Sanctioned Hunts

1. What constitutes a sanctioned Big Pack hunt?

a. The hunt must be approved or licensed by the President or Secretary/Treasurer of the ARHA.

b. The hunt must be listed in the ARHA hunt schedule in The Rabbit Hunter at least one month before the hunt is held.

c. Hunts listed in The Rabbit Hunter must list the date of the hunt, the location of the hunt, the contact person for information about the hunt, the type of hunt (BP), whether a Bench Show will be held, and the entry deadline. If a club is hosting a sanctioned hunt that will be a one or two day event, no entries can be entered after the deadline on the first day, unless it is specifically stated in the Rabbit Hunter magazine, separately.

d. All hounds entered in the hunt must be ARHA registered and their owner must belong to an ARHA club. When an individual becomes a member of an ARHA club, he/she forfeits all rights to pursue in a court of law, legal measures against the ARHA Big Pack National Organization, the National Officers, including, but not limited to, the President of ARHA, Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Watchdog Committee, Committee Members, Chair- man of the Hall of Fame Committee and Committee Members, Local Clubs and their Officers and Members.

e. The hunt must be conducted under all ARHA rules, policies, and procedures. All clubs must obtain a permit or authorization from their State Department of Fish and Wildlife (if a permit is required in that state) for all sanctioned hunts to protect the out of state participants from receiving citations for not having a hunting license. Clubs that fail to do so are liable and responsible to pay for citations that are received by the out of state contestants participating in their sanctioned hunts.

f. There must be a minimum of 10 hounds to conduct a sanctioned ARHA Big Pack hunt, since Big Pack Champion hounds and Big Pack Grand Rabbit Champions compete with open class hounds in ARHA Big Pack competition, this 10 hound minimum may be a mixture of open, champion or grand rabbit champion hounds.

g. The use of firearms, weapons, alcoholic beverages, and illegal drugs is prohibited from all individuals participating in an ARHA sanctioned hunt

h. UNSPORTMANSLIKE CONDUCT: If physical contact is involved the individual that instigates the first physical contact is automatically banned for life. Additionally, a person is allowed to defend himself/herself.

The American Rabbit Hound Association will conduct a program to allow hunters to make their hounds into Big Pack Rabbit Champions, Big Pack Grand Rabbit Champions, Bench Show Champion, and Grand Bench Champion. ARHA clubs that run the Big Pack must hold at least one Big Pack sanctioned hunt each year but may not hold more than eight Big Pack sanctioned hunts each year. A club may hold as many non-sanctioned fun hunts as it wishes.

Big Pack Rabbit Champion

Any ARHA registered hound can earn this honor by winning first place in an ARHA sanctioned Big Pack hunt and accumulating 300 points and having at least one first place win. The first place win must come from a club other than the one the owner is a member of. Points are awarded as followed: points are to be determined by the number of hounds entered in the hunt. The first place hound will get as many points as there are hounds entered.

For example, if there are 50 hounds entered, the first place hound will receive 50 points, the second place hound would get 90% of 50, the third place hound would get 80% of 50, the fourth place hound would get 70% of 50, the fifth place hound would get 60% of 50, the sixth place hound would get 50% of 50, the seventh place hound would get 40% of 50, the eighth place hound would get 30% of 50, the ninth place hound would get 20% of 50, and the tenth place hound would get 10% of 50. This would break down as follows if there were 50 hounds entered:

1^st place=50 points         6^th place=25 points

2^nd place=45 points         7^th place=20 points

3^rd place=40 points         8^th place=15 points

4^th place=35 points         9^th place=10 points

5^th place=30 points         10^th place=5 points

Clubs will not have to figure these points but merely record the order of finish and mail to NKC/ARHA Office. Hounds can earn Rabbit Champion and Grand Rabbit Champion in Big Pack competition. Big Pack Rabbit Champions and Big Pack Grand Rabbit Champions will run against open class or non-champion hounds. To make your hound a Big Pack Rabbit Champion, your first place win must come from a club other than your own.

Big Pack Grand Rabbit Champion

This is the highest honor a hound can receive in ARHA Big Pack. This title is earned by having three first place wins in sanctioned Big Pack hunts after they have made Big Pack Champion. After making Big Pack Grand Rabbit Champion these hounds with those totals will be allowed to run against Rabbit Champion and open class hounds.
 

III. Protests

IV. Awards

A. The Secretary or President of the host club shall issue winner certificates to the owners of the top ten hounds in the hunt. Certificates shall also be issued to Bench Show winners.

