Sportsmanship, a noun; Other Coonhound News

Coonhound Advisor

December 8, 2017

Source: Allen Gingerich

As published in the November 2017 Coonhound Bloodlines

Dont Assume Judge Noted a ? on the Card

Q: The other night, I drew out in a cast where the club official assigned a non-hunting judge to our cast. During the course of the hunt, the judge made a call that I did not think was correct, so I questioned him about it. He turned the card over and read the rule that he thought applied. We all talked about it, and everyone else agreed with him, but that doesnt matter because there is no voting with a non-hunting judge. At the end of the hunt, I brought up the situation we had earlier and that we needed to all go back to the Master of Hounds for a ruling. The judge said he didnt realize that I wanted to question his ruling and didnt put a question on the scorecard. The other handlers said the same thing so I told them to forget about it. My point is, I questioned the judges call and he should have put a question on the card. It would have made a difference in winning or losing the cast. Please advise on how this should have been handled.

A: Youre right, there is no voting on anything when you have a non-hunting judge. That doesnt mean you cant question a non-hunting judges call, talk about it, and try to resolve it in that manner first. You mentioned that the judge turned the card over and read the rule he thought applied to your situation. That right there tells me that he attempted to resolve your question by first reading the rule that he thought applied and addressing it. Thats the way it should be handled by the judge.

Simply telling the judge you want to question a call doesnt automatically constitute a question mark going on the scorecard. Did you give it any thought that he was only responding to you asking the question and him trying to resolve it by reading the rule he was applying? It should, because that is the best way to address any question. After that, if you still think the wrong call was made, you have every right to ask for a question mark be noted on the scorecard. And make it clear. In other words, it is your responsibility to make sure there is no question about it. The judge cannot deny you asking for a question to be placed on the card. If they refuse, then you should make every effort that it is clear to all that your question is being refused because it is THE only way a Master of Hounds should even consider hearing your question at the clubhouse is if theres an actual question mark on the card or its clear that you were refused that right.

Sportsmanship (noun)

Q: What is sportsmanship?

A: Merriam-Webster defines the term as; conduct (such as fairness, respect for ones opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport. Another definition states; qualities and behavior befitting a sportsman.

The English Dictionary gives some of the following examples of the word used in a sentence.

• Fair play and sportsmanship is more than just a clich.
• He has been charged with an act contrary to good sportsmanship.
• Both men have shown sportsmanship other sports would do well to copy.
• It deserved to fail because it was conceived in bad sportsmanship and simple envy.
• The partisan crowd showed their sportsmanship by loudly applauding the victors and cheering the trailing athletes behind them.
• It was a case of shockingly bad sportsmanship - and bad acting to boot.
• I think that shows true sportsmanship and understanding of the game.
• Ill watch something else next time this circus of bad sportsmanship arrives.
• He was cited for an act contrary to good sportsmanship.
• It has, with a few exceptions, been a contest in which the excitement only narrowly exceeds the good sportsmanship.

As you can see, the word is used in both positive and negative sentences, both of which are good to think about as it applies to the sport of nite hunts. We should always be reminded of #4 and #8 and how unsportsmanlike conduct can certainly have a huge negative impact on bystanders and drive them away from the sport.

The vast majority of hound folks do, in fact, conduct themselves in a manner becoming of good sportsmen and women. Sure, theres always a few sour apples in the cart that we wish would conduct themselves differently. And thats why it can never hurt to address and remind ourselves the importance of good sportsmanship. Turning our heads to unsportsmanlike conduct is, in effect, condoning it. In this sport, we dont have designated watchdogs on patrol. That responsibility lies on event officials and participants. Thanks for doing your part.

Dogs on Road. No Majority to Call Time Out.

Q: Please give the official interpretation of the Nite Hunt Honor Rules concerning this situation. We have a four-dog cast. All dogs are declared struck. Dogs A and B go one way, and Dogs C and D go another. Two of the dogs trail onto a road. Two of the handlers want to call time out, while two do not, and so there is no majority consensus. How should this be handled?

A: Rule 8 states that a majority must agree in order to call time out in a cast using hunting Judges. However, there are times that common sense must prevail. If there was undisputed evidence that dogs were in danger of being killed on this roadway, time should be called. Is there a handler so cold of heart that he would want to see a fellow competitors dog killed in order to win a cast?

Here are some of the variables I would need answers to before I would rule on the question. Was this a busy, well-traveled highway, or was it a farm lane? Sometimes handlers are looking for excuses when the game is not going in their favor. For this reason, we score dogs that are declared treed when time out is called. Handlers have been known to cry danger when they have been beaten on track or tree. The rule says that a majority is required, and thats the law. Taking that hard line, the handlers with dogs on the road can only scratch their dogs and recover them. Is that fair in the face of real and present danger? I think not.

Lame Cross Out Excuses

Q: Judges in this area are circling obviously slick trees because of handlers who say the coon could have crossed out. This is getting to be a big problem here, and I would like to hear UKCs ruling on this.

A: I believe that one of the most frequent abuses in the scoring of coonhounds in a Nite Hunt occurs when Judges let handlers convince them that a coon could have crossed over to another tree from an obviously slick tree. I have either coon hunted too many years for my own good, or I am like the guy from Missouri (you gotta show me) because I do not believe that coon climb the trunk of one tree to get into another tree unless the branches are obviously entwined or there are vines creating a natural path for the coon to follow. I have seen coon reach out and take hold of limbs and pull themselves across, but that was when I was in the tree with them, attempting to shake them from their perch. Otherwise, coon will stay put, moving only when frightened by shaking vines, shooting or squalling. I once had a handler to tell me that coon climb smaller bushes and ride them over into den trees. Sounds like fun to me, but again, I will have to be shown.

I have also heard of the escape route for saving dogs from minus points. Handlers maintain that a tree should be circled because there is an obvious escape route in the form of a limb on the backside of the tree that touches the ground, or perhaps a log across a stream or some other conveyance that allowed the coon to fool the dog and escape. These handlers maintain that since the coon climbed the tree, and the dog is none the wiser, the points should be circled. Other scenarios reveal dogs that have received plus points when a coon was seen several trees down a fence row from where the dog was treeing. The handler paints a scene of the coon crossing from tree to tree in a style that would turn a Tarzan scriptwriter green with envy and, believe it or not, some Judges buy it.

The top of the scorecard says, Honor Rules. The framers of the Nite Hunt rules were coon hunters of much experience. The Rules Committee members, the same. There is a thread running through the rules that assumes the Judges and handlers to be experienced coon hunters. Granted, many newcomers to the sport are not, but the Judges should be.

If you can honestly see an obvious path, in terms of limbs or vines from one tree to another, then give the dogs the benefit of doubt. Otherwise, lets take our lumps and strive to breed accurate locators in our hounds rather than relying on lame excuses. Small branches that brush each other do not qualify. No dog is 100 percent accurate, and part of the game is trying to find something better than what we are feeding.