I have ever seen up to now.
“In the hunts, winning came easy for us. Well, that is, with
the exception that we had trouble in getting that first place
we needed to finish out. We won everything from third to
tenth and had five second place wins, but we just couldn’t
pull off that first place finish. I remember one night, I had the
best night I’d ever had in a hunt and won the cast with a
score of 900 plus, but the last cast to come in that night had
975 plus! We ended up with another second place.
“However, the very next week Cookie won her cast again
and finally won her first place to finish to Nite Champion.
By this time, Beauty had whelped her pups and I ended selling
the litter. I got her back in shape and started campaigning
her again and things started out good for us. We placed in
a few hunts and at the 1978 Minnesota State Hunt she won
first place on Friday night and second place on Saturday
night, this finished her to Nite Champion. Beauty became
my very first State Champion.
“At this time, I decided to push her harder and we entered
some Nite Champion casts. We did manage to pick up a win
that fall, but my goals were set to push her in the spring of
1979. That winter, I raised another litter, and this time it was
out of Cookie.”
“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “Did you go to Banjo again?”
“Ha,” Alan laughed. “You bet. We made another trip to
Missouri. This time, I decided to keep a female pup to try
and train for myself. This was a new adventure, but I had to
give it a try. And while waiting for Cookie to have her pups,
I pushed Beauty in the hunts and finished her out. So, she
became my very first Grand Nite Champion.
“Back to Cookie’s puppies. I studied them over and over
and finally picked a little female. First, I started working her
on the bench and then later on I worked her on drags and
caged coons. I called that puppy ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Jodie.
“Things were working fairly well as we went along. Then,
along came the spring of 1980, and I started to show Jodie.
She finished quickly into a Show Champion, but I felt she
needed more time to get ready for the hunts. By late summer,
she won two first places and a fourth to finish to Dual
Champion. Up to this point, Jodie was the hardest hunting
dog I’d ever seen or owned.
“However, tragedy struck in 1981. That February, my dad
had a heart attack and died — he was just 48 years old. Then,
that spring, I took Beauty and Jodie out hunting, and on a
tough night out there and on a bad track, Jodie was hit and
killed by a car. Then, to make matters worse, I could tell
something was wrong with Beauty.
“A month or so later, the vet said that she had diabetes and
he suggested that she be put her down due to her age. I was

wiped out at this point and decided to set back
and take a little break in the action. I did hunt
a few dogs in the hunts for some friends and
finished them to Nite Champions, but I had
nothing of my own.
“Then, I was at 1984 Walker Days and met
Charles Strange from Ohio. He told me about
a two-year-old female he had out of Dohoney’s
Ringo and that she was really coming on. He
was thinking of selling her and several phone
calls later, we made a deal. This newest female
was ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Candy.
“She was kind of like a turning point for me
in the hunts. First of all, in four hunts, we won
every cast. Let’s see, we went to a two-night
Walker Sectional and she won fourth place
Friday and second place on Saturday. Then, we
went to the Minnesota State Championship
and she won second place both nights.
But then, Candy died that late fall, due to
a fungal bacterial infection in her lungs
from water she had drank in the swamps.
Now, I was again without a dog.
“This was a hard knock for me, but it
was back to the drawing board. In the
early summer of 1985, Mac McCallister called and told me
about a female he had and he said I needed to come and hunt
with her. I took his advice to heart and after one night of
hunting with her, she was mine.
“When I got her home, I hunted her and learned her traits
and when I decided to put her in the hunts, she won three
places in a row. She won the 1985 Minnesota State
Championship and went from nothing to Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Misty in ten total hunts.
This is a record that I’ve never seen since.”
“Keep on rolling, Alan!” I exclaimed. “Way to go.”
“In the spring of 1987, a good friend of mine named Tom
Pritchett called. He said that Paul Henderson had a female
for sale, so I went to Oklahoma to try her and bought her.
Winning started with this female right away as she won a
first place in the very first hunt after that. She won third
place and High Scoring Walker Female on Friday night of
1987 Walker Days. I called her Ch Grand Nite Champion
‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Lightning Star.
