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Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials is an annual Hog Dog Baying Event held in the third weekend of March in Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana at the Winn Parish Fair Grounds involving boars and various breeds of bay dogs, including Catahoula Leopard Dogs, Blackmouth Cur, Blue Lacy, and others.
Begun in 1994, the event was named for three-time Louisiana governor "Uncle" Earl Long, an avid stockman and boar hunter who was born in Winnfield in 1895. [1]
In 2010 a lawsuit over the show ownership resulted in the cancellation of the show for a year.
In 2011 a new Corporation was formed and the Board of Directors, Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials, Inc. was selected among City of Winnfield Merchants and Citizens. The Board is responsible for overseeing the production contracts and the Youth Scholarship Fund for the Annual Baying Event. Full Boar Productions was awarded the Production and Promotion Contracts until the year 2018. The 2018–2027 contractor for this event is Jake Loiacano.
In this particular event, bay dogs are judged on their containment and control of the boar and their style of baying (howling). The better bay dogs will bay in a pattern that alerts the hunter and retains control of the boar with his demeanor and herding ability. If a boar runs from the dogs, they may nip the boar to make him stop; however, "catching" the stock is prohibited.
Louisiana bans hog-catching but permits bay dog or herding events after the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals worked on the law that exempted Uncle Earl's, and other baying and herding events. [1]
People attend Uncle Earl's from as far away as Canada, England, and California. [2]
In 2012, a Campfire Cookoff was added with celebrity judges including the Mayor of Winnfield, David Peavey and Kelly Lee from Camo Life TV (a television hunting show), and Brandy Watts of Hogs Gone Wild. [3]
Dogs are outfitted with Kevlar vests, chest armor, and extra-wide collars to protect them from any major injuries. The Stock is kept in excellent condition by licensed contractors and facilities.[ citation needed ]
The Border Collie is a British breed of herding dog of the collie type of medium size. It originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, and descends from the traditional sheepdogs once found all over the British Isles. It is kept mostly as a working sheep-herding dog or as a companion animal. It competes with success in sheepdog trials. It has been claimed that it is the most intelligent breed of dog.
Winnfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010. Three governors of the state of Louisiana were from Winnfield: Huey Long, Earl K. Long, and Oscar K. Allen.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. It became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. It is recognized by the United Kennel Club under the name Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, while the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service calls it Catahoula Leopard Dog. Both registries have assigned the breed a herding designation, although it has traditionally been used in hunting feral boars.
A sheepdog trial – also herding event, stock dog trial or simply dog trial — is a competition or test of the working abilities of dogs of herding breeds. It is a type of dog sport that emerged in the 1860s in New Zealand. By the 1870s regular trials were also being held in Australia and in the United Kingdom, and by the end of the twentieth century the sport had spread to many countries of the world. In competition, dogs demonstrate basic herding management skills assessed by the judge. These events are organised by international and national cynological and sports organisations and by associations of sheep- and cattle-breeders. Usually sheep are to be herded; other animals including ducks or cows may also be used.
Earl Kemp Long was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Louisiana for nine years. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the same position that his brother, Huey Long, held years earlier (1928–1932).
A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs.
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to herd sheep is known as a sheep dog or shepherd dog.
Hog-dog rodeo or hog-dogging, is a spectator event that simulates wild or feral boar hunting with dogs. It requires specially trained and bred "hog dogs" that are used to bay and sometimes catch a hog or boar. In most cases, bay dogs psychologically control the pig and no physical contact occurs. In some cases, however, such as Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials, along with bay dog events, catch dog events have been included in the past. In these, specially bred and equipped dogs caught and held the hog by the ears before the animals were quickly separated by a person who hog-tied the pig.
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individuals.
The Koolie is an Australian dog breed. The Koolie is a working or herding dog which has existed in Australia since the early 19th century when it was bred from imported British working dogs. Robert Kaleski, in an article on Cattle Dogs in the August 1903 issue of the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, describes the "Welsh heeler or merle, erroneously known as the German collie," as a "blue-gray dog about the size and build of a smooth-haired collie, generally with wall eyes." The British background predominated in the dogs that came to be associated with the "German collie" name.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show, held annually in the New York metropolitan area.
A feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are sometimes used in the United States refer to feral pigs or boar–pig hybrids.
The Berger Picard or Picardy Shepherd, is a French herding dog originating in Picardy. These dogs nearly became extinct after both World War I and World War II and remain a rare breed.
The Lacy Dog or Blue Lacy Dog is a breed of working dog that originated in the U.S. state of Texas in the mid-19th century. The Lacy was first recognized in 2001 by the Texas Senate. In Senate Resolution No. 436, the 77th Legislature honored the Lacy as "a true Texas breed." In 2005, in House Concurrent Resolution No. 108, the 79th Legislature called the Lacy "a Texas original; the only dog breed to have originated in this state." In June 2005, Governor Rick Perry signed the legislation adopting the Blue Lacy as "the official State Dog Breed of Texas". As expected, the vast majority of Lacy dogs are found in Texas. However, as the breed becomes more recognized, breeding populations are being established across the United States, Canada, and most recently in Europe.
The Black Mouth Cur, also known as the Southern Cur, Southern Black Mouth Cur and the Yellow Black Mouth Cur, is a medium to large sized breed of cur-type dog from the United States. Originating in the south of the country, the breed is a popular hunting companion used to hunt a large variety of game.
Laikas are aboriginal spitz from Northern Russia, especially Siberia but also sometimes expanded to include Nordic hunting breeds. Laika breeds are primitive dogs who flourish with minimal care even in hostile weather. Generally, laika breeds are expected to be versatile hunting dogs, capable of hunting game of a variety of sizes by treeing small game, pointing and baying larger game and working as teams to corner bear and boar. However a few laikas have specialized as herding or sled dogs.
The Welsh Sheepdog is a breed of herding dog of medium size from Wales.
Boar hunting is the practice of hunting wild boar, feral pigs, warthogs, and peccaries. Boar hunting was historically a dangerous exercise due to the tusked animal's ambush tactics as well as its thick hide and dense bones rendering them difficult to kill with premodern weapons.
A catch dog is a specially trained dog that is used to catch large animals in hunting, working livestock, and baiting.
A bay dog is a dog that is specially trained to find, chase, and then bay, or howl, at a safe distance from large animals during a hunt, such as during a wild boar hunt.