B. The certificates shall list the date of the hunt, the name of the club hosting the hunt, the name and ARHA registration number of the hound, the place that the hound finished, and number of hounds in the hunt.

C. The certificates should also state that this was a Big Pack hunt.

D. The President or Secretary of the host club must sign the certificates and they should be mailed to ARHA within 30 days of the hunt.

E. If these procedures are not followed the results of the hunt shall be void.

Hunt Officials

1. The President of the host club is to select a person to serve as Master of Hounds. This person is to be knowledgeable in ARHA Big Pack rules, policies, and procedures for conducting ARHA Big Pack sanctioned hunts.

2. The hosting club must furnish at least four (4) non-hunting field judges.

3. The Secretary of the hosting club will record all entries and shall announce when entries are closed and no entries shall be accepted after this announcement has been made. As soon as the entries are closed the Secretary should make a numerical list of all entries and present it to the Master of Hounds for roll call.

B. Master of Hounds

1. The Master of Hounds shall be appointed by the President of the hosting club, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the hosting club.

2. Master of Hounds shall call all meetings of the judges and act as their Secretary. The President, at his option and under his power of appointment, may appoint a qualified person to assist the Master of Hounds in the Judges Meeting. Such person shall work only under the specific instructions of the Master of Hounds.

3. The Master of Hounds shall give the handlers any information they may need as to direction to enable them to keep within reasonable distance of the hounds. He shall instruct handlers and outsiders not to converse with, or in the hearing of judges, about the work done, or the merits or demerits of any of the competing hounds. It shall be his duty to report any and all infringements of this rule to the President. The offenders will be subject to expulsion from the grounds. The Master of Hounds may ride to the hounds and shall direct the handlers and assist the judges in every proper way possible.

4. It shall be the duty of the Master of Hounds to notify, by conspicuously posting at headquarters, the evening before, the hour and place of starting the following day. He shall blow his horn at the end of each day’s hunt signaling that the hunt has been called off according to the rules governing it.

5. The Master of Hounds shall have the authority to order removal from the hunting ground, any hounds affected with a contagious disease or any bitches in season.

6. He shall see that the numbers are painted or dyed distinctly on the entries and shall call off the numbers, or have them checked in by the judges under his supervision at or before each cast.

7. He shall strictly prohibit all persons from blowing horns on any pretext whatsoever, until the hunt is called off.

8. He shall place the judges to the best advantage in his discretion.

9. The Master of Hounds shall have no voice in any question in regard to scores or eliminations in the Judges Meeting. He may be consulted on all questions in general but shall not offer any suggestions in any particular case until after the score is given and no score shall be changed on his account

10. The Master of Hounds must not allow judges to compare notes one to another at any time. Any discussion of hounds must be after the Master of Hounds calls number in the meeting and no hound shall be discussed by the judges before this.

11. The Master of Hounds must be accurate in setting down scores at the meetings.

12. The Master of Hounds may score hounds in the field, but he shall not enter hounds in the hunt nor be interested in any way in any hounds so entered.

13. It shall be the duty of the Master of Hounds to see that these rules are strictly followed and trials shall be judged under these rules and not what any Master or Judge feels the rules should be. It shall be mandatory for the Master of Hounds to review the running rules and regulations at a judges meeting prior to the beginning of a field trial.

14. In case of extreme emergency such as hounds on dangerous highways or irate landowners which endangers the safety of a large number of hounds or the safety of the general public, the Master of Hounds and the President may jointly order the hounds picked up under the supervision of the Master and recast at that days casting grounds under the Master's supervision.

15. No game shall be released at that day's cast after the cast has been made.

16. The Master of Hounds may order crated a scratched hound in the immediate area of major high- ways, railroads or a population center that could endanger the lives of other hounds or people.

C. Assistant Master of Hounds

1. The Master of Hounds at his option may appoint two (2) assistant Master of Hounds whose duties shall facilitate in every way the running of the Field Trials and they shall work on specific instructions from the Master of Hounds. Assistant Master of Hounds shall further have the duties and rights accorded to judges in scoring or eliminating hounds.

D. Field Trial Judges

1. The President of the hosting club may appoint from day to day one or more Field Masters, whose duty it shall be to handle the field hunters to the best advantage of the hunt.

2. The number of Field Judges shall not be less than four (4). No Field Judge, Master of Hounds, Assistant Master of Hounds or Field Master can enter hounds in the hunt nor be interested in anyway in any hound so entered.

3. No person shall act as a judge at the field trial of the ARHA World Hunt unless he or she has formerly acted as judge at a field trial run under the rules of the National Foxhunters Association or ARHA Big Pack.

