Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials have begun. Already, tents, trailers and posh RVs cover the Fairgrounds and more are expected with the peak day for spectators and competitors anticipated Saturday when the weather forecast is for warm and sunny for “Best of the Best.”
Dogs, mostly Catahoula curs, are everywhere: in pens, around campsites, under the roof of the livestock pavilion, in the show arena. They may rest quietly or bark excitedly. Wild hogs are penned by the rodeo arena, hearing the barking and perhaps figuring on ways to outwit the dogs they’ll face.
For residents who haven’t experienced the Hog Dog Trials, they might think of the fringe areas as like an LSU tailgate party. The game is inside the stadium but the fun is on the outside where smoke from campfires and the smell of good food cooking fill the air. The calls of children at play, sometimes music and, of course, the barking of dog can be heard.
Call it a “community.” Ray Crochet of the Jennings area notes that through the years, the competitors themselves have become family. He with his four brothers have been coming back to Winnfield during the third week of March for the past 15 to 20 years. Maybe not all of them every year, but enough to have created what he calls “The Cajun Camp.”
Listening to Crochet leads you to believe the some nonstop cooking is going on during these hog dog trials. “People came here, taking a whole week of vacation, even if they don’t bring dogs to compete. They come to watch the dogs bay. And we make a difference here. We buy food at the grocery stores and at Wal Mart. We spend thousands of dollars.”
Not only do they cook and compete, Crochet says. The Crochet brothers sing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. It’s all starting to sound more like a festival than a dog happening.
The 29th annual Hog Dog Trials here will continue through this Sunday, March 24. It’s been held under the direction of HogBaying.com with Jake Loiacona coordinating for the past five years and they’ve just signed a five-year renewal. While the early events of Puppy Bay and Old & Young have been held, still up are One-Dog competition today and tomorrow with Two-Dog events beginning Thursday as well; Two-Dog continues Friday; the Two-Dog Finals will be held Saturday along with the ultimate “Best of the Best”; and the week wraps up Sunday with Youth Bay competition.
Times will be 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily. Admission is $10 for a one-day wristband and $25 for the full week
