[jonthedogman]

as well as the knowledge of the hunter/owner.
most plot breeders seem to concentrate on big game. boar, cats, bear.so on.
very few hunters run coon with plots.
your blue ticks and red bones tend to grow up slow and are often over looked at a younger age. walker dogs and black and tans tend to be the norm that are used in the mid west.
but even with those dogs you have individuals who will excel @ different things.
most of the guys I run with have long ranging walker dogs. that hit hard and will hammer a tree. these are great dogs but need large area to hunt.
my favorite dog that I run is a walker also. he is not really all that strong on a tree, has a ton of bad habits and do to being attacked by ignorant hunters dogs won't stay treed very long when hunted in a pack.
sounds like a crapper but this old boy has a nose better then most, safe around young dogs, checks in often and will tree coon on a 5 acre plot if given a chance. and on top of that I yet to turn him loose and go home without a dog. and he never, never, chases trash.

for me he is the perfect dog. yes I would want a stronger tree dog if my goal would be to own a night champ
.
I also have some hunting buds who run leopard curs. I like these dogs, they seem to hunt like my walker, but better.
genetics is 60% of the dog. the rest is quality time in the woods.
good topic.
dogman