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
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.
One of the biggest dilemmas a master or huntsman can face is what type of hound to breed for the country to be hunted. There are many different strains, and all of them have talents as well as drawbacks that may affect how efficiently one can hunt the country. One way of narrowing the field is by asking some simple questions in relation to the prevalent conditions: How large is the country I intend to hunt? How difficult is it to cross? What soil types might I encounter? What kind of topography does it possess — i.e. is it very flat, open, hilly? And, finally, what species is most predominant? Upon answering these problems, a master or a huntsman can really begin to look at what is going to be suitable to his/her particular needs.
