crockett plotts

[spazhogdog]

Have you all heard of a crockett plott. here is some pics of some from another forum

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=541953

tell me what they think of them.

[Skunk Ape]

I want one. I've been wanting a Crockett bred dog for a long time.They are an old line,don't really make em' any better but I've never heard of a bad one.Them are some stocky well built dogs,like my one gyp was.

[Cr0ck1]

that dog house takes the cake. nice dogs.

[TobyBenoit]

The original plott breed began when a Virginia physician named Vaughn Plott began crossing other breeds to get the traits he most desired for bear hunting. Plotts are the grittiest of all of the hound breeds; they don't have the nose of a bluetick, or the speed of a walker, but they've got more endurance than all of them and as much fight as a bulldog! Thy make awesome bay dogs!

[Skunk Ape]

I have a 12 old gyp I'd bet 10,000.00 that she has a colder nose than any old shart eatin' bluetck any day of the week.I have another one now that's as fast as any July I've ever hunted.I do agree about being the grittiest and hard headed sob's but sometimes I also think they're smarter than most other hounds. Did you know that the buckskin plott is a throwback from crossing them with redbones way back. That's why they don't register them.The dogs brought from Germany were a solid black dog and crossed with spotted dogs to finally get their brindle color.

[spazhogdog]

This is from the orginal post





Hawg Daddy. John had a ton of pics and stories of all the old timers like Taylor Crockett, his mentor. I would of liked to hunt with him in his prime. He loved to chase after the dogs and be the first to the game. just like me. He was quite the athelete.
We also talked about what we thought the dogs really were made up of. Since the Plott boys dad was a game keeper in Germany, the dogs available to him were more on the line of Weimeraner, Mastiff (this is where the brindle probably came from) remember there were 3 blue (maltese) brindle dogs and and a mix if one of the hunting dogs of the region of the Blackforest (Tyroler bracke,Deutshe bracke,etc). The gamekeepers dog has always been the Bullmastiff, which wasn't developed till the 1800's. The mix was 60% Mastiff to 40% Bulldog. Maybe the German gamekeeper did the same thing that was done to create the Bullmastiff, but used a hunting hound or Weimeraner to Mastiff to develope the German Gamekeepers dog. They were large atheletic brindle dogs that ran down poachers and caught and held them till the Lord (owner of the land ) came and got the poacher to make a example out of him. They were large, rangey atheletic hunting dogs. That had a nose and drive to find men and game that weren't suppose to be on his land. The animals they killed, the people they caught.There was just to much mention of the dogs being animal and man hunters, to just be a Hanoverian Hound. IMOA.

[Skunk Ape]

Plott Hound History by Dale Brandenburger


During the past thirty-five years the Plott Hound has come out of obscurity, obscurity of the remote, wild, almost inaccessible solid wilderness of the Smoky Mountains, the same wilderness area which was home to the great Sequoya, Chief Junaluska, and the entire Cherokee Nation. Up until the true facts were known many thought that the white man had obtained the Plott Hound from the Cherokee. The truth of the matter this history will substantiate is that it was the other way around. During these years of popular gain the Plott Hound has come to the front with the speed and vigor that characterizes the breed.

I have devoted most of my time to the breeding and training of these hounds, trying them in difficult territory, watching the performances of different lines of breeding on various game and constantly searching for additional information on their history. Also, during the late nineteen forties I had met most of the living breeders who had made any know contribution to the advancement of the Plott Hound. One thing that stood out in my mind after these travels, talks, and hunts was the confidence these veteran hunters had in the superiority of the Plott Hounds over other breeds of hunting hounds. The Plott Hound did not just happen by chance, they were bred by the best breeders of dogs in the world. It all started long over two centuries ago when the big game hunters of the forest of Germany saw the need for more suitable hounds for their use. Wealthy nobles of this country spared no money in breeding a very fast hound that could dart in and out, yet have terrific fighting instinct to carry the punch home or into the prey's hide. It was with these German hunters noted for their hunting prowess that this breed originated. (Photo: John Plott holding Plott's Mack, sired by Smithdeal's Blue Joe.)

