Posted on 04/10/2008 Permanent Link In Memory of Wayne Caudill You could say many things about Wayne Caudill, but I will always remember him as the most politically active houndsmen I’ve ever known when it came to fighting for hunters’ and dog owners’ rights. And it’s not just that he was active, he was successful. He was good at it. I like to believe that he enjoyed it. He certainly invested much time and effort for the sportsman in his beloved State of Kentucky, and beyond. The Kentucky Houndsmen Association has always been THE model state coon hunting association in this country. Whenever I received a call from someone in a different state looking to start up a state association, or maybe ways to spark an existing association, I would routinely ask that they follow up their call to me with a call to Wayne. He told me time and time again that he was happy to help any interested person help get their state on track. I respect someone who gives so freely of their own time for the benefit of others. I know we have a lot of good people in this country and in the state of Kentucky to carry on the progress made by Wayne Caudill. Some of them will be as good as Wayne. I have a hard time believing any of them could do it better. Todd Kellam Over the past dozen years, I was fortunate enough to work with Wayne on many occasions. He was one of those people who, when they called, you always enjoyed talking to. Was he set in his ways? Yes, but so am I, so that is part of why I enjoyed and respected him. Never was a phone conversation just a few minutes. They were more like 30 minutes, minimum. Never were the conversations all business. Wayne was never all business. He would brag to me about Penny, Lydia and Christopher, tell me about trips down the steps that didn’t go to well, funny haircuts, keep me informed on how his Dad was doing, and many other things. Eventually we would get around to business. Most of the business that he dealt with was making Nite Hunts in the state of Kentucky better for everyone. At times it seemed like Wayne was a one-man army fighting whatever needed fought within Kentucky. He was the General and the foot soldier all wrapped up in one man. With our jobs at UKC, we sometimes become friends with our customers. This is the case with Wayne. I will certainly miss Wayne, as many others will. He was a good man, and will be missed by many. Todd Morgan I first heard Wayne Caudill speak about fighting for hunters’ and dogs owners’ rights several years ago when he was the opening speaker at the SCAN meeting that was held annually at Winter Classic in Albany, Georgia. It was then that I realized he truly was a man totally dedicated to a cause, and he remained so until he passed on. At that meeting, his message was short and to the point, and he provided everyone with five basic guidelines for success: understand and work with your legislators; always back up your statements with facts and figures; start at the grass roots level; don’t buck the system, work with it; and put together the largest, most extensive mailing list possible. Most importantly, I believe Wayne was a pioneer of the philosophy that all dog people must work together to preserve their rights; that we must never segregate ourselves by our specific interests. We owe it to him the carry on with what he worked so hard for so many years. Vicki Rand Kentucky Houndsmen Assn Christina Farthing Hello, to all the houndsmen out there. I write this article with a heavy heart. As most of you know, Wayne Caudill passed away on March 21, 2008. The cause was due to complications during surgery. Wayne was the backbone of our association. All of us, including those who never knew Wayne, will feel the loss. Wayne went to Frankfort to fight for our Rights as hunters and as pet owners for many years. I was talking to Chelsea (Officer) the other day and telling her that I was writing the article for the Association. I said that I was going to write something about Wayne. Chelsea asked me then if she could write something about Wayne instead of me. So I said, sure that would be nice. This is what she said. “It's hard to talk about someone who was so close to you after they have passed from this world. It's even harder to try and do justice to their memory when you only knew a small portion of who they were. “I never went on a hunting trip with Wayne Caudill. I just never got the chance. I wasn't there to witness the outrageous and hilarious events that he was so fond of talking about every time he got the chance. “I was there, though, when he got married to Penny, one of my best friends. I was there when his two youngest children, Lydia and Christopher, were born. I got to see how proud he was of both of them. “For the first little bit of mine and Wayne's relationship, I would not, under any circumstances, hug him. Wayne was never mean to me or anything; on the contrary, he was always making me laugh. I know he would do anything he could for me. That changed when I won the Kentucky State Youth Bench Show Championship for the first time in 2002. I was so excited and proud of myself. I was so happy that I hugged Wayne for the first time. I remember Wayne being so happy with me. “This man meant so much to so many people. He was a loving husband, father, friend, brother and son. Wayne worked so hard with the Kentucky State Legislature to help fight for the rights of hunters and their dogs. I cannot sufficiently describe what he meant to so many people. I can say that Wayne Caudill, you will be missed by many folks.” Thank you, Chelsea, for that letter. Now we need to get down to the business at hand. The Board of Directors called an emergency meeting to elect a new President and appoint a new Director to the Board. James Caldwell was appointed as President, and Penny Caudill was appointed on the Board of Directors. Penny will remain the Treasurer. David Canter will be the Vice President, and Gayle Jones will be the Secretary. I would like to remind you to send all memberships to Gayle Jones, 3212 Long Lick Rd, Stamping Ground Ky. 40379. Family dues are $15 and your club can be a charter member for $200. The Charter Memberships have to be paid by May 1, 2008.

In This Issue of Coonhound Bloodlines... "Success Isn't Going To Happen Overnight" Laura Bell In the outreaches of Owatonna, Minnesota, you can often hear the sounds of late night barks emerge from the woods, while the owner of the coonhounds contently listens to the track unfold. The track barks fade and soon the Walker hounds have fallen treed deep in the timber, and without a doubt, they have the coon. Making his way to the hounds is their owner, 16-year-old Brandon Becker, who spends many nights like this in the woods with his hounds - nearly every night in the week, he says. Read more here Learn more about Coonhound Bloodlines

This Weekend At UKC Bluetick Days Robinson, Illinois - The nation’s largest UKC Bluetick event for six years running, National Bluetick Days will gather Bluetick Coonhound fanciers in Palestine, Illinois from May 15 to 17. Sponsored by the Bluetick Breeders of America, a UKC Chartered Breed Association, and hosted by the Wabash Valley CHC, the event kicks off Thursday and will feature coonhound nite hunts and bench shows, with Purina Points events Friday and Saturday. For more information, check out the upcoming events page. Find an event in your area.

About UKC Coonhounds Hunting with hounds is an American Tradition that still enjoys immense popularity. UKC's competitive hound programs offer events for coonhound enthusiasts belonging to over 1,300 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, one of the UKC's series of events enters more than 17,000 coonhounds annually and ranks as the largest sporting dog event of any kind in the world! Read more here.