“This Star lost the Opposite Sex winner of Walker Days to
a female owned by Freddy and Gerald Wells named Gr. Nite
Ch. Wells’ Oklahoma Queen, and later that summer, I
bought Queen from them. As that year went on, and into
1988, I also purchased Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’
Ridgeway’s Sundown Judy from Ricky Ridgeway of South
Carolina. And, I bought Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Ketring’s
Seven Mile Sue from Bob Ketring of Camden,
Ohio.”
Ch., Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Lightning Star
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Misty on the tree in South Carolina.
This picture was taken by Steve Fielder
while pleasure hunting with him and his
dad.
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Queen is pictured with TWBFA Vice-
President and dear friend, George
Wilkinson.
“You’d bred several litters of puppies by this
time. Were you looking to continue along that
path?” I wondered.
“Yes, that was definitely my intent. I bought
these females for raising pups and began raising
pups out of all five Grand Nite females I
had with some very good success. However, as
1990 rolled around, I had purchased ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Crystal, a very nice female
that was super in the woods, but she had an
untimely death caused by fluid around her
heart.
“Then, I got lucky enough to buy back a
young female back out of Crystal and Dual
Grand Champion House’s Lipper. And, for the
second time, I got to experience three straight
first place wins in a row. Also, she won the
1990 Minnesota State Championship, and this
was my third State Champion Hunt title.
“In January 1991, I took Queen to the
UKC Winter Classic, and she picked up
her first Nite Champion win and was ten
seconds away from High Scoring Dog of
the Winter Classic. She made her Grand
Nite Champion degree with five wins in
five different states, those being Georgia, South Carolina,
Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota.
“After that, I purchased another Grand Nite Champion
named ‘PR’ Neosho River Renegade, from Brian Schultz. I
wanted to raise a litter out of her. Then, I’d say that over the
next several years, things started to change at work with the
hours we were putting in, so I sold Lightning Star, Renegade,
Judy and Oklahoma Queen. And I gave Seven Mile Sue back
to Bob Ketring, because I felt she’d make it into the Treeing
Walker Hall of Fame and that Bob deserved to get the credit
for her accomplishments. Misty had a stomach aneurism
that burst and so she was put down.
“With all the hours at work, things in the home life weren’t
going well and ended with divorce in 1993. I sent Minnesota
Queen up to Canada to my good friend Dave Campbell. She
then ended up with tumors on her and Dave had surgery
done on her up there. She survived and lived to 12 years old
before the cancer came back.
“It was time to regroup. I threw myself into my work, but
was soon missing the hunting, and eventually I just couldn’t
stand it. I did hunt several dogs in the hunts for people from
time to time, like Schultz’ Stylish Coma, but didn’t have a
dog of my own. Then, I received a call from a friend named
Rick Emerson.
“He wanted me
to hunt his male,
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Queen won three straight first place
hunts and was my third State Champion.

Gr. Ch. Gold Dust Hammering Hank, in the hunts, and this
sounded good to me. I finished Hank into a Nite Champion
with two first place wins and an eighth place at 1997 Walker
Days.
“Rick was responsible for an even bigger change, as he
introduced me to a great lady named Kristi. She had three little
children when we began dating. On December 11, 1998,
we were married. This put me into a situation with two stepdaughters,
Kylie and McKenzie, and a stepson, Logan, but no
dogs! Well, that had to change, too.
“I found out that a friend of mine named Greg French had
a full sister to the Hammering Hank dog. He bred her to
Grand Nite Champion Rock River Tell Sackett and I called
him to book a female pup. He told me I had the third pick
female and that was fine with me.
“In 2000, Rick Emerson called and said he had a started
female out of Hammering Hank that he just got back and
that he’d sell her to me. That was just what I needed — a
young dog and a pup to start out with again. Rick and I
worked the pup and she was a natural. This dog was called
‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Insane Jane and the pup was ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Destiny in the Wind.
