The Finest Bear Looking Canine

Most looking pursuits have a wealthy historical past, however few can evaluate to following behind a hound because it skillfully tracks wild sport. And in relation to looking with hounds, no animal within the nation will run a canine as laborious, or far, because the black bear. You may hunt bears over bait, or shoot them from a stand at distance. However if you’d like the very best that bear looking has to supply, you will need to run them with hounds.  

The most effective canine in bear looking come from avid European houndsmen, courting again to the 1750s and 1800s. Bear looking with hounds discovered its place in North America throughout the Colonial interval, however has reached its stride in additional fashionable occasions as new looking canine breeds have been established within the early 1900s. Over the a long time, one factor has stayed the identical: Houndsmen are loyal to their chosen breed of bear canine. There’s no worse offense of their world than disparaging a person’s canine. Do it, and they’ll run you proper off the mountain.

However what breeds make up this quick checklist of greatest bear canine? In the event you’re simply entering into bear looking, it’s seemingly you might be unfamiliar with a lot of them. What you can find is that the very best bear canine are extremely pushed, completed trackers, and tenacious. On this information, I’ll cowl the subjects under. Learn straight by means of, or click on on a bit to leap in.

Best Bear Hunting Dog Breeds
The Best Bear Dog Kennels
How to Pick a Puppy
Duck Hunting Gear
What to Expect from a Young Bear Dog

Finest Bear Looking Canine Breeds

Bear looking hounds are sometimes the identical hounds you’ll discover chasing coon, fox, and bobcat. Hounds such because the Plott, Walker, redtick, bluetick, black and tan, and redbone are all able to pursuing bears. In recent times, breeders have constructed their very own line of bear canine with a combination of those breeds. Most any canine bred to trace or tree sport may probably be an excellent bear canine. Nonetheless, there’s a small group which have their place on the high of the bear canine checklist.

Plott

Execs

• Gritty
• Eager monitoring abilities
• Infinite stamina
• Assured
• Loyal

Cons

• Want time and a spotlight
• Sturdy willed

Worth: $500 – $700

The Plott is essentially the most acknowledged bear canine breed. Ask a houndsman why they love them a lot, and also you’ll hear the identical phrase repeatedly: grit. The Plott is the grittiest canine to ever chase a bear. That’s the hill that Plott house owners will die on.

“If you need grit and endurance, you higher run with a Plott,” says Eugene Walker, a 77-year-old houndsman and breeder, who has been chasing bears since he was 6. “A variety of the opposite hound breeds are what I name, ‘blisters.’ They present up when the work is all completed.

“Then you might have, ‘cheerleaders.’ These are the canine that run alongside behind and bark. I like linebacker canine that wanna get in on the motion. In the event you’re gonna tree a imply bear, you higher have some grit – that’s a Plott.”

Historical past of the Plott

Johannes George Plott got here from Germany to Philadelphia in 1750. He introduced alongside a couple of Hanoverian hounds. He later moved to North Carolina the place he purchased a farm and began a household. Plott managed to maintain the canine line pure as he handed it right down to relations, together with his son, Henry, in 1780. For the following 200 years, the Plott household continued to breed this line of canine, their recognition rising throughout the Appalachians and Nice Smoky Mountains.

Walker (Treeing Walker)

Execs

• Scorching-nosed (work the freshest scent path)
• Vocal
• Bred for pace
• Hunts nicely alone or with a pack
• Loving / good with people

Cons

• Very vocal (at residence, too)
• Extra well being points than others

Worth: $400 – $800

The Walker hound is one other fashionable canine breed for chasing bears. You’ll see two variations of them: Treeing Walkers and Working Walkers. One is constructed to place a critter up the tree shortly, whereas the opposite tends to run and run.

If you need the very best of each, look no additional than the Kemp Walker bred by Mike Kemp of Oregon. Kemp’s line of Walkers was bred to ship the tenacity of a canine that may run, plus treeing skill. The outcome is among the greatest bear canine strains to ever run the mountain. They’ve the drive to run, and catch, with an intelligence that’s laborious to beat.