INTRODUCTION OF THE BREED TO AMERICA

In 1750 Johannes Plott and his brother Enoch set sail for this country bringing their hunting dogs with them. Enoch Plott became ill during the long trip, died and was buried at sea. Johannes who was sixteen years old eventually settled in what is presently known as Cabarrus County (North Carolina.) Johannes raised three sons; John, Elias, and Henry. Johannes was thirty six years old when his son Henry was born in 1770. Henry Plott, the German immigrant's son moved to Haywood County (North Carolina) with his wife and pack of dogs in 1800. He was thirty years old at that time. Henry died in 1831. Henry Plott settled on the eastern slopes of Balsam Mountain. As one travels along the Blue Ridge Parkway you will notice a sign erected by the United States Department of the Interior's National Park Service honoring this pioneer. It reads as follows:

"Before you lies the massive Plott Balsam range. On one of its eastern slopes Henry Plott, a German immigrant's son made his home in the early 1800's. In this mountain frontier hunting dogs were a prized possession. Here Henry Plott and his descendants developed the famous Plott bear hounds, carefully selecting for the qualities of stamina, courage and alertness the breed possesses today."

Henry Plott raised a large family. His sons Osborne, George, David, Eric, Amos, John and Henry all kept and hunted dogs. Henry Plott's son, John, was born in 1813. Henry was 43 years old at that time. This John Plott, born in 1813, turned his dogs over to his son Montroville who was born in 1845 and died in 1920. Mont Plott raised ten sons and daughters; Emma, Kow, Lona, Una, Ola, John, Sam, George, Ellis, and Vaughn (Von) with John the elder and Vaughn (Von) the youngest of the boys. These Plott men like all their ancestors before them, were astute breeders of dogs, breeding at all times with superior hunting qualities foremost in their minds. In 1917 Mont Plott, no longer able to hunt, turned his five hounds over to his son Vaughn. John Plott, the oldest brother, and Von Plott the youngest, bred their own strains for years without crossing back and forth.

I met both John and Von Plott in 1949. These men had no idea what kind of the blood the Germans used to develop the Plott Hound nor would John Plott verify what kind of out crosses had all been made with the breed since its introduction to America. He was the oldest living Plott breeder in this country at that time and if he didn't know, no one else could have either. It is believed that the closest blood relative to the Plott Hound is the Hanoverian Schweisshund. This breed exists today in the same geographical area that Johannes immigrated from. They are very similar in their size, color, and hunting traits. Vaughn told me we have no doubt improved them since they were brought to this country.

History records white men settled in the heart of the Cherokee Nation living side by side. In the course of time the Cherokee Indians and most of the clans or family groups that lived in the more isolated sections of the mountains acquired dogs quite often from someone who was kin to the many different Plott families. When these dogs had been bred for a number of years by a family noted for its hunting prowess such as the Cables of Swain County or Gola Ferguson of Cullowhee, NC they would become known as Cable hounds or Ferguson Hounds. At the time the breed was first registered with UKC there was quite a bit of discussion on what to name the breed. Some wanted to call them the Cable Hounds. Other names were considered and it was decided and rightfully so to name them the Plott Hound paying homage to the family that brought them to this country.

There were many of these clans back in the mountains and without taking any credit away from the Plott family, many of these mountain men gave great contributions to the breed as we know it today. To name other families that deserve credit, there was H. T. Crockett who lived only three miles from the old Plott home on Plott Creek under the towering Plott Balsams. The Evans boys' stock was descended from dogs their grandfather had brought back to Clay County from Haywood County shortly after the Civil War. There were the Hannahs of Haywood County. There was the Cruse family who lived on the Nantahala River. In the 1870's and 1880's they killed more game than anyone else in the whole Nantahala range which at that time was a vast expanse of virgin hardwood that harbored lots of game. There was the Will Orr family, one of the oldest families in the area. The Reece brothers lived on Pigeon River where the Pisqua National Forest is now. Also Isaiah Kidd, who made a speech at one of the first Plott days, telling how there was not enough stock in existence without occasionally going outside the breed to bring in new blood.

The last information turned over to me by John Plott before his death said the Plott dogs have been greatly adulterated by many breeders. We know the Plott Hounds ran loose in those mountains for well over 200 yers and only the Lord knows what blood runs in their veins. There is no doubt in my mind that there was an occasional outcross that was made with other breeds down through the years up to the time the breed was registered. Most of these crosses have disappeared. The UKC felt the breed bred true enough to form to be recognized as a breed and a standard was drawn up and they were registered as a breed in 1946. The is no doubt about the fact that there were two of the outcrosses made on the Plott breed that have had a lasting effect upon the breed as it's known today. We will discuss these out crosses.

