UKC Hunting Ops Podcast

Ep. 148 - Coonhounds - 2025 TOC Preview

In this week’s episode, Allen and Trevor are back in the studio together to discuss the upcoming Coonhound Tournament of Champions, which will be held on April 10-12, 2025, in Greencastle, Indiana.
We start by sharing what it takes to get an invitation to the big event. We had 1,491 total qualified dogs from 2024—a record high for us! Tune in to hear the breed, sex, and state breakdown for this year along with trends over the past few years.
Next, we outline the 922 regional entries across six regions and hit on the top cast winners of each breed for the year. We also dump heaps of need-to-know information for anyone getting ready for the big event.
We close the show by reflecting on the origin and history of this “new” TOC framework that we’ve been working on for the last five years.
We also want to thank our field reps and affiliate clubs for their time and all their help to make this event happen!
For the list of qualified dogs, tournament rules, FAQs, and more information about the 2025 TOC, visit: https://www.ukcdogs.com/ukc-tournament-of-champions
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Ep. 147 - Squirrel Dogs: 2025 Dog of the Year National Runoff

In this week’s episode, Allen is reporting from Kentucky at the 2025 Dog of the Year National Runoff, and annual event that showcases the dogs with the most cast wins from the previous year, for both curs and feists. Allen walks us through the Top 7 cur and feists heading into the runoff and he walks us through the final results.
With interviews, first we hear from Doug Marlow and the dogs he keeps now and what he started with. He also shares his insights on his breeding program and talks about his participation in competition hunting with dogs, which started at age 13. We also learn why he moved from beagles and coonhounds to focusing on squirrel dogs.
Next up is Kevin Cable, fresh from winning the final cast of the cur running with Burley. Kevin shares how he spent a few years looking for a good squirrel dog before he picked up Burley, who won the DOY last year, too. We also hear from Kevin’s son who is a passionate young squirrel hunter.
For feist fanciers, Allen visits with brothers Mike and Marty Kelley. They talk about getting ready for the event and their experience at the running. They also mention their approach to their breeding program and reflect on some of their best dogs they’ve ever owned. Mike offers two very important tips for raising a squirrel dog pup. He then leaves us with the difference between a dog that will tree squirrels and a squirrel dog.
Last on the mic is Vance Plante who sits down with Allen right after his win with Robber to take home the DOY for the feist division. Vance talks about going to many hunts and steep competition along the way and coming up on top this time, after the second year coming into the event in the bye seat. He also mentions how he keeps his dogs in the woods and conditioned throughout the year.
See more about our squirrel dog program: https://www.ukcdogs.com/cur-feists
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Ep. 146 - Coonhounds - UKC Nite Hunt History with Steve Fielder (Rerun Ep. 67)

In this week's episode, we're rerunning our most popular and most downloaded episode of all time. We're throwing it back to Ep. 67, recorded live at Autumn Oaks 2023, when Allen and Trevor sat down with very special guest Steve Fielder to discuss the history of UKC Nite Hunts. This is a fantastic episode that any student of the coonhound game should absolutely listen to!
 
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Ep. 145 - Pointing Dogs: 2025 National Championship Preview

In this week’s episode, Domenick is at the National Bird Dog Museum on the night before the first brace of the 2025 National Championship running. Now in its 126th year and possibly the largest total ever, this traditional horseback trial will showcase 55 dogs and assign one overall champion winner.
First, we hear from Ames Plantation Director, Matt Bakas, who works hard all year to maintain the viability of the grounds and healthy habitat for quail. He teases out a new agreement that will bring a huge boost to the facility with a goal to begin running the event on wild birds. He also gives some useful tips on how to help birds on your own property. Matt is joined by Dr. Stan Wint who shares his thoughts on how to make improvements to increase quail populations and how to bring more participants to this prestigious event.
Next up is judge Rich Robertson who shares his story about how he became a judge. He mentions what he’s looking to see out of the dogs and what motivates him as a judge. He’s been in the bird dog game a long while and grew up competing at Ames. We touch on what a training regime looks like to get to the big event and Rich shares a touching tale of his most memorable moment running at the National.
Lastly, we hear from National Championship reporter Tessa Hughes. She also judges events and compares the two different styles of observing a brace. She talks about the challenges of reporting on the National which is so much different than other stakes. We also learn how she coordinates getting reports and content to those eagerly waiting to consume it. She closes out with some helpful advice for anyone looking to write a great field trial report.
To catch up on the event, visit: https://www.amesplantation.org/
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Ep. 144 - Pointing Dogs: 2025 Hall of Fame Inductions

