III.
JUDGES
1.The
Hunting Club that sponsors the hunting event will pick the cast judges.
2.Cast
judges must be responsible, fair-minded, knowledgeable of CKC Hunt Rules and
show no
favoritism to any dog or handler.
3.The authority of a judge will
begin when the Master of Hunts officially hands him the scorecard for his cast.
4.The authority of a judge ceases when he returns the
signed and completed scorecard to the Master of Hunts.
5.The judges are responsible for carrying the
scorecards for their designated cast, and they are
responsible for entering all points earned or lost for each dog of the cast.
They should also record time lost for time outs taken
during the hunt, enter scores in plain view of the handlers, and inform any
handler of the score for any dog and/or time outs recorded, upon request.
6.If there is a question about the score, a judge
should score with a question mark (?) and present the question to the Master of
Hunts immediately upon returning from the hunt (a questions will be considered
if it was not made known to the Judge during the hunt and at the time the
question arose).
7.A judge may also have a dog entered in the hunt and
serve as a handler for his dog. If a Judge scratches his dog from the hunt, he
may continue to judge, or he may pass the scorecard to another cast member
capable of judging the rest of the hunt.
8.Judges are to keep hunters and spectators at a safe
distance to keep them from interfering with the dogs. A judge shall
have the authority to scratch a dog if the dog's handler or a spectator with
the handler interferes with the hunt.
9.Judges may instruct the handlers to call in their
dogs when necessary in order to keep the cast hunting together.
IV.
HUNTING CASTS
1.All Beagles registered with Continental Kennel Club,
measuring 15 inches or less at the withers, shall be eligible for
CKC Beagle Hunting Events.
2.The Master of Hunts shall organize the Hunting Casts
and enter the dogs for each cast on the scorecards.
3.The casts shall be made up only after all the dogs
have been entered in the hunt, and the deadline for entering dogs in the
hunt is past.
4.Casts will be grouped in a random manner; not by the
dogs' sex, age, or size. Owners having multiple entries may have their dogs
placed in different casts.
5.Each cast is grouped into a 6-dog cast.
6.The Winners Cast shall be made up of the winners of
each cast.
V.
SCORECARDS
1.All information that is recorded on the scorecard by
the Master of Hunts and by the Judges must be legible.
2.The Scorecard must be completed in the field
by the judge and signed by each handler (even if a handler is protesting
the Judge's decision about a score). If
a handler does not sign the scorecard, his dog will be scratched.
3.Only the Master of Hunts can make changes on
a scorecard once it has been signed by the cast Judge and handlers.
4.The sponsoring hunting club must keep the
scorecards and make them available to the hunt contestants and Continental
Kennel Club upon demand.
VI.
STRIKE (Either 10 plus or 10 minus points)
1. A
strike is 4 or more barks from a dog, after the dogs have been released in the
field.
2. A
dog that opens (a track) and is struck by the judge does not have to jump the
rabbit to receive
10 strike points as long as another dog jumps or produces the
rabbit within the allotted time of 4
minutes. (Example: Dog A barks 4 or more times on a track; Dog B
barks in, and in the judgment of
the judge, produces a rabbit; Dog A receives strike points.)
3. Strike
points are given only once for each rabbit.
4. A
dog that opened the track and struck by the judge shall receive 10 minus points
if no dog in the
cast jumps a rabbit within 4 minutes.
If a rabbit is jumped by a judge, handler or a spectator, no
strike or jump points shall be awarded.
5. After
a dog opens, the judge shall give the dogs 4 minutes to produce the rabbit
before calling the
track dead, then the judge must asks the handlers to move their dogs at
least 75 yards to another
area (the dog that was struck in receives a minus 10 points).
6. The
judge shall give the dogs strike in the allotted time on the track no matter
what the other dogs
do, unless the judge determines that another dog in the cast has jumped
the rabbit (within in the 4
minutes allotted) that the dog was struck in on.
7. In
a situation in which a judge cannot determine which dog barked on a strike he
may ask the
handlers, and in this case the majority vote of the handlers decides
which dog receives the plus or
minus points for the strike.
VII.
JUMP (40 points)
1. A jump occurs when a rabbit
has been flushed out in the open.
2. A jump occurs only at the
beginning of the chase.
3. Only one jump can be scored for each rabbit.
4. The judge may not award jump points if he is unsure
of which dog jumped the rabbit (ex. Dogs A, B, and C go under
briars and a rabbit runs out, any of the dogs may have actually jumped
the rabbit, but the judge cannot determine which dog made the
jump so he does not have to award jump points).
