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Bluetick Coonhound

At a Glance

Built for Raccoon and big game hunting. Cold-nosed trailing, treeing, and night hunting.
From United States. Developed in the American South from French hound stock.
Temperament Driven, loyal, vocal. A serious hunting dog with a genuinely affectionate side at home.
Coat Short, dense, ticked blue and tan. Low maintenance.
Size 45–80 lbs
Live with Needs space and exercise. Vocal — the bay carries. Best with a yard and a job.
Best for Coon hunters, big game hunters, night hunters. One of the premier treeing hounds in America.
Famous for That deep, melodious chop and roar on a hot track. A Bluetick in full cry is unmistakable.

Origin

The Bluetick Coonhound was developed in the American South, with roots tracing to French staghounds brought to America in the colonial era — including dogs gifted by Lafayette to George Washington. Crossed with English Foxhounds and other American hound stock, the Bluetick was bred for cold-nosed ability, endurance, and a distinctive voice that hunters could track through dense timber at night. The breed was officially recognized separately from the English Coonhound in 1945.

Original Purpose

Built to trail and tree raccoon at night, working cold trails with patience and persistence. The Bluetick was also used on larger game — bear, mountain lion, and wild boar — where its endurance and cold nose made it effective on long, difficult tracks.

Hunting Style

The Bluetick is a cold-nosed hound — it can work a trail hours or even days old. It trails with its nose to the ground, giving voice on the track, and trees game with a distinctive change in bark that tells the hunter the quarry is up. It is methodical rather than fast, built for accuracy over speed. In a pack it works cooperatively, with each dog contributing to the trail.

Temperament

Loyal, affectionate, and deeply driven. The Bluetick bonds strongly to its handler and family but is first and foremost a hunting dog. At home it is calm and gentle — surprisingly so given its intensity in the field. It gets along well with other dogs, particularly other hounds it has hunted with.

The voice is the one thing to understand before you commit. The Bluetick bays. It bays when it's hunting, when it's bored, when it hears something interesting, and sometimes when it simply feels like it. Rural or suburban living with a large yard is the practical minimum.

Coat Type

Short, dense, and hard to the touch. The distinctive blue ticking — dark blue mottling on a white base — gives the breed its name. Tan markings on the face, chest, and legs complete the pattern. Minimal grooming required. Sheds moderately year-round.

Trainability

The Bluetick's hunting instincts are strong and largely self-directing — most dogs will trail and tree naturally with exposure to game. Formal obedience requires patience and consistency. Like all scent hounds, the Bluetick's nose competes with everything else for its attention. Training works best when it's kept relevant to hunting and built on positive reinforcement.

For serious coon hunters, the Bluetick is typically trained through exposure — running with experienced dogs, building confidence on live game, and developing the cold-nose ability that defines the breed.

What It's Actually Like to Live and Hunt with a Bluetick Coonhound

Night hunting with a Bluetick is its own world. You're in the timber after dark, listening. The dog is somewhere out ahead of you, working a trail you can't see. Then the bark changes — that roar that means the game is up — and you follow the sound through the dark to find your dog at the base of a tree, looking up, doing exactly what it was built to do.

At home the Bluetick is a different animal. Calm, affectionate, happy to lay at your feet. It's one of those breeds that surprises people — all that intensity in the field, and then completely settled at home when it's been worked.

The voice is real. Plan for it.

Family Compatibility

Good family dog for the right household. The Bluetick is gentle and affectionate with people it knows, including children. It does best in a home with space, regular hunting or exercise, and neighbors who aren't bothered by a hound that speaks its mind. Not a dog for apartments or close suburban neighborhoods.

Common Misconceptions

"Blueticks are too wild to be house dogs."
A worked Bluetick is a calm Bluetick. The energy and the voice come from a dog that isn't getting enough outlet. Hunt it regularly, exercise it consistently, and it settles at home better than most people expect.

"Blueticks only hunt coon."
The Bluetick has been used successfully on bear, mountain lion, wild boar, and deer tracking. Its cold nose and endurance make it capable on any game that leaves a scent trail.

Best For

  • Coon hunters and night hunters
  • Big game hunters in bear and lion country
  • Hunters who want a cold-nosed, patient trailer
  • Rural households with space and a hunting lifestyle
  • Anyone who appreciates the tradition of American hound hunting

Registry & Organizations

Related Breeds

Treeing Walker Coonhound · Black and Tan Coonhound · Redbone Coonhound · Plott Hound

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