At this time I will give a short history on the Leopard cross on the brindle Plott. This history was written by John Plott of Waynesville, NC. I let the editors of the 1959 first annual yearbook publish this same story.

THE CROSS IN STRAIN OF THE LEOPARD DOGS TO THE PLOTT BRINDLE STRAIN

"My father, Mont Plott, let a man (Elijah Crow) of Rayburn, Georgia have a Plott dog to cross on his Leopard females. This was around 1884. Mont got one of these puppies from Georgia (Old Thunderer) about 1890. He mated it with a brindle female and there were seven puppies whelped, two pairs of Leopards, and three brindle females. Mont let his hunting friends, Brice and Mark Reece, have five of these puppies and they lived on Pigeon River, where is now Pisqua National Forest. The old half-Leopard was bit by a rattlesnake and died. We raised two of the Leopard pups ourselves, which were great, bear fighters. Their dogs were one fourth of the Leopard cross. The Reeces killed many bears and they came back to my father for more breeding stock. Mont gave them this old one-fourth Leopard dog. He was too old for hard bear fighting and he bred a number of one-eighth Leopard dogs into his brindle dogs. I had made a trip West and stayed some years. I returned to North Carolina and settled down to farming and stock raising. A few years later, bear had got scarce and most hunters had took up fox hunting with Walkers and Goodman hounds. My father Mont had got too old to hunt and the Plott dog had been neglected and the standard had gone down a lot. After quite a bit of hunting about 1920 I decided to round me up a good team of bear dogs and had hunted in several counties in western North Carolina. I found few dogs that were purebred Plotts. I raised them up and they began to fight bears like they ought to.

"I found in Transylvania County two dogs that were bred from a female that was raised from one-fourth Leopard dog and she was one-eighth Leopard and a great all around hunting dog. Mr. Rolen Owens of Brevard had mated this gyp to a good brindle dog. He had two of these Leopard dogs, great bear fighters and on anything you wanted to hunt. I mated one of these dogs and I got seven pups. Four were Leopard brindle. My son George Plott and I kept three of these puppies. About three years later we sold to Hack Smithdeal of Johnson City, Tennessee, part of our pack. George, as a captain was training men for the U.S. Army and he was later killed in the English Channel. Two of these pups that we kept was registered as Smithdeal's Blue Joe and John Plotts' Lep. These dogs carried one-thirty second of the Leopard cross. They were as good bear fighters as anybody's.

"Mr. Smithdeal got a good brindle female from Mr. A.M. Parkes from Procter, North Carolina and from Blue Joe and her, he got four male puppies. He gave me one known as Plotts Mack. Hack got two of these pups killed by a bear, leaving him Nigger. Nigger died last summer in Mr. Dale Brandenburger's kennel. From these two stud dogs, I guess there has been better hunting dogs bred than from any dogs in the states. Mr. Brandenburger and I have the pure old bear and coon dogs, as good and pure as they ever were, and they are the best tree dogs of all dogs.

"The Plott dogs have been greatly adulterated by many new breeders. The black saddle in the Plott breed was put there by crossing them with other hounds, outside the breed. Down through the years, there has been a rare yellow or buff colored dog appearing in the Plott breed. The many so-called buckskins, or red dogs appearing in the Plott breed does not indicate the purest Plott breeding. There has been True Buckskins but they are very rare. I am the oldest breeder of Plott Hounds in the USA." Signed - John Plott.

THE BLEVINS HOUND

Up until about 1928 there were no black saddle dogs in the Plott breed. During the 1890's Blaine Blevins obtained some hunting stock from Mont Plott. For quite a few years thereafter Blevins returned for more of the brindle Plott stock. Previously in this article appeared the statement that the black saddle had been added by other breeders. Blevins crossed his brindle stock with a Black and Tan dog . John Plott told me that this Black and Tan was not the same as we know them today. They were a "mountain Black and Tan," what is referred to as a high tan today, black saddle dogs with tan heads and legs. From these hounds and cross breedings, Blevins assembled one of the finest packs of bear dogs in existence and they were known as the Blevins Hound. In 1928 Gola Ferguson, who had obtained stock from the Plott family crossed one of his brindle females to a Blevins Hound. From this mating came Boss and Tige. Tige was a brindle hound and Boss was big, tall, rugged seventy-pound black saddle dog. Practically every registered Plott Hound living today can be traced back to either one or both of these outcrosses unto the Plott breed.