5. A judge does not have to see the rabbit to award 40
jump points, however, he does have to determine which dog or
dogs flushed the rabbit out.
6. If a dog jumps a second rabbit during a chase and
the pack splits, it is up to the judge to call the other dogs in on the
original rabbit.
7. No dog shall be given jump
points unless he barks a t least one time.
8. Any dog that does not hark
in or join the chase once the rabbit is jumped will not be scored even
if he produces another rabbit.
9. The judge must judge the
original rabbit and all the dogs on that chase. The other members of
that cast will be brought up by their handlers to the original chase.
10. A judge does not have to see
which dog jumped the rabbit in order to award jump points; if he chooses,
he may asks the handlers to identify the dog that jumped the rabbit. The judge
does not have to award any jump points unless a majority of the handlers
agree on which dog jumped the rabbit.
11. Jump points are only awarded if a
dog jumps a rabbit, and jump points are not awarded if anything or anyone
else jumps a rabbit.
12. Jump points are not awarded by
the presence of the dog, unless, that dog barks.
13. If the dogs have to be put on the
rabbit no jump points or strike points will be awarded.
VIII.
CHECKS (25 points)
1. A check is when it is evident that the dogs in
pursuit of the rabbit have lost the rabbit for 15 seconds or more. The
dogs do not have to stop barking for 15 seconds, but they must
have stopped making forward progress for 15 seconds to be considered a
check.
2.A dog must claim the check by barking and
making definite forward progress after at least a 15 second loss.
3. Only one dog can score check points on each
individual check.
4. A dog is issued a minus of 25 points when he
barks and pulls other dogs out of the check area and does not produce a
line on the rabbit.
5. Judges will continue scoring checks as long as
a dog or dogs are making forward progress.
6. If all of the dogs make no forward progress
and it is evident that no dog is progressing, it will be up to the judge
to call a dead track.
IX.
MINUS POINTS (- 10)
-
Each time a dog barks 4 times and is stuck in (receiving 10
points) by the judge and does not
produce a rabbit within 4 minutes that dog must receive a minus of
10 points.
2.
A dog that pulls other dogs away from the check area without establishing a
definite line (track)
must receive a minus of 10 points.
3.
A dog backtracking over 80 feet or more must receive a minus of 10 points every
time the dog is
observed backtracking at this distance (backtracking does not have
to be on a different rabbit).
4.
A dog barking on anything other than a rabbit must receive a minus of 10
points, unless the dog is
barking on a deer, fox, bobcat or coyote, in this case the dog is
scratched from the hunt.
X.
DISQUALIFICATION (Scratched from the hunt)
1.
If a dog receives 30 minus points in a cast, the dog will be scratched from the
hunt.
2.
If a dog runs a deer, fox, bobcat or coyote, the dog will be scratched from the
hunt (The judge
does not have to see the deer, coyote, fox, or bobcat to
disqualify the dog(s); he may use his own
discretion).
3.
A dog fighting, attempting to fight or trying to mount another dog in the cast,
thus preventing the
other dog from hunting, will be scratched from the hunt.
4.
A female that is in heat is disqualified from the hunt.
5.
Any dog that measures over 15 inches behind his shoulders while standing
straight is disqualified
from the hunt. If the dog does not stand, the breed inspector must
hold the dog in a straight up
position.
6.
If a dog refuses to hunt continuously for a 10-minute period in a cast, the dog
will be scratched
from the hunt.
7.
If a dog handler is drinking alcohol, using un-prescribed drugs, uses abusive
language, interferes
with the judge and/or threatens or physically harms anyone at the
hunt, all of his dogs and he will
be disqualified from that hunt (the CKC Licensed Hunt Club
officers will review his actions and
further disciplinary actions may follow).
8.
If a handler touches his dog without permission, the dog will be scratched from
the hunt. The only
exception is if the dog is in life threatening danger.
9.
If handler carries on an argument with the judge, he may be disqualified from
the hunt..
10. All cast
members must be present at the clubhouse when the second or later casts are
drawn out. A
dog not present will be disqualified even if they are previous
cast winners. In the event of this
disqualification, the balance of the cast will be put down and
run. No dog will be brought up to
take the place of the disqualified dog.
XI.
TIME-OUTS
1.
Only judges have the authority to call time outs.
2.
Judges will announce time outs as soon as they occur and add the time back to
the hunt.
3.
