By Rita Howell
Registration ended Saturday for the United Kennel Club’s Winter Classic coon hunts scheduled for January 29-30 in Batesville, but UKC officials in Kalamazoo, Mich., were still processing the applications Monday and had not released totals.  
For the past three years, since the event was relocated from Georgia to Batesville, the Winter Classic has drawn about 1,000 coonhounds and their owners and handlers for two nite hunts and two days of bench shows at the Batesville Civic Center.
The Winter Classic is one of the top coon hunting events in the world, and hunters have come from as far away as Canada and Washington State to hunt in the North Mississippi woods.
Ronnie Stark of Water Valley coordinates the guides for the hunts, which are spread out over about 100 miles.
Across the country, interest in coon hunting competitions has remained steady, Stark said, indicating that he expects about the same number of hunters this year.
Stark also participates as a hunting guide, and last year won first place in the registered division in the Saturday hunt with his dog, “Wildman Willie.”