Alva Stegenga of Flint, Michigan, one of the first men to contact UKC to register the Plott Hound wrote the following statement. "Undoubtedly the combination that put the Plott to the front was the infusion of the Blevins Hounds with the Plott blood. These Blevins hounds were bred for many years in North Carolina and were magnificent hunters. They ran strong to black in color, had wonderful voices and a great nose. When the top Plotts were fused with the top of the great Blevins Hounds the offspring were above and beyond anything previously produced. First to come up with these highly superior hounds was Gola Ferguson, veteran Plott breeder. The members of the Plott families were quick to recognize the outstanding quality of the Ferguson stock and bought from him to improve their own dogs. Until Ferguson came along and produced his sensational hounds, it appeared these dogs now known as Plotts were headed for obscurity. However, as outside sportsmen began to learn of the new developments and saw for themselves what had been accomplished in the hunting world, the demand for stock greatly exceeded the supply. Until 1946 these dogs had not been named or recognized as a breed. While it was plain that the greatest work in breeding had been done outside the Plott family, it was felt that since the dogs had been maintained in that family for so long, the name "Plott" should be selected." (End)

GOLA FERGUSON (Photo: Gola Ferguson, left, with his famous pack of Plott bear dogs.)

Naming the breed the Ferguson Hound along with the Cable hound was definitely considered. The first sporting writer that published information on the Plott breed was Carlos Vinson of Daylight, Tennessee. After and interview with Ferguson, Carlos wrote the following: "I approached Mr. Ferguson for some information about his famous pack. Here¡¦s what he gave me: ¡¥I have been breeding Plott Hounds for forty years. Most of that time I have had from 25 to 30 of them. I have always kept a fair sized pack of the dogs at home for my personal use in bear hunting. The others I have kept over several counties in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. I have never sold these dogs but gave them to coon hunters, who in turn gave me bear hunting and breeding rights. These dogs about twenty years ago became known as the Ferguson strain of bear dogs. I am not a coon hunter but a bear hunter and have 56 bear from my pack of bear hounds. Most of the men who kept these dogs for me, however, were coon hunters and have always been very anxious to get my dogs and keep them, giving me their use through bear seasons, which is short. I have, over the years kept records of my dogs and have always known just which place to go to get the right dog to fill a vacancy in my own private pack and also to breed to or from. In this way I have been able to keep my bloodlines pure, and at the same time avoid inbreeding. In the years before the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park many hunters would come to this section and organize bear hunts for which they paid tremendous sums of money. I have always had a pack of Plott Hounds that would guarantee any hunting party a successful hunt. In this way my dogs became known over a wide section of the USA as bear dogs. In those days their success as coon dogs was local. In 1927 a hunter observed a pack of my hounds fighting a 500 pound bear. He told me that he believed with their great intelligence, plus the skill, speed, and precision with which they fought, that they would be ideal for wild boar. The following year we organized a wild boar hunt in the Santeelah Mountains. I have since that time killed 17 of the Russian wild boars with my Plott Hounds. I have had four of my dogs killed by the boars but they were old dogs, which had not been fought when they were young.

"The two most famous Plott Hounds I have ever raised were Boss and Tige. From these two, 24 bears were killed. They were excellent strike dogs, cold trailers and had a careful system of fighting with such cooperation that they were never seriously hurt. The breeding of my strain of Plotts has been the law of the jungle system of the survival of the fittest only. Until about 1920 most Plott Hound were a medium to dark yellow brindle color. Numberous specimens of this shade still appear in the breed. The darker color has its origination in my pack. Through my selective breeding I got a strain of Plott Hounds whose color was a deep brownish brindle with black saddles. In doing this I was not breeding for color, but for superior hunting and fighting qualities. Since that time Plott Hounds have been greatly improved and this strain is now in great demand. These dogs of the darker shade and with black saddles have been known as Ferguson¡¦s Plotts. It is my honest opinion that these dark brindle Plotts with black saddles are the best bear, boar, and coon hounds in the world when properly trained. They are the easiest dogs trained I have ever known. They have a great fondness for water, even the young puppies swimming streams like spaniels and this is a very desirable trait in coon dogs. I can give accurate breeding statistics for eight generations on my strain of Plott Hounds but my main accomplishment has been the development of the dark brindle color with black saddle. The hunting qualities of my strain greatly improved with the development of this new color phase.