4. The judges will be subject to the general rules of the ARHA and report for duty each day to the Master of Hounds.

5. Should an appointed judge be unable to fill his engagement or become disabled, the President may or may not fill the vacancy, as he sees fit.

E. Roll Call

Any hound failing to answer roll call on the first day of any hunt shall be eliminated. The daily score sheets are to show-Failed to Answer.

On the last day, all hounds must answer roll call or they will be eliminated.

Tailgating or casting from trucks and trailers shall be permitted at all ARHA Big Pack trials.

F. Hound Owners, Handlers, and Spectators

1. Definition of a handler: any person who takes the hound into the field for a hunt, after the hound has been entered in the event.

a. The owner or handler hunting a hound must not speak to or urge him on in any manner. Should any owner or his handler injured or purposely interfere with an opponents hound, he will be expelled from the association and all his entries barred by the Watchdog Committee for a period of time.

b. It shall be the duty of the Master of Hounds to instruct the handlers to refrain from discussing hounds good or bad qualities with the judges.

c. Any handler, who uses abusive language, threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, or another handler shall be banned from the ARHA competition for a period of not less than one (1) year by the Watchdog Committee.

d. If a handler is banned from ARHA competition, his name shall be reported to the ARHA. After one year this handler may apply to the club that banned him for reinstatement, which mayor may not be granted. If the handler who is barred for one year is a hound owner none of his hounds shall be allowed in ARHA competition during the year the owner is barred.

a. The spectator is not part of the hunt. He is only an observer.

b. A spectator who is abusive, uses abusive language, threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, handler or other spectator shall be barred from attending all ARHA competition for at least one year.

c. The Master of Hounds shall instruct spectators as to where he wants them to be in relation to the handlers, hounds, and judges.

d. Spectators cannot be called as witnesses in a protest situation.

e. A spectator cannot talk to the judge, nor try to tell him how he should be judging the hunt.

f. A spectator cannot touch a hound, talk to a hound, or in any way encourage the hound when they are in the field.

g. With the permission of the Master of Hounds, a spectator may help a handler catch his hound if the hound is in danger, if the hound is chasing a deer, fox or coyote, or at the end of the hunt

h. Lunch wagons, luncheons or picnics of any description are forbidden on the hunting grounds during the trials. Cooking on the hunting grounds is prohibited.

a. In the case of a hound babbling to the extent of interfering with hounds or the chase and seen by two or more judges who agree that such is the case, that hound can be ordered tied up or crated by such judges.

b. A hound shall not be considered as babbling should he be running as much as 30 feet downwind from a track; or should he continue to give tongue a few times on a run-over; or should he give one or two eager mouths at a bad fence or stream when harking to running hounds. Except that, if a hound remain at a fence or stream and continue to give tongue, then he shall be scratched.

c. Hounds guilty of such actions as running stock, stock-paths, hound or horse tracks, backtracking, running a covered track, babbling at a fence, stream or indiscriminate babbling, shall be scratched.

d. Hounds running deer, fox or coyote must not be scratched nor can they be scored. Judges must do all within their power to break up a deer, fox or coyote race. Hounds must be given reason- able time to hunt on after being scolded when spectators or judges are breaking up a deer, fox or coyote race.

a. If before the four hours are up, the Master of Hounds finds that due to unfavorable conditions, hounds cannot trail or run a rabbit or hare, he should try to contact a majority of the judges and call off the hunt.

A. The four classes for scoring hounds may be defined as follows:

1. Hunting. A hound that persistently hunts a rabbit or hare as the case may be.

Trailing. When a trail is struck and a hound starts working the line, hounds must give tongue. No hound should be scored for trailing a track without crying it and steadily progressing on track. Hounds shall be scored for hunting if it quits tonguing the track and hunts for a warmer scent.

Speed and Driving. When rabbit is started and the pack is running, the judges should endeavor to get to the pack and score all hounds showing Speed and Driving.

Endurance. Endurance is one of the most important characteristics of a good rabbit hound.

A. The Master of Hounds shall select from the list of proposed judges a Home Plate Judge, to be approved by the President. This judge is to take the number of any hound returning to the casting grounds, the time it came and how long it stayed. He should take notes on the actions of such hounds and report it to the judges in their meeting.

B. Should a hound return to the casting ground before the hunt is called off, it should be the duty of this judge to urge such a hound to continue hunting. The judge should in all fairness to the hound and owner, call the hound away from the crowd and give him every opportunity to recast. If the hound then refuses to hunt it is the duty of the Home Plate Judge to recommend to the judges that the hound be scratched.