Josh Ilderton of the favored looking present, “The Untamed,” has been looking bears for many years. His canine of alternative is the Walker cross from Kemp.

“These canine are robust to beat,” says Ilderton. “They will go all day and do what it takes to place a bear up a tree.”

Historical past of the Walker

The Treeing Walker coonhound got here out of the colonial period from crosses of English foxhounds. Kentucky breeders John Walker and George Maupin are credited with the breed’s begin. Their unique canine have been known as Walker hounds, used primarily to hunt raccoons. Nonetheless, within the 1800s, a stolen black and tan canine named Tennessee Lead, was crossed into the Walker hound. The outcome was an awesome new line known as, The Walker coonhound, Treeing. The identify was later modified to Treeing Walker coonhound. 

The Working Walker line developed within the mid to late 1800s. They’ve a powerful drive to hunt fox, rabbit, and coyote, however lack the treeing intuition of the Treeing Walker.

English Coonhound (Redtick)

Execs

• Good pace on the observe
• Sturdy nostril
• Sociable

Cons

• Might be cussed
• Sturdy focus, might miss instructions

Worth: $800 – $1200

The English coonhound, or redtick, is a well-liked breed amongst coon hunters, but additionally favored by bear hunters. They’ve a powerful nostril that’s nicely suited to monitoring and treeing all kinds of sport. Bob Olson is a bear canine breeder from Utah. He’s a Plott man however says redtick’s can pull their justifiable share of the load.

“Not like a few of their cousins, the redtick was bred in a method that’s higher suited to bear,” says Olson. “The redtick was bred for the traits that’ll put a bear up a tree. And so they have the pace that their bluetick cousin lacks.”

For essentially the most half, the redtick is a good-natured and sociable canine. Nonetheless, that very same robust will that helps them within the discipline may be difficult in relation to coaching. At occasions, they’re cussed, requiring extra persistence than different canine breeds on the checklist. Redticks are centered canine, a high-quality high quality in relation to getting work completed on the path, however their one-track thoughts can usually end in tuning every thing else out, together with instructions from their handler.

Historical past of the English Coonhound

Like a lot of in the present day’s coon and bear hounds, the redtick’s origins may be traced again to the foxhounds that have been dropped at the U.S. by European settlers within the seventeenth and 18th centuries. Aside from the Plott, most different coon hounds come from this identical frequent ancestry.

The canine have been usually used to hunt coons at night time and fox by day. The breed got here from Virginia hounds, which have been developed over time from canine dropped at the U.S. by President George Washington in addition to Robert Brooke and Thomas Walker. They have been bred to raised adapt to the American panorama.

Karelian Bear Canine

Execs

• Excessive drive
• Sturdy willed
• Nice holding energy
• Courageous, loyal, tenacious, cautious, unbiased, affectionate
• Extraordinarily protecting

Cons

• Require additional time and a spotlight
• Want day by day train
• Require disciplined dealing with
• Territorial
• Might be overly protecting

Worth: $1,400 – $1,700

The Karelian bear canine isn’t on the checklist due to its recognition amongst bear hunters within the U.S. Nonetheless, some would name it the very best stored secret of the looking canine breeds, significantly in relation to the pursuit of black bears.

Originating in Finland, the Karelian was bred to hunt bear and wild boar. Nonetheless, they’re versatile and in a position to carry out a wide range of duties, from looking each giant and small sport to working and defending at residence. They’re a extremely pushed breed, robust willed, and extremely loyal. Different traits of the canine embrace fast reflexes and a fearless nature, each of which assist when going head-to-head with black bears. 

In Finland, Karelian canine hunt in pairs. For that reason, the canine have been bred as stopping canine. They’re bred to shortly bay, stopping and holding the bear for the hunter. In addition they don’t bark on a scent path. They’ll solely open up as soon as they’ve noticed the sport they’re after. This trait helps them keep away from working off quarry. 

