The American Beagler Forum

Mason Dixon Beagle Club
AKC Licensed Two-Couple Pack Trial
Sunday April 22
Entry Fee: $40 Per Pack ($10 per dog)
Closing & Drawing: 8:00 AM
Judges: Ron Asbury & Eugene Felton
Prizes: Trophies to 1st place Pack. Rosettes to 1st thru NBQ.

Club Address: 8450 Campbells Run Rd, Saint Thomas, PA 17252

Home Cooked Breakfast & Lunch Will Be Served
Beautiful Running Grounds with Lots of Rabbits
New Clubhouse with 7 Bedrooms Available
Mens & Womens Bathrooms & Showers
Plenty of Kennel Space

Contacts:
Gene Mullinix Pres. (717) 328-5222
Don Hott V.P. (717) 597-3632
Chad Mullinix FTC. (717) 977-9962

If you have never been to a Two-Couple Pack Trial you need to go to one, it is a really good time, great format, and is growing fast! You put your own pack of 4 dogs together and all 4 dogs should contribute to the pack, cooperate with each other, and run good together. Each pack will be given 20 minutes and then a credit running time clock. You can run any style/speed dog you want to the key is to keep the rabbit going with as much minimal down time as possible. Field Champions are welcome. The objective is to find the pack that would be the most useful as a hunting pack.

Here is the list of rules for Two-Couple Pack:

