Bear Creek’s territory is very mixed, and so this requires a very versatile hound.   They have to be slender for the open country in the South, and this means no excess weight around the shoulders or in the girth. They must be capable of thinking for themselves as there are a lot of instances where the huntsman cannot be with them. And if they check (lose the scent), they must be able to figure out how to recapture the line.  For the North Country, we need voice, voice and more voice! The pine-laden hillsides serve to absorb sound, and this is most undesirable when we are trying to locate the pack!  Hounds also need to have a keen nose and be able to work their coverts thoroughly.

The hounds must be brave and they must have drive — it is no good having hounds that will not cross a stream or ditch, or jump or crawl under a fence. Most of all, however, the hounds must want to work as part of a team and be agreeable to the huntsman and his commands. One of the biggest problems facing us is the deer population. This requires that we breed hounds that are able to differentiate between deer and game.    

The crossbred hound seems to fit our needs at Bear Creek remarkably well, and they have a hunting style that is very exciting. They can really fly on a hot scent and keeping up with them can be interesting! A crossbred is a cross between the American and an English hound.  One  tries to balance the percentage of blood in the line in order to capitalize on the best hunting traits offered by both strains and, at the end of the day, produce something that is reasonably easy to handle.  Crossbred hounds possess great voice and nose, and the drive they display is impressive. These hounds do have some challenging traits and have a tendency to want their own way. They are very sensitive, and one has to jolly them along and make them think everything is their own idea!

We prefer that the hounds we have in kennel be sociable, friendly and cheerful. This is achieved by constant handling, walking out and the huntsman being close at hand on a daily basis.  The Bear Creek Hounds are exercised all year round to keep up their fitness levels, to train new puppies coming along and also for the socialability with the staff.  They are taken to Polo matches and Steeplechases where they are paraded for other people to enjoy and learn about their wonderful abilities in the hunt field as well as for some extra scratches behind their ears!  These hounds have proven to win crowds over in the time it takes for the huntsman to sound his horn.