No points are awarded in time outs (If a dog gets a strike, jump and/or a check
during a time out, he
must receive no points.) however, the judge may elect to turn
other dogs on the dog that has
produced the rabbit and start with the first check.
4.
If a judge gets tired or sick in a cast, he can call a time out but the judge
must add this time back to
the cast.
XII.
DEAD TRACK
1.
The judge must announce to the handlers when he calls dead track.
It is not mandatory to call time
out after announcing dead track.
2.
The judge should move the dogs 75 yards away from the dead track.
3.
A judge should call dead track when the dogs stop making definite forward
progress and it is
evident that no dog is progressing.
XIII.
HANDLERS
1.
A handler is someone who takes a dog to the field, and a handler can
have more than one dog in each cast.
2.
If a judge asks the handlers to vote on
something in the field and a handler has more than on dog, he gets
to vote only one time.
3.
Spectators or owners never have the right to
vote or comment on a cast unless they are handling a dog or dogs in the
cast.
4.
Judges may ask the handlers to stay in a
group or at a distance that does not interfere with the cast.
5.
Handlers are to remain quiet until the
end of the cast and the handlers may not ask the judge
questions unless the judge asks him a question regarding the cast. Handlers
that do so will have their dogs scratched. Any handler that argues with
the judge will have all their dogs scratched from the hunt.
6.
The judge cannot be told how to score by
the handlers. Handler cannot encourage or discourage
his dog during the cast.
7.
A handler that uses abusive language,
threatens, or strikes a judge or anyone at the hunt will be
banned and his actions will be reviewed by the Hunt
Club.
8.
A handler or spectator that has been
banned from a CKC licensed six-pack beagle event will be
banned from all future CKC licensed six-pack beagle
events, and their name will be sent in to CKC.
9.
If a handler doesn’t agree with the judges
score card at the end of the hunt, he should not sign the
scorecard, and should file a protest with the Master
of Hunts. The handler is to remain civil and not
to argue with the judge.
10. If a dog is running,
but is not running with the pack that the judge is judging, the handler may
then
bring up the dog to that pack. The handler is not to
call that dog in a manner that interferes with the
pack that the judge is currently judging.
11. A handler can never
under any circumstances, have a shock collar on his dog at a six-pack
beagle
event.
12. Handlers are not to
lift their dogs over briars, fences, or any other obstacles unless instructed
by
the judge.
XIV.
SPECTATOR
1. Spectators are expected to abide by the same rules as handlers and owners in the field.
2. Judges may ask spectators to either stay at the truck or a safe distance from dogs.
3. Spectators can never talk to the judge or have any input on the cast.
4. With the permission of the judge, a spectator may help catch dogs in the cast.
5. The judge should never ask the spectators for their opinion on anything happening in the cast.
6. A spectator may however,
be a witness to a handler or another spectator that has broken the rules.
7. Judges may ask spectators if they saw where the rabbit crossed.
XV.
RUNNING TIME
1. 55 minutes is the time limit on each cast for the first
round.
2.
If the dogs have to be run to break a
tie, they will run 15 additional minutes. At this time the judge
must pick the dog that he believes hunted and ran the
rabbit best.
3. The winner packs may run a minimum of 30 minutes with a maximum of 55 minutes.
4.
If a dog strikes in with less than 4
minutes remaining in the cast and no rabbit is produced, that dog
would receive neither plus nor minus points.
XVI.
BREAKING TIES
1.
If 2 or more dogs have the same number of
points at the end of the cast, the tie should be broken
by: (A) the dog with the fewest minus points; (B) the dog
with the most jump points; (C) the dog
with the most check points; (D) the dog with the most
strike points.
2.
If they are still tied, the judge will break
the tie by awarding 10 points to the dog that the judge feels
like hunted and ran the rabbit best. Other dogs that are tied
under these conditions shall be placed
on hunting and running the rabbit as best seen by the judge.
3.
If the judge cannot determine which dog hunted
and handled the best, then he may use a coin flip
to determine which dog or dogs have won the cast. This
is done only when rules 1 and 2 have failed.
4.
In a final cast where no rabbit has been
produced, the judge shall run the dogs with zero points for
an extra 15 minutes. A dog with minus points would not run
these 15 minutes. If still tied, go back to
the above to break the tie.
XVII.
SELECTION OF WINNERS
1. Only cast winners advance.
2.
Any dog disqualified in the final cast will
have no other dog moved up in that dogs place to round
off 1 - 10.
