The winner of the top prize in the 2009 World PKC Coon Hunt is Rat's Magic Trick. 

The dog's owners and handler won the top prize of 27-thousand dollars after winning the championship cast Saturday night.  One of the dogs owners, Steve Burkholder, says this is his first championship in 20 years of hunting. "It's a dream come true," he says. "There's only one dog that has everyone on it twice." Burkholder says working towards the World Championship is a year round effort and work will soon begin on trying to make Rat's Magic Trick a double World Champion.  He was complimentary of how Salem hosted the event. "It was a well run event and we couldn't be any happier with the whole city of Salem," he says. "The hospitality was better than any place we've ever been."

There's been no decision yet if Salem will be successful in landing the World PKC Hunt on a multi-year contract.  David Dial with the Marion County Coon Hunters says PKC Owner Roger Carnegie will survey those involved before announcing the location of next year's world hunt. "We've heard really good feedback," he says.

The PKC Youth World Champion was also named over the weekend.  Heather Crosby of Sulligent, Alabama beat out 90 youth entries to win the championship and four-thousand dollars in scholarship money.