"I believe my strain of Plotts reached its peak a few years ago in a dog called Jap. He was almost black with brindle legs, had medium ears and very red-looking eyes. He was my choice of all the hunting dogs I have seen. For bear he was a one-man army. Nature, it seems, endowed this dog with all the instincts a man could possibly desire in a hunting dog. As a puppy he displayed a superior sense of smell and direction seldom seen in older trained dogs. I have been extremely careful in seeing to it that the descendents of this great dog fell only into the hands of men who knew and loved great hunting dogs for their true value and contribution to the high standards of the Plott breed. Hack Smithdeal of Johnson City, Tennessee, a real bear hunter and hunting hound over of the old school has two of the best Plott Hound in America today which were sired by this wonderful dog Smithdeal's Cricket sold to Dale Brandenburger and Smithdeal's Smokey. Even the Plott brothers whose ancestors were responsible for the origination of the Plott breed in this country almost 200 years ago bred several of their finest bitches to this dog with great success. I live in an adjoining county to the Plott boys and we have bred our Plott dogs back and forth for many years. Naturally, my original stock of the Plott breed came from the Plott family." (end)

The litter that produced Smithdeal's Cricket and Smithdeal's Smokey also produced Plott's Carolina Kate, Plott's Belle, Hampton's Sister, and Plott's Dan who was Von Plott's greatest stud dog. I, Dale Brandenburger purchased Smithdeal's Cricket and Hampton's Sister. I also purchased Brandenburger's Joe and Sashay Moon, direct offspring of Plott's Dan. In March of 1951 I crossed Moon of the Von Plott and Ferguson strain onto Smithdeal¡¦s Nigger of the John Plott strain and produced a litter of all brindle pups. Nigger did not carry the saddle back gene. I was the first to cross these two brother's different strains together. In this first litter a dog was born that was later to become the first Dual Champion in the Plott breed. His name was CH NITE CH Brandenburger's Big Lucky.

It is important in writing Plott History to try and separate the authentic facts from mountain folklore, but one has to take into account that record keeping of dogs was practically non-existent. Information passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth has to be considered and included in piecing together the true history of what actually took place. While the two, much publicized out crosses were authentic, there is no doubt that there were other outside crosses that were not publicized but were still infused with the breed.

In the 1940's shortly after the breed was registered, mountain families still spoke freely of outside crosses. Since these were not documented facts I can¡¦t say how authentic they are but I can say these people were very sincere in their thoughts and had no reason to lie. Pictures and characteristics of the dogs involved certainly coincide and backed up their statements. Talk of bloodhound infused with the Old Heavy strain was quite common. Introduction of Norwegian Elkhound by a family that lived on Mt. Mitchell likewise was quite common. This accounted for the extremely heavy coat of hair and often curled tail effect still seen in some Plott strains today.

THE BLUE DELCH STRAIN

One has to realize that the Plott Hound was bred by many different mountain families and many of these crosses took place outside the Plott family. Blue Delch was a solid, bluish-colored hound, which was prevalent in eastern North Carolina forty to fifty years before the Plott was registered. Many breeders of today attribute and associate this color phase with the Leopard out cross. Old time mountain families spoke of this Blue Delch strain being cross with the Plott breed and I am convinced it is an entirely different color gene than the one that produces the Leopard-colored dog. It is my belief that the cross that produced John Plott's Lep and Blue Joe carried the genes of both the Leopard and the Blue Delch crosses. It is also my belief that Bill's Belle carried the Blue Delch gene as her offspring produced some solid slate-colored dogs. Although Lep and Blue Joe were littermates, as genetics are known today it is entirely possible that Blue Joe was not a transmitter of the Lep gene. When I purchased Cricket from Smithdeal I was told she carried the Blue Delch gene and that when she was bred she would produce blue pups. I had to agree to let Hack have the blue brindle males. I made the cross of Nigger and Cricket. I kept a bluish brindle female (Brandenburger's Cricket) and sent the blue brindle males to Hack. John Plott made the statement that Nigger and Mack never carried the black saddle gene from the hi-tan Blevins out cross. All of the few bluish pups Nigger produced all traced back to the same bloodline that produced Cricket.

