- Board of Directors

Rob and Candice Giddings reside in Twin Lake, Michigan. They have a son, Dalton, who is 9 years old. Rob has been employed by Alcoa Howmet casting for 12 years.

Rob is the son of Frank Giddings, and started out following his dad’s Rock River hounds all the way back with old Rock River Ring in the 70s, when Rob was just a toddler. Some of his favorites through the years have been GR NITE CH ‘PR’ Rock River Ring, Jr; Hardwood Bounce; CH GR NITE CH ‘PR’ Rock River Sackett Jr.; and now Tell and Cord. A few of Rob’s favorite hounds that he got to go see that weren’t from around home include Hammering Earl, X Jr, Water Oak Mable, and Owl Creek Bart. There have been several that have impressed him along the way, but these four really stand out for the work that they did on the nights he has seen them go.

The goals Rob has as a Director are to serve the membership, and make sure they have a voice; to help promote the sport of coon hunting to the youth; and to give back to the coon hunting community that has treated him so well.

Mike and Amanda Carmack live in the small rural town of Liberty, Indiana. Mike makes his living farming and feeding cattle, and Amanda is the Marketing Manager for MEG in Cambridge City, Indiana. They had their first child, a girl, March 3, 2005.

Treeing Walker Coonhounds are a family affair for the Carmacks, whose relationship started out as a hunting partnership and later turned into a life-long partnership. Mike started coon hunting 31 years ago as a young boy with his grandfather, Howard Huber. He loved every moment of it and cherishes those fond memories today. The best hounds he has had the pleasure to walk behind and the privilege to own are 1996 UKC World Champion Hannas Creek Mac Attack, 1998 ACHA World Champion Walker Female Swift Creek Annie and 2001 PKC Youth World Champion Hanna’s Creek Trap. Though his focus has changed from competition to pleasure hunting, he is still committed to the Walker breed and strives to improve it by raising hounds off the great Walker dogs of his past.

Amanda started hunting 28 years ago, tagging along with her father when she was big enough to make it through the woods. She still loves to pleasure hunt. In 1998, she began showing the offspring of those same Walker dogs she followed as a child.

Mike feels very privileged to have the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the TWB&FA. His goals are to help make the TWB&FA the best breed association it can be and promote the sport and the hounds we all enjoy.

Trent Stanley lives in Wapakoneta, Ohio with his fiancée, Michelle, and their 3-year-old daughter, Danica. His oldest daughter, Jessica, also from Wapakoneta, enjoys bench showing and has several wins under her belt already.

Trent has spent most of his life associated with and involved with coon hunting. As a youngster, he spent several weekends asleep at a club house due to his parents Larry and Earlene Stanley. Larry was Secretary for the TWB&FA for several years while he hunted.

Trent started hunting with his father at age 5, and also spent many nights hunting with his late Grandpa, Earl Hall. He attributes his love of hunting, all hunting, to his Grandfather William (Bill) Stanley, who still encourages him (via phone) at every hunt.

Paul and Vera Dressen have two sons, Broderick and Cody. Broderick is attending college to study law and Cody graduated from Ellsworth High School.

Paul holds a degree in Fisheries Biology and works for the Prairie Island Indian Community and the Goodhue County Education District to develop Experimental Educational programs for at-risk kids. Several programs have been developed using the care, training and hunting of coonhounds.

Vera works at the Red Wing High School as a secretary.

Paul has been coon hunting 39 years and competition hunting for 18. His kennel name is Midnight Kennels. Some of Paul’s favorite hounds are GR NITE CH ‘PR’ Dark Shadow Bobby, GR NITE CH Hard Rock Café, Dual Grand Buckeye Timber Bess and GR NITE CH Midnight Stylish Bess, just to name a few.

Steve Dunn has three daughters and two granddaughters.

Steve’s grandad gave him his first Walker coon dog when Steve was twelve years old and the dog was ten. Grandad told Steve that the dog would teach him how to coon hunt.

Steve is also the president of the Whitley County Coon Hunters Association in Columbia City, Indiana.

Leonard and his wife Barbara live on a small farm near Ethel, Mississippi. They have three children and three grandchildren.

He spent four years in the United States Navy. During that time, President Eisenhower awarded him with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Bravery Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

Leonard Burchfield has worked as a body repair man since 1960. He is proud to be a Mason and Shriner. He is the President of the Mississippi Raccoon Hunters Association. He is also a United Kennel Club Master of Hounds and Bench Show Judge. He is an officer of his local hunting club and a member of many more!

For as long as he can remember, Leonard has loved coon hunting. He has hunted Treeing Walkers since the early 1960s. Presently, he owns a Dual Grand female and a Nite Champion Grand Show Champion male. He is also proud of his two started Super Stakes pups!

His goals are to preserve and protect the sport of coon hunting.

Gary and Susie Starns have been married for 28 years and have two children, son Cheyenne and daughter Misty.

Gary and Susie live just east of Ada, Oklahoma, where Gary is a County Commissioner. Gary has been coon hunting for 40 years, all with Walker dogs. Gary has hunted with some of the best hounds in the world, as all the good hounds have always come to Ada, Oklahoma to the Walker hunt held each March.