Historical past of the Karelian Bear Canine

The Komi canine, additionally known as the canine of Zyrians, is taken into account to be the origin of the Karelian breed. Nonetheless, the essential inventory canine originated from the Lagoda’s Karelia, Olonets, and Russian Karelia, the place they have been used for all various kinds of sport looking. The breeding began in 1936 with the aim to create a sturdy canine that barks at large sport. Then it was agreed that the identify of the breed ought to be the Karelian bear canine. The primary commonplace was established in 1945. The primary canine have been registered in 1946.

The breed commonplace for Karelian bear canine is a black-and-white marked canine, however initially the breed included canine with coats of wolf grey, purple (like the usual spitz), and black-and-tan.

The Finest Bear Canine Kennels

Pocahontas Plott Kennels

Eugene Walker, of Pocahontas Plott Kennels in Hillsboro, West Virginia, has been bear looking from greater than 70 years. “I used to be serving to sheep farmers again then,” says Walker. “Bears would come out of hibernation and hit the sheep farms laborious. They’d kill 10 to fifteen sheep an evening, shifting from farm to farm.”

Walker has been working the identical Plott line for over 60 years. “We’ve run bear and coon through the years, however we found out over time, it’s laborious to have each high coon hounds and high bear,” says Walker. “We’ve concentrated extra on bear because the late ‘90s.” 

Puppies from this kennel can be found every spring. Most have lovely bawl mouths on observe and chop on the tree. This line of Plotts are very sensible, aggressive, quick, and cold-nosed canine, which suggests they will odor and observe older scent trails.

Plott Ridge Kennels

Bob Plott is the great-great-great grandson of Johannes George Plott who first introduced the Plott bear hounds to America within the mid-18th century. He’s additionally a great-great nephew of Henry Plott who launched the breed to the Nice Smoky Mountains within the early 1800s.

His Plott Ridge Kennels takes satisfaction in preserving the legacy of the “old-time multi-purpose Plott canine.” Not solely are his canine a supply of satisfaction, however they’re additionally part of the household heritage. That is no pet manufacturing facility, and the household solely sells their canine to these they deem worthy.

Olson Plott Hounds

Bob Olson has been looking with hounds for 20-plus years. Most of his greatest canine have been pure-bred Plotts or Plott crosses. Olson has efficiently mixed the very best Plott traits with the scent-tracking skill of the redtick hound, producing excellent looking canine. Olson appears for trainability, athleticism, pace, stamina, and grit. And that’s precisely what you’ll discover in his canine. Olson’s canine are identified for being sensible, quick, and aggressive on the hunt.

Kemp Walkers

As talked about earlier than, Mike Kemp is aware of the best way to end up a few of the greatest Walker pups within the nation with an ideal mix of pace and treeing skill. From east to west, hunters depend on this line of canine to place bears up the tree. The one solution to contact Kemp is by telephone: (509) 780-7805.

Penny’s English Coonhounds

Mike Penny continues the household custom of elevating a few of the best English coonhounds within the U.S. It began together with his father, Leroy, again in 1957. They’ve raised an extended line of champion hounds through the years focusing on coon, mountain lion, and bear.

Snowy Mountain Bear Canine

Snowy Mountain Bear Dogs is a Karelian bear canine breeder situated in Nashville, Tennessee, offering high quality, pushed looking and dealing canine for bear, mountain lion, and different large sport. Excellence is the usual you’ll discover on this line from Josh and Religion Troop. Working skill, well being, pedigree, and the breed requirements are the cornerstones of their breeding program. Their Karelian bear canine are thought to be a few of the greatest in North America.

Find out how to Choose a Bear Canine Pup

Picking the right puppy may be tough. Consumers are inclined to put plenty of pointless stress on themselves in selecting out the right canine. Positive, everybody needs to search out the “decide of the litter.” However don’t sweat it right here. Simply preserve these fundamental questions in thoughts as you undergo the method.

• Who’re the dad and mom and what’s their looking and well being historical past?
• How do the mother or father’s hunt? Ask for specifics, like drive; if they’re large runners or stick shut; and obedience after they’re on a scent path.
• Are the pups from a line of bear-hunting canine?
• What’s the mother or father’s temperament?
• Is the pet lively and keen, or shy and timid?
• Do the dad and mom and pup have the bodily look (markings) you need?