“My very good friend, Pat Kerr of Oklahoma, wanted to
train Destiny and campaign her in the shows at the national
level, so we agreed to give it a try for the year of 2000. I knew
that with Destiny’s natural talent in the woods, it wouldn’t
take very long to finish her as far as the hunts were concerned.
“This gave me more time to work Jane in the woods. Pat
had an extremely successful year with Destiny as they won
Queen of Show at the Ada, Oklahoma Walker Sectional,
Supreme Female at the Lee Crawford Invitational, Queen of
Show of Walker Days and she was the first Silver PKC
Champion in the history of PKC.
“I worked and hunted Jane and she made Dual Grand
Champion with ease as she won 2001 Walker Days and
came back the next year and to win second place in the Lee
Crawford Invitational Hunt. Unfortunately, Jane was my second
dog to have her life shortened by a car, when she was
killed at the age of four.
“Destiny was done in the shows. My friend, John Simota,
helped me hunt her during the week while hours at work
kept me out of the woods, and she won first place in the very
first hunt she was entered in and she too marched her way to
the 2001 Minnesota State Championship and also finished to
Dual Grand in the summer of 2003.
“I raised several litters out of Destiny and she produced
several Dual Grand Champions out of several different stud
dogs. She died when she was twelve years old and has been
missed deeply.”
“Did you ever keep any of those puppies?”
“One of the dogs I bred to her was World Champion, Dual
Grand Champion X, Jr. and I kept the pick of litter female
from that cross. I called her ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Destiny’s
Babe, and like her mother, she was a natural. Babe wasted no
time in making her mark in the winners circle. She finished
out to Dual Grand Champion. However, Vickie, she became
my third dog to get killed on the road.
“This time it was surely and absolutely a freak deal. Babe
was killed on a little township gravel road that was traveled
by maybe five cars a day. But, I guess when your number is
called it’s over. When that happened, I was thinking that
maybe I needed to forget about hunting dogs and that somebody
was trying to tell me something.
“Instead, I found a female down in Ohio that went from
nothing to Dual Grand Champion in one year’s time. That
was Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Anne.
And, I plan on raising a litter of pups out of her in the future
as work allows.
“And, Vickie, believe it or not, this brings me to my new
prospect for 2012. I’ve got a two-year-old female named ‘PR’
Kalal’s MN Psyched Up Miss Pac Man. I’m very excited
about her talents in the woods. Hopefully, we can team up
and have some fun this year!”
For some additional history, Alan had graduated from high
school in 1978 and then went right into construction work at
an asphalt company. For nine years he owned and drove a
truck. Then, he moved on as a laborer on an asphalt crew and
he’s been foreman of a crew for the past six years. He worked
at McNamara Contracting for 30 years and moved on to
Bituminous Roadways four years ago.
Shared Alan, “I have a high loyalty for work and the company
that I work for, and work always comes first and foremost
before the dogs. Sometimes, that can cause some problems,
since construction is seasonal work in Minnesota, but
they try and work with me as far as the dogs are concerned
and usually something is arranged.”
“Alan, please give Cooner readers some thoughts on breeding,”
I urged.
“Well, in breeding or strains, by now you probably can tell
I hunt only females. I have always been partial to the Finley
River and Spring Creek Rock strains. I always liked them for
the cold nose, tracking and drifting ability and above all their
locating and accuracy of having the coon. All my females
have gone back to these strains one way or another.
“In breeding, I’ve bred Dual Champion Kalal’s Minnesota
Star, Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Cookie, and
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Beauty to
Dual Grand Champion McCallister’s Finley River Banjo.
These crosses have produced Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Minnesota Sally and Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Minnesota Nancy, Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Credit River
Peaches, Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Finley River Lucky,
Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Finley River Hatchet, and Dual
Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Jodie. These dogs, along
with some others that also titled out, became some nice dogs
and some of them were very good coon dogs.
