The Six Coonhound Breeds

Lesson 14 of 36 · Module 4, lesson 1

Assumes the Hunting Primer. New here? Start there first.

Your objective

By the end, you'll be able to identify the six recognized coonhound breeds by coat and origin and explain the key hunting trait — strike, trail, or tree — each is known for.

Concept ~8 min

Two hunters stand at the tailgate. One reaches for a sleek, tricolored dog built like a sprint athlete. The other unclips a heavier, coal-black hound with ears nearly to the ground. Before the first cast of the night, the dogs are already telling you something — if you know how to read them.

Quick recall

Quick recall from the Legal Framework module — when may you legally use an artificial light while hunting raccoon at night in South Carolina?

Any time once the season opens Only when the animal is treed or cornered with dogs Never — night hunting raccoon is prohibited

Show answer

Not quite: Any time once the season opens — Not quite. SC law permits lights only when the raccoon is treed or cornered with dogs — not for casting or trailing. Verify current SCDNR regulations.
Correct: Only when the animal is treed or cornered with dogs — Correct — SC Code 50-11-710. The light goes on at the tree, not before. Verify current SCDNR regulations before you hunt.
Not quite: Never — night hunting raccoon is prohibited — Night hunting raccoon with dogs is one of SC's recognized exceptions to the general night-hunting prohibition, but lights are restricted to treed or cornered animals. Verify current SCDNR regulations.

What makes a coonhound a coonhound

A coonhound is a purpose-bred scent hound developed specifically to trail a mammal on the ground and — this is the part that matters — announce loudly when it is treed. That combination of cold-nose trailing and a reliable tree bark is what separates a coon dog from a generic hunting hound.

Every breed below does those two things. They differ in how fast, how far, and on what kind of nose — and those differences are why experienced hunters choose their partner carefully.

The why The UKC and AKC breed systems

The United Kennel Club (UKC) has governed coonhound competition — nite hunts, bench shows, water races — since the 1890s and recognizes all six breeds here plus the American Leopard Hound. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized most of these breeds between 2006 and 2012. For hunting purposes the AKC standard matters less than what a dog does on a track; UKC events are where field ability is actually scored.

Treeing Walker Coonhound

The Treeing Walker is the most common coonhound in the SC Piedmont and the most frequently entered breed in competitive nite hunts. It is built for speed.

Coat: tricolored — white base with black saddle and tan trim, or black-dominant. Clean and short.
Hunting character: a wide-ranging, fast dog that covers ground quickly and will typically strike and tree faster than slower breeds. Some hunters call it “the Thoroughbred of coonhounds.”
Voice: a loud, clear bugle bawl on the trail that shifts to a rapid chop at the tree.
Origin: descended from Thomas Walker’s Virginia foxhounds in the mid-1700s; UKC-recognized separately in 1945.

Black and Tan Coonhound

The Black and Tan is the oldest AKC-recognized coonhound (1945) and often described as the most powerful and tenacious.

Coat: coal-black with rich mahogany tan at the muzzle, eyebrows, chest, and legs. Unmistakable in the dark with a headlamp.
Hunting character: methodical, persistent, deep-nosed. Renowned for staying on a cold track where faster breeds quit. Larger and heavier than most coonhounds — built for endurance, not sprinting.
Voice: a deep, melodious bawl — the “bugling hound” often heard in movies is usually a B&T.
Origin: descended partly from Bloodhounds, giving it exceptional scenting depth.

Bluetick Coonhound

Named for its distinctive speckled coat, the Bluetick is a versatile hunter valued for its cold nose — the ability to work scent that has aged for hours.

Coat: dark blue mottling on a white background (“ticking”) with black spots on the back, ears, and sides; tan eyebrow markings.
Hunting character: slower and more methodical than a Walker but able to work a cold track where faster dogs overrun the scent. Often a steadier tree dog — will bark the tree a long time without breaking.
Voice: a distinctive deep chop-bawl combination; the tree bark tends to be a true chop.
Origin: descended from French staghounds gifted to George Washington; AKC recognized 2009.

Redbone Coonhound

The Redbone is the striking all-red hound — agile, fast, and able to work rough terrain from Piedmont creek bottoms to rocky mountain sides.

Coat: solid deep mahogany red; occasionally small white chest patch. The coat is dense enough for briar-country hunting.
Hunting character: fast and aggressive on the track, versatile on terrain. Good tree dog with a consistent bark; sometimes used on larger game (bear, mountain lion) in other regions.
Voice: a clear, ringing bawl on trail; steady tree bark.
Origin: from red foxhounds brought by Scottish immigrants in the late 1700s; AKC recognized 2009.

Plott Hound

The Plott is the outlier — the only non-British-blood breed of the six and North Carolina’s official state dog.

Coat: brindle-striped (ranging from black to golden-red with dark streaks); no ticking. Shorter ears than other coonhounds.
Hunting character: confident and determined; originally bred to hunt boar and bear in the mountains. In raccoon hunting the Plott brings grit and stamina in thick cover. Tends to be a bolder, more aggressive dog at the tree.
Voice: a higher-pitched, more aggressive chop; distinctive among the six.
Origin: brought to North Carolina in 1750 by Johannes Plott from German Hanover hounds; AKC recognized 2006.