To further substantiate my claim that the Blue Delch genes were different from the Lep genes, I want to point out that Nigger never sired a Lep-colored dog nor have I ever heard of a Lep dog being produced by his offspring. In the thousands of pups produced in the last thirty-eight years there has never been a Lep born here at Pioneer Kennels.

BUCKSKINS

(Events that led up to the population explosion of the buckskin dogs and their abolishment from the breed.)

Three items are to be considered. Item number one: The old time Plott stock carried the buckskin gene but remember John Plott¡¦s statement that they were very rare and the many so-called red buckskins appearing did not indicate good Plott breeding. True buckskins were a light yellow and buff colored dog. The red buckskins that appeared came from the Blevins hi-tan cross and the infusion of Redbone blood.

Item number two: The introduction of the Blevins strain into the breed, which carried the Hi-Tan gene, a relatively few short years before they were registered. No doubt this cross added to the Plott breed but I'm sure little did Mr. Ferguson, who never used the buckskins in his breeding program, realize what an impact this color phase would have on the breed at a later date as the third and fourth generations of these dogs were line bred together.

Item number three: Infusion of Redbone blood into the breed shortly after registration. During the summer of 1945, Alva Stegenga of Michigan contacted UKC in regards to registering the Plotts. Later, Mr. L.M. Patton of Iowa and Leonard Moffet of Illinois contacted UKC. Stud files were officially opened on February 12, 1946. When the Plott standard was drawn up it was considered not to register the buckskin. After much discussion and since there were so few Plotts in existence it was decided to include the buckskin color. Almost any breed of dogs ever registered had more foundation stock than what the Plott breed had. The names and numbers of the original eighty-one registered dogs is published in the 1970 (NPHA) yearbook. To my knowledge there was not a buckskin in the bunch.

As the buckskins were being born, instead of breeding them to a good brindle dog, breeders would drive hundreds of miles to breed to another buckskin because they liked the color, strictly a color-breeding program that was never practiced by the old time Plott breeders. Not realizing what they were doing, these color-breeders were inbreeding buckskins in a big way. Without knowing what they were doing they were unaware that their dogs were reverting back to the Hi-Tan strain of dogs that did not look like, or act like a Plott. To further add to the problem, it appeared that the infusion of Redbone blood was taking place. When a Redbone is crossed with a Plott, the first generation is mostly brindle and the temptations for monetary gain were too great. Buckskin dogs were not supposed to be red. The results were creating one big problem. Litters were coming 100% buckskins or saddle back buckskins. Most of them were more red than buckskin, unprecedented in the history of the breed. Plott breeders who were knowledgeable and aware of what was happening to the breed started discussing what to do to solve the problem.

A petition was circulated by the National Plott Hound Association (NPHA) to abolish the buckskin from the breed, as the damage being done far outweighed the good a few buckskins could do. I can assure you that most of the breeders hated to see the buckskin go but most agreed that if was narrowed down to the lesser of two evils as something had to be done. The vast majority of petitions were returned with more than 95% in favor of stopping registration of the buckskin. A committee was appointed by NPHA. Clyde Burnett, Joe Lucas, Jack Frey, and myself were to present this petition to UKC. Dr. Fuhrman agreed that a serious, bad problem, which was playing havoc with the breed, had arisen and it was time to standardize. He also pointed out that the only reason they were first recognized was because of the shortage of dogs in the breed. They were no longer needed, and he further pointed out that the color gene has nothing to do with ability. To continue was leaving the door open for more outside blood. UKC and the knowledgeable breeders knew that every time outside blood was added it was diluting the old time Plott bear dog stock and it was changing the very characteristics that separated the Plott from other breeds. For that very reason the vote to open single registration is soundly defeated every time the issue comes up. Even those who wanted to preserve the buckskins agree that we cannot let this happen. Most know that those who want the files open are seeking monetary gains or they have some brindle dog that has been culled out of the breed. There is no new, pure Plott stock to add and the majority agrees we don't want to dilute what we have.