“I then took Dual Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Jodie
and bred her to Dual Grand Champion Red Oak Lightning
and this cross produced several nice hounds but I can’t
remember the titled names. I bred Champion, Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Lightning Star to World
Champion, Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Bellar’s Pac Man,
Dual Grand Champion Houses’s Lipper and Dual Grand
Champion Deanwood Drifter and these crosses produced
some nice hounds with Deanwood Drifter crossing the best
and producing two Dual Grands.
“And, Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Misty,
Gr. Nite Ch. Wells’ Oklahoma Queen, Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Ridgeway’s Sundown Judy, Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Ketring’s Seven Mile Sue, Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Neosho River Renegade and ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Minnesota Crystal all were crossed with Dual Grand
Champion House’s Lipper. They produced many Nite and
Grand Nite Champions like Dual Grand Champion Lipper’s
Mac, Grand Nite Champion Lipper’s Image, Dual Grand
Champion Lipper Hardwood Gun, Nite Champion Seven
Mile Huck, Grand Nite Champion Kalal’s Minnesota Queen,
Grand Nite Champion Fast Lane, Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Bonnie and Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Bad Sally, just to name some of them that
come to mind.
“Grand Nite Champion Kalal’s Minnesota Queen was
crossed with Grand Nite Champion Yadkin Tar Rattler and
this was a good cross. Out of it came an extra special female
that made Grand Nite in Kansas. Queen was bred to Dual
Grand Champion ‘PR’ Minkler’s Kansas Dancer and Grand
Nite Champion ‘PR’ Rock River Sackett, but never settled to
have a litter out of either of these fine stud dogs.
“Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Destiny in
the Wind was bred to World Champion, Dual Grand
Champion X, Jr. and Dual Grand Champion Hardwood Elvis

Dual Grand Champion
‘PR’ Neosho River
Renegade
Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Insane Jane and
Grand Nite Champion X Jr with Jess Dickerson, 2001 Walker Days
Champion and Opposite Sex Winner.
Attack, with huge success. Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’
Money’s Little E and Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Minnesota Destiny’s Babe are a few of those pups.
“As far as suggestions, I’d say that one thing to always
remember, in my opinion, is this: Do not breed a female
until she is finished in the woods. When she’s a coon dog,
study the breeding. Look to find the weak points of your
female and try and get them corrected with
the strong points from the stud dog.
“But, always keep in mind that no matter
how hard you try to breed the right
way, you’ll not always have success.
There will be some crosses you make
that won’t always turn out to be what
you expected. That’s just part of the
game.
“I do believe that some of the new
hounds of today are getting to be too
heavily line bred and the people are
counting how many times a minute the
dogs barks up a tree, without giving consideration
to whether that dog can tree a
coon.”
“Thanks Alan. Now, give us some high
points of your favorite dogs, if you will.”
“Well, let’s see. As for favorite dogs, I
Dual Grand Champion
‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota
Destiny in the Wind
Shown left to right are great friend Randy
Zwahlen, A.W. Norman and myself visiting
about dogs at the Pete D’Andrea Walker
Sectional in Ada, OK.
have several that I had the pleasure of hunting with or
against, now that you ask that question. World Champion,
Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ Bellar’s Pac Man was something
else to watch perform in the woods.
“I’ll never forget one year at Walker Days when Pac Man
and Striker, both owned by Russ Bellar, drew out in the same
cast and I was the non-hunting judge. It was quite a show to
say the least. I got to hunt with Pac Man on several occasions
and he was always a very consistent dog from tailgate to tree.
“Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Spring Creek Black Jack,
owned by Randy Zwahlen of Kansas, was a great-looking dog
had that big beautiful bawl track mouth with a dying locate
and roll over to hard steady chop on the tree. I got to judge
him the night that he won the first annual Lee Crawford
Invitational. Another dog that impressed me was Grand Nite
Champion ‘PR’ Smokey Mountain Hannah, owned by Kenny
Mason. I judged her at the UKC World Championship finals
and this female was a dominant force from the time the
clock started clicking until the hunt was over.