Progression sequence method of determining how dogs
are placed: Reasons for using this method are some casts may find several
rabbits and have high scores, while other casts may find few rabbits and have
low scores. A dog scored second in his cast would not be placed lower than dogs
that scored third in another cast. Example: Cast 1 first place dog has 200
points, second place dog has 175 points, third place dog has 150 points, fourth
place has 125, fifth has 100, and sixth has 75. Cast 2 First place dog has 150
points, second place dog has 125, third place dog has 100, fourth place has 75,
fifth place has 50, and sixth place has 25. In this case, both dogs that placed
first in casts 1 and 2 would move on to determine first and second place in the
hunt. Third place in the hunt go to the second place dog in cast 1 with 175
points. Fourth place would go to the second place dog in cast 2 with 125
points. Fifth place would go to the third place dog in cast 1 with 150 points.
Sixth place goes to the Third place dog in cast 2 with 100 points. Seventh
place goes to the fourth place dog in cast 1 with 125 points. Eighth goes to
the fourth place dog in cast 2 with 75 points. Ninth place would go to fifth
place dog in cast 1 with 100 points. Tenth place would go to the fifth place
dog in cast 2 with 50 points.
XVIII.
SIX PACK CHAMPION & GRAND CHAMPIONS
1. To make a six -pack rabbit champion, a dog must have a first place win and a total of 125 points.
All
points must come from CKC licensed hunts.
2. To make a six-pack grand rabbit champion, a dog must have a first place win and a total of 200
points
all coming from sanctioned hunts.
3.
Six pack beagle point system is: 1st
place, 60 points; 2nd place, 45 points; 3rd place, 40 points; 4th
place, 35 points; 5th place, 30 points; 6th place, 25 points; 7th
place, 20 points; 8th place, 15 points;
9th place, 10 points; 10th place, 5 points.
4. Any open dog that has made six pack rabbit champion must move up to the six-pack rabbit
champion class.
5. Any six-pack rabbit champion that has made six pack grand rabbit champion must move up to the
six-pack grand rabbit champion class.
XIX.
GENERAL RULES
1. It is a privilege, and not a right, to hunt in six pack beagle dog competitions, therefore the
sponsoring
club or CKC has the right to exclude anyone from the hunts if they feel
that they could be harmful for
their club or the six-pack beagle dog division.
2. Anyone caught stealing a dog will be banned from six-pack beagle dog events.
3. Anyone hitting or abusing dogs will be banned from six-pack beagle dog events.
4. Anyone that shoots or kills another persons dog will be banned from the six-pack division for
life.
(Unless asked to do so by owner)
5. No one is to carry a firearm with them on a six-pack hunt or at the clubhouse. All guns should
be
kept in a case and unloaded.
6. Anyone threatening a dog or person with a gun or any other weapon will be banned for life.
7.
One judge is all that is required per cast and
his judgment always stands unless changed by the
Master of Hunts or he decides to do so himself.
8.
The judge can judge a dog that belongs to him
in a cast as long as he has a secondary judge in the
cast. If a judge has to ask which dog made a strike, jump, or
check then it would take a majority of
the cast, otherwise, one judge must see a strike, jump, or
check and the other judge agree with him.
9.
Master of Hunts can instruct all casts a
reasonable time to be back at the clubhouse, and if any cast
is not back they would be scratched.
10. Only six-pack club members
can participate in six-pack beagle hunts.
11. Each cast will consist of no
more than six dogs and no less than three dogs. The only exception is in
the winners pack, and it may consist of two dogs.
XX.
COMPLAINTS
1.
If questions arise in the field concerning CKC
Beagle Hunting Rules, the Master of Hunts will have
the authority to settle any questions brought to him by a handler. The
Handler with the question
must go to the Master of Hunts immediately upon returning from the
hunt, along with the cast judge
and the cast members. The handler will be given a chance to state
his claim, and time will be allowed
for the Judge and other cast members to report what they know; the
final decision in regard to CKC
Beagle Hunting Rules will rest in the hands of Master of Hunts.
2.
All complaints must be brought to
the Master of Hunts within 30 minutes after the cast scorecard is
turned in.
3. If a handler believes that the Master
of Hunts has not acted in accordance with CKC Beagle Hunting
Rules, he may write a formal complaint to Continental Kennel Club -
Complaint Dept. He should
provide complete details of the problem and have at least one other
witness from the cast (preferably
2 others) sign the complaint.
*Note:
Continental Kennel Club, Inc. reserves
the right to amend these rules at any
time.