PROCEDURE 9. BEAGLE HUNTING TEST
FOR TWO COUPLE PACK
All of the Procedures governing Beagle filed trials,
Brace, Small Pack, and Small Pack Option shall, to the
extent that they are applicable and not in conflict with
the following Procedures, also govern Beagle Hunting
Test for Two Couple Pack.
1. The running order of the packs in first series
shall be determined by random draw. The judges may
announce the four placements of the packs anytime
after the completion of the first series. Should the
judges call for a second series, all packs called back
shall be considered as having an equal opportunity to
place.
2. The Field Trial Committee shall have the option
of splitting the test class into two (2) divisions (A and
B) provided there are 16 or more packs entered. If the
test class is split, the Judges and running grounds for
each division shall be assigned by the Hunting Test
Committee and announced before the entr y is closed
and the drawing is started. The entire class shall be
drawn as one, the first half in division A and the second
half in division B. There shall be the same number
of packs in each division, except that any extra
packs will be added to division A. At least on e of the
advertised Judges must officiate in each division. In
the case of a split test, a second series shall be runwith an equal number of packs brought back from
each division. The advertised Judges shall, if possible,
judge the second series. The pack scores in the second
series will determine the final placing.
3. A Two Couple Pack shall consist of four (4)
hounds of either sex measuring 15 inches or less, run
together as a pack. Hounds in a pack do not have to
have the same owner.
4. Changing two (2) hounds constitutes a different
pack. Two packs that contain three (3) of the same
hounds will be considered as the same pack.
5. An individual hound may be entered in only two
(2) packs at any one hunting test.
6. Each hound in the pack will have a different colored
collar for easy identification by the judges. The
colors used shall be blue, red, white, and yellow.
7. A hound is not eligible to be entered if an advertised
or actual judge of that test or member of his
immediate family has owned or handled the hound
within on e year of the first day of the test. (See AKC
Beagle Field Trial Rules Chapter 7, Section 10.)
8. Measurement. The judges of the test or the handler
of another pack may request that a hound be
measured. The assigned judges must complete the
measurement on the day the pack runs. A request to
measure a hound must be made before the second
series begins, or if no second series, before the
awards are announced. If the hound measures over 15
inches it will be disqualified and the pack or packs in
which it has run shall be disqualified. A handler may
request pre-measurement for any hound in the pack
he/she handles. Hounds that have an official measurement
card issued by The American Kennel Club
will be exempt from any additional measurement.
9. Hounds must be cast to search for game. Once
the pack has been evaluated on searching ability the
galler y may be allowed to assist in finding a rabbit at
the discretion of the judges. The Judges must order
up the pack if any hound in the pack fails to search.
10. Packs must be tested for gun shyness in first
series. If one or more of the hounds in the pack is
determined to be gun shy the pack shall be disqualified.
If the class is split, the Field Trial Committee
may choose to test for gun shyness in the second
series.
11. Packs will have 20 minutes of running times
(run time clock). In case of a large entry the Hunting
Test Committee may change run time to 15 minutes,
provided the change is announced before the closing
of entries. The judge may terminate a pack’s run
because of low credit time, major faults, or lack of participation
by all hounds any time after 5 minutes on
the run time clock.
12. The pack’s handler will have 2 minutes from the
time the rabbit is jumped to accept of reject the line.
IF the first line is rejected the handler must take thenext rabbit jumped, if both judges agree that the line
is a good line. If handler does not start the run time
clock in the 2-minute period the pack will be ordered
up and excused.
13. The run time clock will begin when the pack
handler accepts the line and will end when the (15 or
20) minutes has expired. The only exceptions are as
follows:
1) The rabbit has run into a marked hole.
2) The pack is in danger, such as highways,
traffic or onto private property, etc.
3) Unforeseen circumstances.
4) The pack has split.
14. Both judges must be agreed upon the above
exceptions. At that time the handlers will be able to
get a new rabbit, or in case of a split the handler will
be allowed to put the pack together on either rabbit.
The remainder of his run time will start again when a
new rabbit is found or when the pack is together on a
rabbit.
15. Three hounds must be tonguing the line, making
forward progress, and the fourth hound must be
in the pack before credit time clock can run. The
credit time clock will be stopped is less than three
hounds are tonguing on the line, the pack is split,
stuck at a check, the pack in general is non productive
or not making forward progress.
16. If the judges agree that the pack is running off
game, the handler will be ordered to catch the
hounds. The run time will continue to run but no credit
time will be given. The handler may, if he wishes,
put the hounds on a rabbit for the remainder of the
run time.
17. Handlers must keep themselves informed as to
the running order and progress of the judging, and
must be ready within hailing distance when their pack
is called by the Marshal on the instr uction of the
judges. The running order cannot be changed under
any circumstances once the packs have been drawn,
except when packs that contain the same hound must
run at the same time in both divisions. A pack that
cannot be run in the order drawn without causing a
delay in the trial will be dropped to the end of the running
order in that division.
18. The primary goal of the two couple pack test is
to find the pack this is most useful as a hunting pack.
Since every hound in the pack will receive the qualification
ad points, it is impor tant that all hounds in
some way contribute to the performance of the pack.
Each judge will score the pack between 0 and 100. The
score should reflect the usefulness of the pack as a
hunting pack. They will use credit time, the contribution
each hound makes to the pack, and the AKC
Procedure 5 Standard for Judging the Beagle Field
Trial Rules as a guide in evaluation the performance
of the pack. The decisions of the Judges shall be finalin all matters relating to the merits of the hounds.
19. The pack score is the sum of the two judges’
scored. The judges are responsible for the final qualification
of the packs.
20. The judges are responsible for keeping the run
time and credit time clocks, however, a field marshal
may assist the judges by keeping the (15 or 20)
minute time clock.
21. Should there arise at any time during the running
of the pack a question concerning the actual running
of the hounds that is not provided for in these
rules and procedure, the judges shall handle the situation
in a manner not contrar y to these rules and procedures,
and shall so decide the matter as to give each
pack an equal opportunity.
22. Each hound in the pack shall earn credit for the
placement and points of the entire pack based on the
point schedule listed below. Hounds running in more
than one pack shall earn credit for their highest placement
at the test.
1st Place - One point for each pack started
2nd Place - One-half point for each pack started
3rd Place - One-third point for each pack started
4th Place - One-fourth point for each pack started
A started pack is a four hound pack which has
been cast to search for game and which has not
been disqualified, and in which none of the
hounds has been disqualified during the test.
23. The title of Master Hunter, will be granted to
any hound which has earned a total of 60 points and
three First places at Two Couple Pack Hunt Tests with
at least 6 packs starting. This title will be designated
by the suffix title MH in all official AKC records.

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These trials are really a joy to watch. Alot of people think what's the difference between a 2cp trial and a spo trial. There is plenty because they guys spend an enormous amount of time running 4 dogs together. The run is smooth. The dogs slot up. You don't have 4 hounds all trying to grab the front. They all know their position in the pack. They all contribute. You can't decide to throw a pack of 4 of you and your buddies dogs together the week before and expect to win. It takes shoe leather and dedication.