Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials is an annual Hog Dog Baying Event held in the third weekend of March in

Winnfield 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, ...

Winn Parish Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,755. The parish seat and largest city is Winnfield. The parish was founded in 1852. It is last in alphabetical order of Louisiana's s ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

at the Winn Parish Fair Grounds involving boars and various breeds of

bay dog A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s, including

Catahoula Leopard Dog 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 Ame ...

s, Blackmouth Cur, Blue Lacy, and others.

History

Begun in 1994, the event was named for three-time Louisiana governor "Uncle" Earl Long, an avid stockman and

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

hunter who was born in

in 1895. 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.

About

In this particular event,

s 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 A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...

worked on the law that exempted Uncle Earl's, and other baying and herding events. People attend Uncle Earl's from as far away as

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 2012, a ''Campfire Cookoff'' was added with celebrity judges including the Mayor of

, David Peavey and Kelly Lee from ''Camo Life TV'' (a television hunting show), and Brandy Watts of ''Hogs Gone Wild''.Cookoff
March 21, 2013.

Safety

Dogs are outfitted with

Kevlar vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft� ...

s, chest armor, and extra-wide

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

s to protect them from any major injuries. The Stock is kept in excellent condition by licensed contractors and facilities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials Dog sports Louisiana culture Winn Parish, Louisiana Recurring events established in 1994 Festivals in Louisiana 1994 establishments in Louisiana