alot of good info here..ive done a good share of chasing coons.. and ran with some top notch dogs.. walkers and blueticks.. the best ive ever seen was a walker...It is not a bad idea to pick up an adult dog that is already trained.. that would be the easiest route.. if you get a pup try to run him with a good experienced hound and hopefully catch on..it can be hit or miss... some learn quick and some will get on a deer track and be gone..you can spend alot of time looking for your dog so you might want to look into one of those tracking collars..If i was just starting i'd look for a young dog that had some experience..... good luck and bring a compass with ya..cause everything looks different in the dark.....