Decatur County's World's Largest Coon Hunt Returns April 2026 to Benefit St. Jude

The event that has quietly funneled more than $4.5 million into St. Jude Children's Research Hospital over nearly five decades returns this weekend to 1925 Highway 641 South, where the Decatur County Fairgrounds will host the World's Largest Raccoon Hunt for the second full weekend of April.

The United Kennel Club's official event calendar confirms the 2026 dates as April 10-11, with the full schedule running Thursday through Sunday in the organization's longstanding tradition since 1976. The format centers on two UKC-sanctioned disciplines: coonhound bench shows during the day and organized night hunts that send registered teams and their dogs into the field after dark, with cash prizes awarded to top finishers. Hunters and coonhound owners from multiple states typically make the trip to Parsons and Decaturville, making it one of the largest regional outdoor competitions in West Tennessee each spring.

Doug Mooney is listed as the local contact on the UKC calendar for competitors seeking entry details. The Decatur County Chamber of Commerce also maintains event information at (731) 847-2404. Competition rules, entry fees, and eligibility requirements are posted through the UKC's event listing for any hunter or coonhound owner planning to enter.

The operational backbone of the weekend is entirely volunteer-driven. The Decatur County - St. Jude World's Largest Coon Hunt Inc. and the Chamber coordinate registration, concessions, and sponsorship drives across the four-day schedule, drawing on a network of civic organizations and local clubs that staff every function. The sheriff's office, fairgrounds staff, and emergency services add resources to manage traffic and crowd logistics on Highway 641 South, which carries some of the county's heaviest spring volume during the hunt.

That visitor surge feeds directly into the local economy. Campgrounds near the fairgrounds fill through the weekend, and restaurants, marinas, and retail businesses in Parsons and Decaturville see a measurable increase in traffic. Decatur County Mayor Mike Creasy described the gathering's staying power at the 2024 event: "It's become more of a family-oriented event as far as friends become family. They know grandfathers down to grandkids now."

With the event approaching its 50th year, the $4.5 million raised for St. Jude, which treats children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases regardless of a family's ability to pay, stands as a remarkable product of all-volunteer organizing in a rural Tennessee county. Whatever this weekend adds to that total, the fairgrounds on Highway 641 South will once again be the center of Decatur County's spring.