“Possibly my most recent favorite has to be World
Champion, Grand Nite Champion ‘PR’ House’s Mr. Clean,
owned by Bryan Whitted. I served as one of the Master of
Hounds on the final cast of the 2010 UKC World Hunt and
Mr. Clean’s speed and coon-treeing ability was simply spectacular.”
“Okay then… can you single out one dog that is your
favorite hound of all time?”
“Man, that’s a tough one, Vickie. Every dog has his or her
own characteristics and personality. If I had to pick just one,
it would have to be Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s
Minnesota Destiny in the Wind. She had the looks to com-
Alan receiving the Outstanding Member
Award from TWBFA President Duane Clark.

Alan and wife, Kristi
Alan and Kristi, (the love of
Alan’s life) were married on
December 11, 1998
pete on the national level with extreme success. She was a
natural to train and she had that big booming male dog
mouth, and she could stand the pressure on the tree. Destiny
was accurate as can be, and you never wondered if she had
the coon, because you knew she did. As a mother, she was
the best as she never lost a puppy. And as a reproducer, she
threw everything from big game dogs and coon dogs to Dual
Grand Champions. She was a dog that had it all rolled
together in one animal, and I was blessed to be the lucky guy
to own her for her entire life.”
“What were your most meaningful wins over the years?”
“This is another one that will be hard to say, because they
all mean something special to me. And I’m talking way back
to that first hunt that I ever won with my dad’s old female
and winning the first hunt with my very own female. Maybe
I could say that winning four State Hunt Championships and
seven State Show Championships were most meaningful, or
winning other breed sectionals.
“And, placing in Walker Days, the Lee Crawford
Invitational and the UKC Winter Classic all are extremely
meaningful, but I have to admit that winning 2001 Walker
Days has to be the Highlight of what I have done to date. I
remember that night like it was yesterday, and I will never
forget the feeling with thirty minutes left to hunt and I felt
that we had enough points to possibly win Walker Days.
Man, that half hour seemed like two hours to me!”
“Thanks. Now, talk to us about your feelings on bench
shows, since you do both so well.”
Alan didn’t have to think on this. “Okay, well, I think
bench shows are important for the hounds. They should be
of the breed standard to be able to perform in the woods, and
a dog must have the correct conformation and movement in
order to be able to hunt hard and keep hunting hard. They
need correct angulation and reach to really fulfill their potential
in drive, stamina and speed.”
Pictured are
Alan with
Kristi and his
ready-made
family, Kylie,
McKenzie
and Logan
A picture of Alan’s family, sister, Darlene, brother,
Gary, Alan and Kristi, his mother, Jane, and sister,
Karen.
“How about special bench show
moments?”
“Vickie, basically the entire year 2000
would answer that question, with
Destiny winning Queen of Show at Ada,
Oklahoma Walker Sectional, Winning
Supreme Female at the Lee Crawford
Invitational, Winning Queen of Show at Walker Days, dominating
the PKC circuit the entire year and being the very
first PKC Silver Champion. This sticks out as a special
moment, but winning State Championships are very special
too.”
“How do you prepare your dogs for the bench?”
“When you approach training a dog for shows, it takes lots
of time working and training you dog to gait properly, and
then in getting the dog to pose and hold while being judged.
As for tips for beginners, always remember to read and know
the breed standard for your dog.
“Work you dogs everyday at least once, if not more than
that, when you’re first staring out. As your dog gets more
comfortable with the training, make sure you still work
them at least once a day for a period of fifteen minutes or so.
And, always give your dog a bath before every show. Never
show a dirty dog.
“The biggest and the most important piece of advice is that
whatever you do, make sure that you learn how to be a good
loser. And this is because you’re going to lose a whole lot
more that you’ll ever win. If you’re good at losing, then you’ll
be great at winning.”
“And this brings me to the next logical question. What are
your thoughts on competition hunting?”
“Vickie, I love the competition. To me, there’s nothing
more enjoyable or exciting than going hunting with two or
three other handlers and their hounds. And special
moments? They include everything from winning backyard
club events to State and National levels. It simply doesn’t
matter what level … in order to get a dog ready for competition,
you must hunt hard and have your dog ready to perform.