What to Search for in a Pet, from the Specialists

• “You desire a pup together with his nostril to the bottom in search of one thing,” says Olson. “Search for that pup that’s naturally trailing one thing, barking at a horse or cow. Discover the one which thinks he’s 10 toes tall, bulletproof, and received’t give up.”

• Walker, of Pocahontas Plott Hounds, shares comparable recommendation: “You desire a pup that’s daring, not timid, or shy. I would like good tight toes, in order that they don’t get sore, and different options like an excellent sq. head, medium muzzle, and ears set reasonably excessive on the pinnacle.”

• Ilderton often simply will get down on the bottom with the pups to see how they reply and work together. “I need to see in the event that they like me or draw back,” he says. “I’m additionally taking a look at their toes. I desire a tight foot, like a ball of metal. Their toes are so essential in relation to bear looking.”

What to Count on from a Younger Bear Canine

The qualities in bear canine (keen, pushed, grit, focus, fearless, and so forth.), are the identical qualities that may make coaching tough if you happen to don’t lay down the regulation from the beginning. These canine usually have a popularity for being unbiased and desirous to do issues their very own method. On the identical time, like plenty of canine, they’ve the will to please their proprietor. So, it’s essential to ascertain a relationship order early on—you’re in cost, not the canine. However you don’t need to be too heavy handed. These canine a bred to trace, so allow them to if they continue to be obedient.

A bear canine will seemingly be round plenty of different folks, in addition to different canine. This makes socializing of your pup vital. Begin this course of as early as attainable for greatest outcomes. Expose them to a wide range of different folks and animals. You don’t need any surprises right here.

In coaching, Walker likes to begin his pups on raccoons at 6 months previous. The most effective factor for younger hounds is to get them within the woods. Not like some chicken canine and retrievers, a bear canine can begin successfully looking from an early age.

“Begin them on coons, allow them to study to path a tough, chilly coon observe,” Walker says. “There are lot of pluses to one of these coaching for bear, and no negatives. It teaches them to decelerate and study a observe and to tree by scent moderately than sight.”  

Olson begins his pups a little bit earlier however favors the identical coaching method with coons.

“I like to begin my pups on coons and working tracks at 3 to 4 months of age,” he stated. “You need to assist that pup hone these monitoring abilities which are inbuilt to those canine. Assist that pup within the technique of trailing after one thing and the best way to get up on the tree. They’ve received it. The coaching course of will deliver it out of them.”

Fundamental Gear for a Bear Looking Hound

Earlier than you make the leap with a bear looking canine, it’s essential to think about the price of proudly owning one. They aren’t your commonplace lap canine, and also you’re not more likely to discover them cuddled up calmly at your toes as you sit by the fireplace place. The most effective bear looking canine are constructed to work, hunt, and bark. You’ll want a devoted area for them exterior. They’re lively canine too, in order that they should be occupied with train and different distractions, like bones and different canine chews. Additionally, these canine are bred to bark, so if you happen to dwell in a subdivision, be ready in your neighbors to hate you. Right here’s a brief checklist of what you’ll want in your bear canine.

• Kennel and canine field (at residence)
• Dog box for transport
• A number of leads
• Heavy-duty tie-up (chains are greatest, these canine will chew by means of rope and even steel-wire leads)
• Garmin Alpha 200i GPS e-collar and handheld
• High quality dry pet food
• Meals and water dish

Learn Subsequent: The Best Hunting Dog Breeds for Every Game Animal

Last Ideas

Make certain to analysis the lineage of the pet and the breeder you propose to purchase it from. Additionally, be prepared to begin looking your canine instantly. Bear looking canine usually are not like pointers, flushers, or retrievers. They don’t want an intensive quantity of coaching earlier than hitting the woods. These canine are extra primal by nature and able to hunt at a younger age, so do the mandatory obedience coaching after which let get on a sport path.