“Scratched” Does Not Mean The Unpardonable Sin

By Braxton B. Sawyer

 

Many inexperienced and uniformed hunters are under the false impression that for a hound to be scratched in the Field Trial gives undisputed evidence that he has committed the unpardonable sin, and henceforth good for nothing.  A study of the score sheet at the large Field Trials, such as the Futurity, the National and U.S.O. will correct this wrong notion.  For example, Megg’s Crook II won the Futurity in 1956 in grand style.  He was later entered in the 1957 U.S.O. and was scratched.  He was again entered in the 1957 National Field Trial and was scratched.  His owner entered him in the 1957 U.S.O. and he piled up and enviable score all four days.

 

Mose Hill’s Jody Ann Hill won the 1957 National Field Trials.  She was entered in 1957 U.S.O.  and was scratched.

 

Bolt Action Howard was scratched at the 1956 U.S.O., and came back to win the Championship in 1957 in great style.

 

Mogen David Pickett, an outstanding field hound, was scratched at “Death Valley” at the 1956 U.S.O.

 

The writer was present at the Southeastern, Newport, Tennessee in 1945.  Sam Wooldridge brought his advertised Stud Hound, Big Joker and entered him in the Field Trials and he was scratched the first day for running a rabbit.  Sam Wooldridge made a remark that day that is worth repeating.  He said “I don’t believe there ever has been a hound, or ever will be a hound that won’t be caught making a mistake sometime, if he’s run in enough Field Trials and covered by enough judges.”

 

This writer was present at a Field Trial in 1957 and saw a judge riding his horse at top speed in a driving rain, fifteen minutes before the hunt was to be called off.  This judge reined his horse into an old barn and a bunch of hounds came into the barn and stopped with the judge.  That judge scratched every one of those hounds.  If I had been president of the hunt, I would have scratched the judge.

 

A word should be said here regarding Bench Show winners.  The above mentioned hounds are all great hounds and their records are well known, and their reputation.  Why can’t the same attitude prevail when some of our top Bench Show winners are scratched?

 

An outstanding hound can win a big Bench Show, but if he happens to encounter the judge’s pencil in the field, some never want to forgive him, but experience will keep on revealing that good hounds must sometimes get scratched regardless of whether they win on the Bench or are only entered in the Field Trials.

 

Chase Magazine, Feb, 1958 

Scoring Hunting, Trailing, Speed and Drive

By Roger Stone

 

Have been asked by a good many hunters and different field trial officials to write on the field classes and what constitutes a hound eligible to score in the classes Hunting, Trailing, Speed & Driving and Endurance.  All classes should be considered important to the judges of any field trial, regardless of the number of entries.  In the beginner trials or the small ones, you will find some good hounds, in fact some of the best and it is just as important that these associations run their trials right as it is for the National.  The little man, the owner of a few hounds, pays his entry fee and other dues at the minor trials the same as the bigger ones.  It is important that these associations hold to and run under the National Rules.  If any association can and does break one rule, they may as well break them all.  If when affiliated with the National any association knowingly breaks a rule it will be denied a championship. 

 

After 50 years of hunting we will give our opinion.

 

HUNTING

 

It is a known fact that we cannot trail or run a fox until the fox is found.  We know a hound must hunt to find his fox.  We know there are some hounds that are not good hunters, but can and will run the life out of a fox after the fox is up.

 

There are many different kinds of hunting hounds.  The hound that breaks from the casting ground like a horse from the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby—a lot of these will run a mile before starting to hunt.  There is some chance that this kind of hunter has run over fox tracks without knowing it has done so.  But, the fact remains that after this burst of eagerness is over you will have some good hunters in this group, but possibly a mile or miles away.

 

In a group of hounds there is always the going hound or the harking hound.  These are the kind that are just along with hounds that are hunting a fox..  When the track is found and is good enough to tongue, in will come the going and harking hounds.  They have been waiting for the good hunter to do the work for them.

 

A hound should not be scored for hunting, unless in the opinion of the judge, the hound is hunting a fox, not just drifting or going he knows not where.  A hound in a path or road is not hunting a fox.  A good hunting hound, one that has the judgment to hunt, will take the roughs and thickets.  You watch twenty hounds in any country with a scarcity of fox or adverse weather conditions, the hounds that are hunting a fox will slow down, smell on weeds, logs, water gaps, a bush or sapling thinking perhaps a fox has touched something.  Here is a hound that is looking for a fox and if there is a fox in the country he will cry it.  Not all good hard hunting hounds are fox finders.  We do not mean that a fast hunting hound should not be scored if said hound is in the brush or woods and shows by his actions that he is hunting a fox-not just going or drifting along with other hounds.  In any group of hounds hunting there is always some that are doing a better job then others.  We feel it is very important that a judge making his notes be sure and get the better hounds above the ones that are not so good.  So many times in a judges meeting we have heard a judge turn in a certain number of points on a group of hounds saying “I got them all together” and has no notes to show that some of the group were better than the others.  This is unfair to the best of the group and certainly a boost for the mediocre hound.  We think this is the most important point in judging a hunting hound where there are several hounds together.  Keep the good one on top and so on down through the entire group.  If not, you will finish with the ordinary hound equal to the best one.

 

No judge can overlook the flashy hunting hound.  We do not mean that he should be overlooked, but we stress the point that in the opinion of the judge, the hound must be a hunting hound.

 

There is a section in the Rule Book that you might classify the same as the fine print in your insurance policy.  It is seldom read and not used to often-A HOUND MAY BE SCORED FOR HUNTING WHILE TRAILING A FOX-which means a hound that tongues a trail here and scouts on to try for better scent of the fox may have a hunting score.  This does not mean the hound should have a top hunting score, but it is permissible to score this hound.  Again we say if it is the consensus of the judge, that the hound should be scored for hunting.

 

**Story continued next issue Trailing**   

 

The Chase, June 1982