Dr. Fuhrman pointed out that by running a cross section of his files that most of these so-called red buckskins could be traced back to one kennel indicating that Redbone blood had entered the picture. NPHA was affiliated with the National Coonhound Association (NCA) and was not a UKC-chartered club until 1958. Dr. Fuhrman said he owed it to all Plott breeders to run a survey in the magazines. When the votes were counted, again a large majority ruled that the buckskin should be abolished from the breed. Had these buckskins been bred to brindle dogs, the bad situation could have been avoided but the problem created by the buckskin lovers themselves, along with the injection of outside blood led to their rejection in 1958.

Several times since, a minority group again brought the issue to a vote. It was again and again rejected. At the 1980 meeting the question was asked, "How many more times will we have to vote on this issue?" The majority present expressed their feelings that they were tired of the issue coming up. It was decided to rule it a dead issue, settled once and for all and not to be voted upon again. Too many voting on the issue were voting on monetary and emotional feelings, that they had a so-called buckskin that they could not register and were quick to point out that there was always buckskins in the breed. Very few if any had any knowledge of the fact that the very existence of the old time Plott stock was in jeopardy of being completely changed and destroyed. Others had never been out of their backyards to see and witness the havoc being bestowed upon our beloved Plott Hound. Anyone knowledgeable of the breed since its registration knows for a fact that the breed had made tremendous strides forward in ability, conformation, and color. If anyone's strain has deteriorated put the blame where it belongs, on the fact that untrained dogs were bred and not on the fact a certain color was or was not registered.

HACK SMITHDEAL (Photo: Hack Smithdeal with Smithdeal's Old Heavy.)

Many present day breeders not familiar with the early history of the Plott breed have asked where this man entered the picture. Mr. Smithdeal was a wealthy, avid bear hunter that lived in Johnson City, Tennessee. He loved to hunt bear. He really didn't care what breed a dog was as long as he would do an outstanding job. After trying many breeds, he found the answer when he first hunted with the brindle Plotts.

World War II broke out and the night George Plott sailed for overseas, he sold Hack his share of the pack. Those who knew Little George, son of John Plott, tell us that he was without a doubt the most avid Plott hunter of his time. I also want to point out that Samuel Cole Plott, Sr. left his Plott dog with George when he moved to Georgia in 1933. Sad to say, Captain George Ellis Plott of Company H, 262nd Infantry was killed on Leopoldville, of Cherburg on December 24,1944. Sometime, not too long after, Smithdeal bought several more of the pack from John. Smithdeal also purchased several outstanding dogs from Von.

There is no doubt he had the largest and greatest pack of Plott Hounds in existence at the time the breed was registered. In 1946, Smithdeal and Von Plott were invited to come to Michigan to put on a bear hunt for the conservation department. After that hunt, bear season was opened to dogs in the State of Michigan. Smithdeal's Nigger, a littermate to John Plott's Mack was in his prime at that time. I have been told by men who were on that hunt that for years after whenever bear hunters met, Nigger was the talk of the crowd.

PIONEER KENNELS

At this time, I want to give a little history on my kennel. I purchased my first Plott Hound from Alva Stegenga of Iona, Michigan in September of 1946. Alva was the first man to contact UKC to register the Plott Hound. I then purchased Joe, Hornet, and Sashay Moon, all direct offspring of Von Plott¡¦s Dan, his leading stud and one of the greatest sires of all time. About three years later I took my first bear hunting trip with Robert Yokum of West Virginia. He owned one of the original registered Plotts., a Ferguson-bred dog named Spike, one of the greatest hounds I ever hunted with.

We then made a trip to the Plott Balsams, visiting the Plott brothers and other breeders in the area. We then headed for Johnson City, Tennessee to speak with Hack and see his dogs. After Hack looked at my dogs and learned that we had been bear hunting, he was turned on and eager to show me his pack. As we went from dog to dog, most of his talk was about his pride and joy, Smithdeal's Nigger. We had come to the end of the line and I still hadn't seen him. He then took me to a locked building where he kept him by himself. What a magnificent specimen! A solid dark, all-brindle hound that I felt was head and shouldders above anything I had previously seen. We then headed for home.

I told my brother Roy, "I'm going to own that dog some day." He laughed and said, "You will never have enough money to buy that dog." Little did he know what kind of a scheme I had on the brain. I went home and approached my sister, asking if she would float me a loan. She agreed but there was one little catch. She thought she would be loaning me money to buy a car. I contacted Hack and kept bugging him to price Nigger to me. He finally quoted me a price. I slicked my sister into the loan and I can assure you a hefty chunk of lettuce for those days, exchanged hands. I had no rest. I knew what the top Plott dogs were.