Gary’s dad, the late Billy Starns, was one of the men who started the Pontotoc County Coonhunters Association and was the man who met with Pete D’Andrea to bring the Walker hunt to Ada some 46 years ago. As you can see, Gary has been around the coon hunts all his life.

Billy Starns has always promoted big hunts to Ada, Oklahoma, but his best accomplishment was getting the UKC World Hunt brought to Ada. Gary was President of the Pontotoc County Coonhunters Association at the time, but Billy died before it came to Ada. He saw the article in the magazine stating the hunt would be coming to Ada, and at that time, Billy stated he had accomplished everything in life he wanted to do.

The best hound Gary ever owned was CH GR NITE CH Starns Oklahoma Sadie, who he and Billy were partners on. Sadie died just a few days short of being 12 years old. Sadie and Gary traveled many a mile together, going to the hunts. She was a real hound. Sadie was the grandmother of Millcreek Molly, Dolly and Joker. Molly is the all-time PKC money winner.

Some of the best hounds Gary has hunted with are Rains Striker, Spring Creek Rock, Swinneys Diamond Jim, Grants Stylish Billy, World Champion Daniel’s Duke, Kirkes Cactus Jack, Crow and Grant Cutter, Starns Oklahoma Sadie and Hard Rock Café. Gary’s highlight was drawing Hard Rock Café at Walker Days in Columbia City, Indiana, winning 2nd place Grand Nite Champion, scoring 1,437½ plus points.

Gary is presently Treasurer of the Pontotoc County Coonhunters Associations. He was Vice President of the Oklahoma Federation of Coonhunters Association for several years. Gary is currently a member of the Purina Board, representing the TWB&FA.

At the present time, Gary and son Cheyenne are partners on a Walker female, CH NITE CH Cutters Jewell, who is a great granddaughter of his old Sadie dog.

Gary has always looked up to his Uncle Bill Rains, and his good friends, Duane Clark and Bill Crow, for always promoting and raising good Walker hounds.

Tom and Shannon Lechlitner have been married for 40 years. They have two daughters, Tasha and Mia, and three grandchildren. Tom was raised on a family farm near Wakarusa, Indiana. He has been in the agriculture and fertilizer business for 35 years. Sharon has been an elementary school teacher for 34 years.

Tom enjoys fishing and all types of hunting behind dogs.  He enjoys all types of good dogs.

Tom’s two favorite Walker hounds he has owned are Owl Creek Bart and Minklers Kansas Thunder. It’s hard to leave out some top hounds he had had the privilege of hunting with, but three who have always impressed him are Rock River Sackett Jr., Rock River Tuck and Nocturnal Skipper.

Tom is a lifetime member and active participant at the Wyatt Conservation Coonhunters Club. The goals he has as a director are: (1) To promote work hard to promote the TWB&FA; (2) To represent the membership; (3) To promote the Treeing Walker Puppy Breeders Cup Challenge; (4) To promote the youth of the future as hunters; (5) To provide affordable hunts for all members.

Some of his favorite phrases are: “Are you going hunting?” and “Is it dark?” Good luck to all Treeing Walker fanciers.

Biography to be submitted.

Larry started participating in the nite hunts in 1966 with a pretty good Redbone female. He found it impossible to replace her with another Redbone, and in 1968 got his first registered Walker.

His current hounds consist of Lady, an nine-year-old female out of Hard Knocking Hayes, her daughter, Patch, out of Hard Rock Café, and Hooker, out of Cowee Creek Clint and Bill Napier’s Skeeter. Skeeter won the Youth National Hunt. The picture shows Larry after Hooker placed at the 2004 Treeing Walker Breeders Cup Futurity. Larry also placed Patch in the 2003 Futurity.

Jeremy Wilson resides in Clarksville, Ohio. He has a son, Bradley, who just turned four, and like his daddy, he has a great love for the outdoors.

Jeremy works for Davis H. Elliot, who is a contractor for Dayton Power and Light, as a linesman.

Jeremy is the grandson of John and Fern East, and has been following in John’s footsteps since he was old enough to walk.

Jeremy has a gift with young dogs and loves the thrill of competition hunting. The best hound he has ever been in the woods with is GR NITE CH ‘PR’ Minklers Kansas Thunder.

His goals are to help keep the Walker breed dominant, to support and encourage youth hunters, and to serve the members with hard work and dedication.

Biography to be submitted.

Biography to be submitted.

Biography to be submitted.

Biography to be submitted.

Phil and Wanda have been married for 33 wonderful years. They have two wonderful sons, Chris and Michael.

Phil and his sons are self-employed, owning a carpet business.

Phil has been a coon hunter for 34 years. He loves his hunting and his dogs. The Treeing Walker has always been his favorite breed.

He is co-owner of Blazin Oak Kennels and has two stud dogs he is very proud of, Dual Grand Yadkin River Tater and Dual Grand Yadkin River Major.

Phil is also a field representative for Black Gold Dog Food and strives to get the youth involved in this sport