“And this doesn’t happen by sitting in a kennel or on the
end of a chain. If you take them and expect to do much with
them, it always helps for both you and your dog to be in
shape and ready.
“Things you want to look for in a competition dog are that
you want one that has some independence. If nothing is

Dual Grand Champion ‘PR’
Kalal’s Minnesota Destiny in
the Wind (on the tree)
going on and another dog
starts a track, you also
want your dog to get in
there to help out and possibly
tree the coon. You
want to have a pressure
tree dog, one that will stay
once you put them on the
paper. Most important is
that you need a dog that
will tree you coon and not tree you trees. Remember, if you
don’t have the eyes looking down at you there will be not
plus points.
“Tips for the beginners would be to read and study the
rules. Hunt your dog hard, and know your dog’s track and
tree mouths. Read and study the rules. Call your dog for
what he or she is doing. Last but not least, did I say read and
study the rules?!
More times than not, people think they’re getting cheated
by someone in the hunts and mostly it’s simply because they
don’t understand the rules. If you’re in a hunt and think
something is not right, go ahead and ask a question. If you
don’t agree, put a question on the card and leave the Master
of Hounds or Hunt Director to make a final rule on it. The
main thing is that you don’t get all worked up in the woods,
because that won’t solve anything.”
“How about some comments on dual dogs?”
“Vickie, I’ve always thought it cost the same to feed a goodlooking
dog as it did to feed an ugly one, so I chose to always
try to have a good-looking dog. I enjoy taking one dog to the
show and showing it, and then go into the clubhouse and
enter the same dog in the hunt. I’ve always been a big fan of
dual-purpose dogs.
“A good thing is that if you have a young dog, do your training
on the bench, and if your dog is not ready for the hunts,
go ahead and take him to some shows. If you’re lucky, you
can finish your young dog to be a Grand Champion and the
showing is already done with. This way you can pound your
hound extra hard in the woods and you don’t have to worry
about scars or cuts that may bother some judges.
“A good tip for people is to remember that some days we all
feel better than other days. Some days we work harder than
other days. It’s the same with your hound. There will be
days your dog will show better than others and there will be
nights that your dog will hunt better and perform better than
others. Never get discouraged and always remember that
next week there is another show and hunt to go to and try
again.”
Kala’s Minn. Psyched
Up Miss Pac Man,
my 2012 project
“You’ve been on the road a lot. Can you give some pointers
for new people on this part of the hunting and showing on
our dogs?”
“I like to stop and leave them out of the dog box every three
to four hours. Some dogs don’t travel near as well as others,
and it may take you a few trips to calculate how your hounds
are doing from the traveling. Some do just fine and then there
are some that could take up to a couple of days to get back to
normal.”
“In traveling and choosing events, in my opinion, I feel
everyone should support their State and Breed Associations.
The local clubs should have club members that will travel
throughout the state and patronize other clubs help to keep
the clubs strong.
“My favorite hunt will always be Walker Days. It has
brought so many special personal things to me. I’ve won the
Outstanding Member Award twice, and have won Hunter of
the Year. The membership has voted my Dual Grand
Champion ‘PR’ Kalal’s Minnesota Insane Jane into the
Treeing Walker Hall of Fame.”
“Overall, what does the coonhound sport mean to you?”
“The sport of coon hunting is a very big part of my life, and
I try to do as much of it as I possibly can. This sometimes
means helping out with events, or finding a dog for someone,
or going hunting with friends. Many changes have occurred
in the last forty years with the style of dogs, hunting ability,
the population and houses everywhere and it’s harder to find
places to hunt. This is always getting to be a real challenge.
“I believe that this one of the main reasons you see the twohour
hunts versus the three-hour hunts. There are plenty of
nights you are out in the woods and wondering if it’s worth
it, but I would do it all over again.”
“What about special events and people this sport, and what
they’ve brought into your life?”