American English Coonhound

The American English is the speed-endurance dog — bred to hunt by day or night, on fox or coon, with a particularly loud voice audible over long distances.

Coat: ticking pattern — red/white, blue/white, or tricolored with black. Muscular and lean.
Hunting character: one of the fastest, built for covering country. A wide hunter; sometimes criticized for ranging too far in tight creek-bottom country. The loud bark carries well through heavy timber.
Voice: deep chest, powerful lungs — bark audible for miles; a true strike bark announces the find clearly.
Origin: descended from English foxhounds imported in the early 1800s; originally called “English Fox and Coonhound” in the UKC; AKC recognized 2011.

The breed is the starting point

The six breeds at a glance

Diagram showing silhouettes of the six coonhound breeds side by side with their distinctive coat color patterns labeled: tricolored Walker, black-and-tan B&T, blue-mottled Bluetick, solid-red Redbone, brindle Plott, and ticked American English. — Diagram (not a photo). Six breeds, six coat signatures — a quick reference before the tailgate opens.

Tell them apart

Knowledge check

Which coonhound breed is described as 'the Thoroughbred of coonhounds,' valued for speed and a wide range?

Treeing Walker American English Redbone

Show answer

Correct: Treeing Walker — Right. The Treeing Walker is the speed dog — fast, wide-ranging, the most common breed in SC Piedmont nite hunts.
Not quite: American English — The American English is also fast and covers ground, but 'Thoroughbred of coonhounds' is the classic nickname for the Treeing Walker.
Not quite: Redbone — The Redbone is agile across terrain but is more often described as a consistent, versatile hunter than the fastest breed.

Knowledge check

Which breed is the only one of the six NOT descended from British or American foxhound stock?

Plott Hound Bluetick Black and Tan

Show answer

Correct: Plott Hound — Correct. The Plott traces to German Hanover hounds brought to North Carolina in 1750 — its brindle coat and more aggressive tree style reflect that distinct bloodline.
Not quite: Bluetick — The Bluetick actually descends from French staghounds brought to America — not German stock. But it is British-influenced through later crosses.
Not quite: Black and Tan — The Black and Tan has Bloodhound ancestry but is rooted in British hound stock, like most of the six breeds.

Knowledge check

A hunter describes a breed with a 'cold nose' — one that can work scent hours after the raccoon passed. Which breed does this best describe?

Bluetick Treeing Walker American English

Show answer

Correct: Bluetick — Yes. The Bluetick is renowned for its cold nose — the ability to work old, faded scent. That's why it's often the choice in flat-calm, low-scent conditions where faster dogs overrun the track.
Not quite: Treeing Walker — The Walker is known for speed, not cold-nose ability. Walkers excel on hot, fresh tracks — not cold, aged ones.
Not quite: American English — The American English is valued for speed and endurance. The cold-nose reputation belongs to the Bluetick.

Take it to the woods

Before your first hunt, do a pre-hunt breed check.

Know the dogs before the cast

0/5

Ask the dog owner: what breed, and what's this dog's reputation — striker or tree dog?
Visually confirm the coat pattern matches the breed name you were given.
Listen to the first strike bark and note the pitch and rhythm — bawl or chop?
Watch how far the dog ranges before it strikes. Wide or close-hunting?
Note whether the dog's tree bark is different from its trail bark — that changeover is the key signal. The next lesson, Strike, Trail, and Tree, teaches you to decode that bark sequence in detail.

Sources

American Kennel Club — Meet the Coonhound Breeds: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/meet-coonhound-breeds/
United Kennel Club — Coonhound breed standards and nite hunt rules: https://www.ukcdogs.com
Bright Eyes Lights — Coon Hunting Terms to Know: https://brighteyeslights.com/blogs/blog/coon-hunting-terms-to-know
SC Code 50-11-710, Night hunting rules (2025): https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-50/chapter-11/section-50-11-710/
SCDNR Hunting Regulations (verify current season): https://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html

If you remember nothing else

Six AKC breeds tree raccoon: Treeing Walker, Black and Tan, Bluetick, Redbone, Plott, and American English.
Each breed has a signature coat color and a reputation for being either a fast, wide-ranging hunter or a slow, cold-nosed tracker.
A 'strike dog' opens on a track first; a 'tree dog' stays locked on a treed coon — many dogs do both, but most lean one way.
Breed reputation is a starting point; individual dogs vary, and the hound in front of you is the one to learn.
The UKC and AKC set breed standards, but field trials and nite hunts show you what a dog really is.

How ready do you feel?

How ready are you to name all six coonhound breeds and explain what makes each one distinctive in the field?

Before you go — a quick look back

Distributed practice: one fast recall from an earlier lesson keeps it from fading.

Quick recall

From the Legal Framework module — what is the maximum rifle caliber permitted for night hunting raccoon in South Carolina?

Show me the answer

Show answer

Correct: Show me the answer — .22 caliber rimfire. SC Code 50-11-710 caps rifle ammunition at .22 rimfire for night hunting raccoon, opossum, fox, mink, and skunk. Verify current SCDNR regulations before you hunt — these change yearly.

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