In this week’s episode, Domenick is reporting from the National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee to check in on the 2025 Hall of Fame (HOF) Inductions.
We first hear from Greg Blair who shares his experience and gives some great advice for anyone looking to get started in pointing dog trials in the UKC/American Field pointing dog events. We also compare the differences between how dogs run in walking vs horseback stakes. Greg also talks about what a National Shoot To Retrieve Association event looks like—if you’re brand-new to pointing dog sports, this is a great place to start!
Next up is Sean Derrig, owner/trainer of HOF Erin's Hidden Shamrock, “Jack,” an English setter. Sean set a goal for himself to become the only handler to have bred and trained both a pointer and a setter to reach the HOF. He talks about his background and his motivations to breed, raise, train, and campaign dogs in the 1%. He also shares some exciting stories about hunting birds with a pointer, a terrier, a hawk, and a horse!
Lastly, we hear from the Smith family, on-site to celebrate the induction of the late Larry Smith. His wife, Linda, shares several stories from his busy field trial life. Larry had a love for the sport of pointing dog field trials, hosting events, and raising puppies.
 
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Ep. 143 - Coonhounds: 2025 All-Time Top Reproducers Update, Part 1 (B&T, BLU, & ALH)

Welcome to our 2025 miniseries update on the top coonhound reproducers. This time we’re talking about the top ten males and females of each breed of all-time and ranking them by the number of hunt-titled dogs they’ve produced.
Here in part one, we go over the black & tan, bluetick, and American leopard hound breeds. We also cover the top hunt title-producing dogs of the 2024 calendar year to highlight those up-and-coming hounds making their way up the ranks of all-time reproducers. If you’re a coonhound fancier, you’re going to want to tune into this multi-part series.
 
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Ep. 142 - Coonhounds: 2025 Winter Classic Recap

In this week’s episode, Allen and Trevor are reporting on the 2025 Winter Classic coonhound event. Tune in to hear from the guys as they recap last weekend’s festivities along with sharing some exciting interviews from overall bench show winner, Hunter Booth, top ten bench show winner, Amy McDonald, and overall Nite Hunt winners Jared Lehman and Kyle Stoops. We also mention the final fours and winners of our Warm-Up Slams and Pro Slams.
We want to thank our sponsors and partners who made this event happen.
Head to the UKC Coonhounds Facebook page to see the complete list of results along with photos and videos from the 2025 Winter Classic event: https://www.facebook.com/UKCcoonhounds/
 
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Ep. 141 - Coonhounds: 2025 Top Ten Bench Show Preview

In this week’s episode, Allen and Trevor hop on to talk about the 2025 Top Ten Bench Show. The big event will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025, at Winter Classic at the Civic Center in Batesville, Mississippi. We discuss which dogs are heating things up heading to the show and what it takes to get into the spotlight and on the big screen to become the overall winner. We also mention our judging panel and the $15,000 payout distribution. We chat through a few trends from the various coonhound breed associations and list off the qualifiers from each breed who will be making their way to the big stage. We’ll see you soon for food, fun, and festivities!
To learn more about the Winter Classic event, visit: https://www.ukcdogs.com/winter-classic
 
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Ep. 140 - Beagles: Hunting Beagle Running Rules, Part 1

On this week’s episode, Allen and Trevor are back in the studio to begin a series discussing our updated running rules for our Hunting Beagle Program. In Part 1, the guys discuss Rule 1 (point system), Rule 2 (plus points), Rule 3 (minus points), and Rule 4 (circle points). If you’re a hunting beagle fanatic, this series is surely one not to miss!
To learn more about our Hunting Beagle Program, visit: Beagles | United Kennel Club (UKC)
 
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Ep. 139 - Coonhounds: Coonhound Running Rules, Part 5

This week on the podcast, Allen and Trevor's journey through the coonhound running rules wraps up with a discussion about Rule 14 (questioning a judge), Rule 15, (electronic and controlling devices), and a section on panels and appeals. If you're a competition coonhunter, this is part of our coonhound running rules series not to be missed!
To learn more about the UKC Coonhound program, visit https://www.ukcdogs.com/coonhound-about
To learn how to join the United Kennel Club, visit https://www.ukcdogs.com
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