1. The Home Plate Judge shall score hound work that comes under his observation in the field.

2. The Home Plate Judge shall kennel in a truck provided for that purpose, or turn over to their owners, all hounds loafing around the casting grounds, when said judge becomes firmly convinced that such hound shall be eliminated for loafing.

A. The judges shall hold their meeting daily as soon as possible after each hunt. No person other than the Judges and the Master of Hounds shall be present at their meetings. The President, at his option and under his power of appointment, may appoint a qualified person to assist the Master of Hounds in the Judges Meeting. Such person shall work only under the specific instructions of the Master of Hounds. (See II, B)

B. The majority rule shall apply in all cases. The Master of Hounds shall preside as secretary at Judges Meetings. He shall keep in his possession the score sheet, one other than the one that is posted. His private score sheet should be scored with indelible pencil. The Master of Hounds shall call for scores and register on score sheet the majority vote of the judges. There shall be kept an individual daily score sheet, upon suitable forms provided by the Secretary, showing the number of hounds, the name of the judge, or judges, who scored or scratched the hound, the various times the hound was scored, his total possible score, and the score finally voted by the judges. These sheets shall be kept by the Master of Hounds in his custody and confidential. If, within ten days from the a time of posting the final score sheet, no formal protest has been filled with the Secretary then the Secretary shall destroy them; otherwise they shall be preserved for such action as the Board of Directors may take. The final decision must be rendered in writing to the President or Secretary, who shall announce the result and make awards.

C. When the Daily Score sheet is finished the Master of Hounds shall post it on the bulletin board at Headquarters after the Judges Meeting each day. This sheet must state the score of each hound up to that time.

Decision. The Decisions are to be made under four headings, as follows: Hunting, Trailing, Speed and Driving, and Endurance. Ten places are to be awarded in each of these four classes.

Scoring. The Scoring must begin with a minimum of ten points and may be increased consistently in multiples of five. Scores shall be called for by the Master of Hounds in the order of roll call as follows:

"No.1. Is there any reason why you judges would eliminate this hound?" If the majority of the judges vote to eliminate No.1, Master of Hounds rules a line across the score sheet.

The cause for elimination is recorded in the column for that purpose. In case No.1 is not scratched, Master of Hounds then asks for this hounds score in hunting.

The number of points each hound scores is determined by a majority vote of the judges. Each judge’s vote is not necessarily added to the other. Each judge having observed the hound, recommends the highest score he thinks this hound should have, and the highest score agreed upon by the majority of judges will be the hounds score in the Hunting class for that day. Trailing, Speed and Driving, and Endurance scores are then taken up in the order mentioned and decided in an identical manner.

No one judge can give a merit or demerit to any hound in any class. It takes the majority vote of the judges to score either way.

Hunting Class.

No hound, during the first hour of hunting in anyone day’s hunt shall be voted more than 10 points for his work done within that hour; no more than 15 points for Hunting during the second hour; no more than 20 points for Hunting during the third hour; and no more than 25 points for Hunting during the fourth hour.

Trailing. Hounds shall not be scored in Trailing more than 30 points in anyone interval of twenty minutes. No hound shall receive maximum of 30 points at anyone interval unless it produces a rabbit or hare. Hounds can only be scored for their best Trailing score during each twenty-minute interval.

If a hound is trailing and produces a rabbit or hare he automatically gets 30 points. If a hound is trailing and does not produce a rabbit or hare it can be recommended for 10 to 25 points in the Judges Meeting by the judge observing the hounds work.

Speed and Driving.

The hound leading the pack shall be scored 35 points, the second hound shall be scored 30 points, the third hound shall be scored 25 points, the fourth hound shall be scored 20 points. Other hounds in the pack shall be scored 15 points each. No hound shall be scored more than 35 points in anyone interval of ten minutes. Hounds shall only be scored for their best position during a ten-minute interval. A hound running a rabbit alone may be scored a maximum of 20 points if so recommended. If at any time a judge falls to get the first hound running a rabbit at a crossing he must disregard that crossing and try to score the hounds at another crossing. Whenever a judge fails to get the number of any hound in the order of that hounds position at a crossing-he must stop with the last hound scored successively and try for another crossing.