I then succeeded in buying from Hack top female of the pack, Smithdeal's Cricket, a littermate to Von's stud, Dan. Every time a bear was killed, its ear would be torn up where Cricket would grab and hang on. I then also purchased from Jake Hampton, Hampton's Jake, the last living son of Smithdeal's Old Heavy. I changed his name to Timber. I also bought Hampton's Sister. Sister was a littermate to Cricket and Dan.

I was quick to learn that I didn't just buy a few dogs. I had bought a franchise and hunters started coming from all over the USA to breed to these dogs. I put together one of the greatest packs of females ever assembled and the Pioneer Kennels was on its way. Since that time we have sold more Plott Hounds than any breeder in the history of the breed. A good ninety-percent of all Plott Hounds living today have bloodlines that trace back to this kennel. We were the first to receive the highest contribution to the breed award from NPHA and have received it more than any other breeder. Five of our studs have been entered into the Plott Hall of Fame. Eight Hall of Fame dogs were direct offspring of our studs or females. Twelve others were grandsons and granddaughters and the vast majority trace back to this kennel.

Going back to when I succeeded in buying Nigger and Cricket from Hack, he wanted me to bring the dogs and to come hunt with him the next season. How well I remember that trip with Clyde Burnett to the Green Swamps of North Carolina. I met for the first time, Hack¡¦s dog handlers, Shook Vance, Dana Worth, and Jim Green. They certainly left a lasting impression on my mind and I really got an education on what Plott dogs and bear hunting are all about.


CREDITS


This history was written in January of 1983 by Dale Brandenburger, owner and operator of the Pioneer Plott Hound Kennels. Dale is a charter member, past president, past vice president, and was for many years a director of the National Plott Hound Association. Mr. Brandenburger also served as a breed representative on the UKC rules committee and editor of Rules Corner, which was published for many years in American Cooner magazine. Dale Brandenburger is also a charter member, past president and past treasurer of the Millstadt Coonhunter¡¦s Association and was serving on the board of directors when this history was written. He is also a charter member and was a Zone Director of the Illinois State Coonhunter¡¦s Association, a member of the Illinois Wildlife Federation, and the National Rifle Association.

This history reprinted with the permission of Dale Brandenburger. No other use of this history is permitted without the express, written permission of Dale Brandenburger.

[spazhogdog]

interesting article and quite a history lesson. It is quite a walk in time to trace a dogs beginnings. Thanks for the info.

[spazhogdog]

how are your pups doing? did you hunt last weekend

[Cr0ck1]

holy crap. he posted a whole book.

[TobyBenoit]

Yes siree, Dale Brandenburger was THE authority on Plott hounds and their history. I used to read some of his articles in Full Cry and Bloodlines magazines. I was mostly a bluetick man for many, many years in the coon woods, but I've hunted behind many plot hounds.

Old Bill Slaughter always had some excellent Plott hounds and I had the honor of coonhunting in the NKC World Championship against Capital City Sam, owned by a fellow from Tallahassee whose name escapes me. He was a hot nosed, hard running, treeing machine! The only Plott hound I ever heard of to win the National Purina Points Race.

We drew ought, my blue gyp Matilda and Sam, against a pair of "me-too" walker dogs. I had first strike on three cold tracks, but as soon as Matilda'd get that track going, Sam and the walkers ran off with it. I ended the cast with three first strikes and three fourth places at the tree and three coons seen. Sam won the cast and placed top ten in that '92 world hunt with three second strikes and three first trees. He was fast and accurate, but didn't have crap for a nose, lol. Most Plotts I've hunted had similar traits.

Fine, fine hounds!

[Skunk Ape]

I met Bill a few times,last I heard he was getting rid of his dogs. He came over to my place once with a guy named Dudley H. Plotts are really the only dog I ever really kept papers on,the resy either they hunted or they didn't.

[Skunk Ape]

Sorry Spazz,never did make it to the woods last week. Pups are doing fine,wanting to get out. I've just been extremely busy with work,baseball,and my MIL's death last month to do anything much with them or any hunting. I'll try and do something ion the pen Mon and maybe film it and put it up here.

[Cutter Bay]

Dudley hunts up in my area. He is often at the coon UKC events.