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2024 Coonhound World FAQ's

Finals set for September 19-21 in Marshall, IL

September 9, 2024

Source: Trevor Wade
Job Title: Coonhound Program Manager
Email: twade@ukcdogs.com

With the World Championship coming up this month, the newest Coonhound Advisor column has been dedicated to the most frequently asked questions as it relates to this event.

The column is reprinted in its entirety below:

Deadlines Only those dogs that qualified via a Regional Qualifying Event (RQE) and were entered by the advanced deadline of August 31st, 2024, are eligible to hunt in the World Championship. The deadline to confirm an entry at all zone locations is 5:00 pm local time on both Friday and Saturday nights. The deadline to return scorecards will be determined and announced at the event.

Confirming Your Entry Your entry must be confirmed, at the event location, on both Friday AND Saturday night prior to the posted deadline. Note: The UKC Field Rep (MOH) will not take personal phone calls to confirm an entry as Conditional for a handler who may be running late. In that case, the entry would need to be confirmed by someone else and the handler would need to be present when their cast is called out or the dog will be scratched.

Females in Season Another dog that is qualified and registered to the same owner may be substituted for a female that comes in season. Otherwise, the owner must notify UKC prior to the event date in order to be eligible for a refund. A female that comes in season on the Friday of the event must be inspected, confirmed, and noted as such by the Master of Hounds. This must be done prior to casts going to the woods on Friday night in order for a refund to be issued.

Veteran's Casts There will not be any Veteran's Casts at any Zone events.

Spectators Spectators are not allowed on any cast at the Zones. (See Backup Handlers Below)

Backup Handlers Each handler is allowed to have one backup handler. The handler shall advise the entry taker who their backup handler is and should be noted on the scorecard. If the back-up handler has not been noted; the judge should simply write their name on the scorecard at the start of the hunt. A backup handler may not become involved in any part of scoring procedures. They will not have a voice in voting procedures. A backup handler is not required to go to the woods, he or she may stay at the vehicle. Allowing back-up handlers to shine trees is a decision made by the cast at the beginning of the hunt per Rule 10 (b).
Judges Hunting Judges will be used at the Zones. Only qualified Hunting Judges are to be used. All judges will be pre-selected and approved by the event official. The Hunting Judge must be at least 18 years of age and possess the experience, knowledge, and integrity to perform the duties required. The event official will, at their discretion, have the authority to assign a non-hunting judge to any cast deemed necessary. Non-Hunting Judges will be used throughout the remainder of the World Championship Finals.

Hunt Time Periods All casts at the Zones will hunt for two hours. At the Finals, dogs will also hunt for two hours in each of the four possible rounds.

Posting Zone Scores Friday night scores will be posted at the event and on the UKC website. Saturday night scores will not be posted at the event or on the UKC website until all casts have returned or the deadline to return scorecards has expired.

Appeals The Appeal procedure is not in affect for any part of a zone event. The Master of Hounds (UKC Field Rep) decision will be final in all situations. The Master of Hounds may, at their discretion, contact UKC's Director of Hunting Operations or UKC's Coonhound Program Manager to discuss the situation prior to rendering a decision. The Master of Hounds is not required to contact UKC per a handler's request in the event the Field Rep deems it unnecessary.

Placements All dogs must hunt two hours on both Friday and Saturday night to be considered for placement at the Zones. If a dog is scratched, minuses out of the hunt, or withdrawn for any reason, on Friday night it will not be eligible to hunt on Saturday night at the Zones. If a dog is withdrawn or scratches on Saturday night, the dog is not eligible for placement or eligible to advance to the Finals. The number of dogs advancing from each zone will be based on a percentage of the total number of entries overall. The number advancing from each zone will be announced prior to the calling of casts at each zone by the Master of Hounds. Any two-night cast winners will place in accordance to combined highest scores followed by single cast win high scores.

Championship Cast Wins Awarded Any dog winning its cast, with a total score of plus points, on Friday and or Saturday night at the Zones will receive a cast win towards their degree. At the finals, all advancing dogs in Rounds 1-4 will receive a win toward their degree.

Awards at the Zones All Zone Placement Awards and giveaways will be presented to the owner or handler on Thursday at the World Championship Finals when they confirm their entry. The deadline to confirm an entry at the Finals is 5:00 pm local time on Thursday, September 19th at the Knowles Auction Service in Marshall, Illinois. Handler shall have dog in hand when they confirm their entry at the Finals.

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