Holding Hunt Tests in Conjunction with Other Events
Tailgate Talk
July 13, 2016
Source: Corey Gruver
This month, we will dive into some real-life scenarios and how to most appropriately handle these situations at a UKC Hunt Test
Hunting Females in Season
Not too long ago, a man from East Tennessee called the office and left a voicemail message about an intriguing dilemma. The man stated his case plainly, that his club was hosting one of their very first UKC Hunt Tests within the next several weeks, and he fully intended to hunt a dog in it. The only problem was that the man’s only dog, a mature Walker female, had just come into heat and would not be out of season until shortly after the date of the Hunt Test.
The man from East Tennessee did not see why it would be an issue to enter and compete with his female under the circumstances, considering that all of the dogs entered in the event would be hunting by themselves. The reason for his timely voice message was so that he could plan accordingly, whether he was allowed to hunt the female in heat or not. In most situations, a female that is in season is eligible to be scratched if it is interfering with other dogs, whether it be a Bench Show, Nite Hunt, or whatever. Should this Walker female be allowed to compete on the night of the Hunt Test? Would the club be within their rights to tell this man that he is not allowed to enter this particular hound?
There is nothing in writing pertaining to hunting females in season when it comes to UKC Licensed Hunt Tests. Since the rules do not plainly state that a female in heat is ineligible for competition, that means that the man from East Tennessee would be well within the rules to enter and hunt his female on the night of the Hunt Test.
Since each dog participates at an individual level at these events, there is no justifiable reason for not allowing these females to participate. In other venues, dogs are in direct proximity to one another, whether they are being turned loose to go hunting, or waiting to show in a show ring, which allows for the possibility of a bitch in season distracting or interfering with the other hounds. Since the aspect of competition is eliminated during these hunts, hunting a female that is in fact in heat would not be a problem.
One thing that event coordinators might want to keep in mind, is to consider any participants that might be running male dogs in the event. While a female in season will be hunting alone, she may come into close proximity to a male dog that is out to be evaluated by the same evaluator. This should be taken into consideration when assigning inspectors to dogs. If it’s possible to send the female out by herself, or maybe with a group of guys that are also running females, this may be the best option.
Holding Hunt Tests in Conjunction with Other Events
Just a few days before this article was written, a club contacted the Field Operations Department with an interesting proposition. The club was interested in holding some UKC Hunt Tests, but was inquiring whether or not they could hold these events on the same night as their scheduled Bench Shows. The club had held several Bench Shows and Nite Hunts in combination with one another over the years, but curiosity had led them to try and devise other ways to keep their membership and event participants happy. A lot of the members of the club were older and could not keep up in the Nite Hunts any longer, but loved to show their dogs during the Bench Shows on any given weekend.
Holding UKC Hunt Tests on the same night as a Licensed Bench Show, in the club’s eyes, would entice their membership to begin participating in the hunts again, and would allow for their older members to still enjoy competing with their dogs in the woods. A win-win for everybody, right? Can a club host Hunt Tests on the same night as other UKC Licensed events?
The answer to this question is a resounding YES! Clubs may hold UKC Hunt Tests on the same night as another UKC Licensed event, whether that be a Bench Show, Nite Hunt, Field Trial or Water Race. UKC will always encourage clubs to try and create new ways to encourage participation at events, and if offering a slightly different venue is the way to do that, by all means, do it!