Endurance. All hounds that finish in a Field Trial and have scored in either Hunting or Trailing AND have also scored in Speed and Driving during the entire hunt, with a sum total of 40 points or more, will automatically earn an Endurance score of 1/4 of his or her total score across the board, beginning with 10 points, adding in multiples of five where permissible--to be computed only on the final day on the hounds that finished the Trials. Each day’s score will count, but figured only on the last day. The Endurance score will be figured on the last day and the total posted on the Daily Sheets in the Endurance column before making sum total of all scores and before starting to figure, the Highest General Average.

The results: Each hound getting an Endurance score will have received it from his other classes. No hound, therefore, can have an Endurance score, he or she has not earned from other scores.

To get an Endurance score, hounds must have scored in either Hunting or Trailing as well as, having scored also in Speed and Driving, during the entire trial. No hound, therefore, can have an Endurance score which he or she has not earned.

Examples:

*Hound No.5; 10 in Hunting, 10 in Trailing, 15 in Speed and Driving. This hound has scored across the board but he has less than the sum total of 40 points, so is not eligible for an Endurance score.

*Hound No. 20; Could have no Hunting, no Trailing, 200 points in Speed and Driving, therefore he could have no Endurance score.

*Hound No. 30; 10 in Hunting, 20 in Trailing, 15 in Speed and Driving, a total of 45 points in the entire hunt. He would get the closest 1/4 of his entire score - 10 points in Endurance.

*Hound No. 40; 60 in Hunting, no Trailing, 90 in Speed and Driving, a total of 150 points in the entire hunt. His Endurance score would be 35 points.

*Hound No. 50; No Hunting, 50 in Trailing, 125 in Speed and Driving, a total of 175 points. The closest 1/4 in round figures - 40 points in Endurance.

*Hound No. 60; 95 in Hunting, 65 in Trailing, 200 in Speed and Driving, a total of 360 points. This score rounds out in 1/4 to 90 points in Endurance.

All hounds get the Endurance they earn. They must earn the score they are allowed (to be figured on the last day).

The same scoring method shall be followed as many days as judge’s order stake to continue. When the judges are ready for final decision the highest scored hound in Hunting is winner of the Hunting class. The highest scored hound in Trailing is winner of the Trailing class and likewise in Speed and Driving arid Endurance. Hunting class shall be finished before starting on Trailing then Speed and Driving and then Endurance in this order as one class has no bearing on any other class.

Ties shall be untied completely through the ten places in each of the four classes. Should two or more hounds be tied with the same score in anyone class, the hound having the largest total daily score in all classes shall be adjudged winner of that class; the hound having the next largest total score shall be second, and so on. Should a tie exist between two or more hounds with the same score in anyone class and are also tied in the total daily score in all classes, it shall be untied in the manner as prescribed for untying the Highest General Average.

No ties shall be untied by a vote of the judges except in case of a tie where two or more hounds are tied in all four classes, and then a vote of the judges shall untie the tie.

After all four classes have been finished for each hound the Highest General Average shall be figured.

The Highest General Averages of the hounds for the first ten places shall be determined as follows:

The hound scoring second in each class shall receive a weight or points of 90.

The hound scoring third in each class shall receive a weight or points of 80.

The hound scoring fourth in each class shall receive a weight or points of 70.

The hound scoring fifth in each class shall receive a weight or points of 60.

The hound scoring sixth in each class shall receive a weight or points of 50.

Each hound's general average shall be arrived by adding together the points received by the hound in each class.

For example, consider the first hound on your daily score sheet. If he won Hunting he starts with 100 points. If he is second in Trailing he gets 90 points additional; third in Speed and Driving, 80 points; second in Endurance, 90 points additional. Therefore, the No.1 hound scores 360 points towards Highest General Average The No.2 hound perhaps scores second in Hunting and gets 90 points. He does not score in Trailing, but is second in Speed and Driving and fourth in Endurance. Making him a total of 250 points towards Highest General Average. Suppose No.3 hound scored fourth in Hunting, fourth in Trailing, first in Speed and Driving, and third in Endurance. He would then receive 320 points towards Highest General Average.

Thus the scores for Highest General Average are figured all the way through the first ten places, the hound with the highest points being given first place, next highest given second place, and so on to the tenth place.

In case of tie, the highest scored hound in the Hunting class of hounds tied shall be the winner, if they remain tied in Hunting, and then trailing shall untie the tie.

In the event there is no Speed and Driving score, there will be no Endurance score. But in the event said hounds remain tied in Speed and Driving, the Endurance shall untie the tie. In the event said hounds remain tied in Endurance, the latest hound scored in Hunting shall untie the tie; if still tied, the latest Trailing score shall untie the tie; if still tied, the latest Speed and Driving score shall untie the tie.