It isn’t often that someone is called legendary, but United English Fanciers Association 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Jimmy Woodard and his best friend and prized coon dog “Buck” are said to be just that.
They are called legendary because the line of coon dogs produced by Buck are the most highly sought-after dogs in their breed, having produced world champions and some of the most highly-skilled hunting animals in America and Canada.
“For us English Coonhounds folks they was a small breeder with a big’ heart and could be called the most important breeder of our time,” Woodard’s induction read. “This breeder produced maybe the most important English hound of our time. You see a promoter has to have a breeder of the animal he is promoting. Our nominee was the breeder of maybe the top English hound that ever lived.”
Woodard is from New Boston. He was born in DeKalb on October 13, 1939. He is married to Linda and they have two children, a son Sidney and a daughter Regina. They also have 7 grandchildren. Woodard started hunting as soon as he was big enough to go into the woods and follow his father, Joe, and his brother John.
It is a story that sounds a bit like Seabiscuit. A little dog was discovered out in the Arkadelphia Community near DeKalb. That dog, now called Woodard’s “Buck” by the United English Fanciers Association, was already almost 3 years-old at the time. He was slightly small and had a unique snout. Woodard learned that the sire of this dog was from Arkansas and was UKC registered and the mother was a grade blue female.
In a short time, Woodard fell in love with this dog and he decided to call him Buck. Woodard said that truly in his heart he knew he had something special. The year was 1968.