“Again, as far as special events, I’d say Walker Days and
also the New Youth Extravaganza put on by the Treeing
Walker Breeders and Fanciers Association. These are perhaps
two of the greatest events that I try to make every year.
There is not a more heartwarming experience to me than to
take in and see the kids do their best and try to win with
their dogs.
“I’ve made many youth friends through the years, but I
have two I’d like to mention. They are Alexa Heiser and
Lauren Lester, and both of these young ladies are from
Indiana. Many grownups could take notice on how these
two youths win, and more importantly on how they lose. I
know that Alexa is now off to the Navy and I would like to
wish her the best of luck with that. Lauren just turned fourteen
and we will be seeing a lot more of her in the future no
doubt. It is an honor to me to be able to call these two youths
dear friends and I will cherish their friendships forever.”
“Highlights of your life?”
Dual Grand Champion
Kalal’s Minnesota Anne

“Having a healthy family is important. My parents are both
departed, and I have a brother, Gary, married to Lori, has one
daughter named Jackie and two sons, Jeremy and Adam.
Gary and his sons are pheasant hunters and they also love ice
fishing. Jeremy is married to Angela and they have a one-year
old son named Cooper. I have a sister named Karen that’s
married to Cary Havlicek, and they have two daughters,
Cassie and Callie, both of whom are married, and there is
one grandson. Another sister, Darlene, is divorced and has
two sons, Calvin and Colon, and two daughters, Kalyn and
Kylee, with one grandson. And my family with Kristi has
already been mentioned and means everything to me.
“It’s important to recognize always having safe travels to
and from work and the hunts, and having a hound that can
run and tree me a coon every now and then. But the greatest
highlight of all to me is the friendships life has brought to me
in this coonhound world. Yes, sometimes we can agree to
disagree, but in the end we are still friends. Being asked to
judge the 2000 Autumn Oaks Show, 2005 UKC World Show,
2009 UKC Winter Classic Show and being hired by UKC in
2008 to be one of their Field Reps ... these are all highlights.
“I’ve held office at local clubs like the Minnesota Coon and
Fox Club and at the Crane Creek Coon Hunters Club. I’ve
held several different offices or been a director of the
Minnesota State Coon Hunters Association since the start of
the association.
“In 1981, I received a call about being put on the Board of
Directors of the Treeing Walker Breeders and Fanciers
Association. I did accept and have been either a board member
or an officer of this fine association ever since. That
amounts to 32 years and it’s been filled with some ups and
downs, but mostly ups and that is a good thing for the membership
and the breed.
“I’ve been involved with the TWBFA under Presidents Lee
Crawford, George Yazel, Alan Snedegar, Duane Clark and
Tony Martin. Working under these men was quite beneficial
and a great learning experience and now that I’m President, I
would say that I’ve had big shoes to fill following these past
presidents.
“Being involved with a large association takes lots of work
and dedication from the Board of Directors. I couldn’t ask for
a better Board. Changes have come with new ideas and
everyone works in harmony to make sure that the membership
is treated fairly and with respect.
“We have two directors that brought up the Youth
Extravaganza, including Mike Carmack and Tom Lechlitner.
These two men are very influential to putting this hunt on
every year. The youth winning the bench show and the
youth winning the night hunt each win a $1000 scholarship.
At Walker Days, we give back to the hunters an estimated
$15,000 in prizes. There’s also the new pup hunt on
Thursday night which is UKC licensed; it’s for two-year old
pups and younger. We give away cash for a cast win, plus
point cast winners get championship points, and if they are
performance pups they will receive performance points. The
final four go out and hunt off for an hour to determine the
cash prizes for the top four places, so it’s a win-win situation
for all that enter.
“Being involved in the TWBFA is something that is very
humbling. I cannot even begin to name all the great friends
that I have met over the past 30+ years. I know that you all
know who you are, and I appreciate each and every one of
you.
“And I want to close this by once more giving thanks for
my family and my friends. Good luck to all newcomers, for
this is a great sport and one I hope continues. See you at the
hunts!”