UKC Hunting Programs

United Kennel Club, Inc. has always been a great friend to hunters everywhere. We are not a company that chooses to ride the fence on the issue of hunting. We believe in the right to keep and bear arms. We view the sport of hunting as a valued family tradition that is not only a great source of recreational activity but also a necessary tool in the goals of game management. UKC publicly supports all organizations that work hard to protect gun ownership and all legal forms of hunting. We offer a wide variety of field events for all types of hunting dog enthusiasts. The events offered by the Hunting Programs Department at UKC are designed to as closely simulate at an actual hunt as possible with the exception that the taking of game which is strictly prohibited. Dogs compete, sometimes individually and sometimes in a group depending on the event, for points towards Championship and Grand Championship titles. All UKC Hunting Program Events are designed around a family atmosphere where owners are not only encouraged to handle their own dog, but in some cases, specific provisions against professional handlers are in place. Please visit our various hunting programs listed below to learn more about the wide variety of field events that UKC makes available for hunting dog enthusiasts. Celebrate your hunting heritage by joining us with your dog in the great outdoors.

UKC Beagles The Beagle breed was originally conceived as a dog to pursue rabbits and bring them around to the gun for hunters. The UKC Beagle programs, along with all our hunting programs strives to keep each breed as it was originally intended. Both our Hunting Beagle and Performance Pack programs are designed to reward a dog that can bring a rabbit around to the gun with as few faults as possible. Hunting Beagle events offer the participants a chance to participate in each cast as an active handler. Both the handler and his dog work as a team while attempting to outscore the three other handlers and dogs in the cast. In Performance Pack events dogs are drawn to 5 dog casts and sent to the field with a judge who stays with the dogs as they run a track. Judges evaluate each dog in the pack on their ability to accurately run a rabbit. In the end the judge tabulates the scores he has accumulated on each dog and a winner is announced. Read more here.

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! No longer restricted to down-on-the-farm family gatherings, today's competition houndsmen encompass all walks of life and professional venues. The fast-paced, head-to-head action of competition hound events provides plenty of excitement as the hound/handler teams battle it out down to the wire in search of national recognition and titles. Not unlike the professional end of any sport, owners and handlers additionally compete for thousands of dollars worth of prizes annually. In a similar fashion to that of the popular catch-and-release fishing tournaments, all game is left totally undisturbed to run another day. Read more here.

UKC Curs and Feists Performance Events tailored for the Cur and Feist breeds are based upon treeing game. The Cur / Feist Program actually offers three different performance events for evaluating these hard working tree dogs. The most popular of the events offered is the licensed Squirrel Hunt. At a typical licensed squirrel hunt, three dogs are randomly drawn into a group (called a cast) to hunt against each other. Dogs are hunted for two hours using a points system where the handler and dog teams are credited for treeing the most wild game and making the fewest mistakes in the process. Dogs are hunted on wild, free ranging game outside of enclosures and no game is taken during these events. In much the same fashion, licensed Nite Hunts, another UKC licensed Cur / Feist event, test a dog’s ability to tree wild raccoons. Four dog casts participate in the licensed Nite Hunts. The final event available to Cur / Feist enthusiasts and their dogs are the licensed Treeing Contests. A live raccoon, or if prohibited by law, a substitute is placed up in a tree in a cage of the type that a dog cannot make contact with the animal nor can the animal hurt itself. A dog’s treeing ability is judged based on the number of times he barks at the game while staying inside of a marked, but not fenced, area. Though UKC recognizes but five breeds of Curs and Feists, all UKC registered breeds (excluding coonhounds) are eligible to participate in licensed Cur / Feist events. Dogs compete for championship points and permanent UKC titles. Read more here.

UKC Hunting Retrievers "Conceived by Hunters for Hunters". This is both the founding philosophy and the reality of the Hunting Retriever Club. Probably only a few people know the history behind the motto, but all people affiliated with the United Kennel Club and the Hunting Retriever Club should be aware of it because of HRC's and UKC's contributions to the world of the hunting retriever. One of the most significant strengths of the Hunting Retriever Club organization is the friendly, wholesome, family atmosphere. The support and friendship that is found by everyone who becomes involved in HRC activities is truly inspiring. Although participation in the Hunt Tests is taken very seriously, both Handlers and Judges alike make conscious efforts to remember and ensure that it is fun. There is no discrimination as to sex, color, age or handicap. Everyone is welcome at HRC. Read more here.

UKC Pointing Dogs Nothing beats hunting birds over a staunch, biddable companion from one of the many pointing breeds. And nothing compares to this program when it comes to evaluating natural ability and talent/training in the field. The Natural Ability Test (TAN) and Field Trial rules were developed directly from the European trial rules where the dog must hunt for the foot hunter. That’s the way you hunt, so why not trial the same way? Read more here.