The Plott hound was brought to America by Jonathon Plott from Germany. These dogs were primaraly used for boar hunting; however at the time they were brought here there was no wild boar, so instead they were used to hunt bear. Plott hounds are known for their courage and stamina. The Plott's voice is high pitched compared to the other five coonhound breeds.
The other five coonhound breeds are; The American Black and Tan Coonhound, The Redbone Coonhound, The English Coonhound, The Treeing Walker Coonhound, and The Bluetick Coonhound.
The oldest of the coonhounds is the Black and Tan. The Black and Tan is said to have liniage from the Belgium monastary St. Huberts, where black and tan colored heavy set dogs were bred from french dogs. These dogs had a natural hunting ability. These dogs arived in England in the 900's. The American Black and Tan is also said to have English foxhound blood along with the big boned bloodhound. Because of its cold nose and large size, these dogs were slow hunters; however breeders developed a lighter weight hound of great ability. Both strains of hounds are still around today and hunted; however the larger is more common in shows.
The English Coonhound is perhaps the closest to the original foxhounds that almost all coonhounds are bred from. The English Coonhound is bred from the foxhounds brought over from England. George Washington had some English Foxhounds, and it is said the English Coonhound is bred from these dogs. The color on the English Coonhound is primaraly tricolor with patches of red, white, and red ticking. Blueticks and Walkers were once classified as English Coonhounds but gained there own breed status in the mid 1940's.
The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its cold nose and deep voice. The Bluetick also credits it heritage to the English and French Foxhounds, along with Curs. These dogs are able to hunt such game as bear, coyote, raccoon, and large cats such as cougars and bobcats. Their cold nose allows them to pick up on older trails and work it to find game. The Bluetick gets its name from its coat, which consists of black and white specks giving off a bluish ticking color.
The Treeing Walker was developed from a strain of the English Walker foxhound. The English Walker Foxhound was devolped by George Washington Maupin and John W. Walker. In the 1800's these dogs were outcrossed with a stolen dog called Tennessee Lead. Lead had unsurpassed hunting skills and ability and changed the way these dogs were forever. The Walker's coat is tricolored and consist of white or black base with black, white, or tan patches.
The Redbone Coonhound is said to be the most uniform in color and build. The coat is solid red with white on the chest and feet of puppies. The Redbone's ancestry is also of the Foxhounds but also the blood of Irish hounds. The modern Redbone came from a foxhunter and breeder George F.L. Birdson. Originally Redbones were called saddlebacks because of the dark saddle on the back. Today Redbones have no saddle due to careful breeding. Redbones have a nice voice and "pleading" eyes. They have excellent natural hunting ability and are able to adapt well to any terain. They have a hot nose which allows them to locate and tree game faster with a fresh track. They are at home in water just as well as on land. They naturally can hunt raccoon as well as bear, bobcat, and mountain lion.
As for the sport of coon hunting, it primarily consist of a dog or pack of dogs following a scent trail left behind by the raccoon while moving around on the ground. Once the hound picks up a scent it begins to follow it letting out long bark called bawls. Once the coon realizes the dogs are on him, he will most likely either be in a tree or eventually run up a tree. When the dog arives at the tree he will proceed to put his front paws on the tree and begin letting out short barks called tree barks. These barks are designed to let the hunter know that there is game in the tree. In some casses you will find some dogs will actually begin to climb the tree. When the dogs start all this we call it treed. A good dog will stay treed until you arrive. Depending on what you are going to do with the coon you can either kill it, or call the dogs off and start the process all over again. Coon hunting can prove quite difficult due to the habitat and conditions that raccoons live in. Raccoons live close to water so it's not a rarity to have to walk or swim across freezing water to get to the coons. They are also expert swimmers and can hold their breath under water. This can prove to be fatal to some dogs who persue a coon into water, because in many cases the coon will climb onto the dogs head and push it under to drown it. Raccoons are very smart creatures and can be very hard to hunt. That is what makes this sport so appealing. Many clubs put on events and hunt championships. In some events they use live coons in cages and create scent tracks for the dogs to follow. The first to locate the coon wins. In other events like Nite Hunt championships, groups are sent out and the group to bring back the most coons win. The dog of the winning group becomes a Nite champion. The value of the dog goes up with every championship.
Coon hunting is a very exciting and challenging sport. Chances are people coon hunt in your area and you don't even know it. This is a good sport to help keep kids off the street because of the time dedicated to training the dogs and the hunt itself. It's also a good way for parents to bond with their children and teach some of those old-fashoned values that are so quickly being lost. In a age of electronics and technology, I prefer to use a bell on my dogs collar contrary to the popular and expensive tracking collars now so widely used. Lastly it allows Man and his long time Best Friend to spend time together and let the dog do all the talking.