Bluetick Breeders and Coonhunters Association

The Bluetick Breeders and Coon Hunters Association (BBCHA) is an international organization founded on numerous straight forward principles. The BBCHA mission statement could be summarized by quoting the organization’s original motto: Intelligent Coon Conservation, Dog Protection, Promote Wild Coon Hunts, Honest Dealings, Friendship & Fellowship through Sportsmanship and Better Breeding.
 

BBCHA was founded on those principles on September 12, 1954. It was founded by old guard breed supporters that gathered during cotton picking time in the basement of a restaurant in West Memphis, Arkansas.  Those beginnings were humble; however, the first line of business was to elect officers and in a few short months sponsor the first Bluetick Fall Round Up in DeQueen, Arkansas in order to ultimately champion the sport of varmint hunting with Bluetick tree hounds.
 

The Bluetick hound was an old breed at the time with a new direction- to be separated from its English breed parent and to gain its own identity. BBCHA has successfully pursued and accomplished those breed goals since it's founding, with many original breed pioneers guiding the progress.  Those founders were primarily like-minded ole country boys who had lived through a depression and two world wars.  Conquering those challenges, they were anxious to get on with their careers and favored pastimes. The results of their endeavors have been:
      -an increase in the number of outstanding Bluetick hounds
      -continuation of the original Bluetick Fall Round Up  
      -over a half-century of grand comradery amongst breed supporters
      -the publication of the famous BBCHA Historical Blue Book (published annually since 1964)
      -expansion of coon hunter gatherings such as the celebrated Battle of the Breeds.
 

The BBCHA torch was held high for many years by the Greatest Generation. It has now passed on to the young guard of the 21st century who is encouraged to firmly grasp the torch and make a quantum leap in the direction of new ideas with unprecedented enthusiasm.  
 

A comment in the first Historical BLUE BOOK, which still rings true today, stated, “And when the story is written of men and hounds, see to it that the treeing Bluetick coonhound is bred right, hunted often, and accepted by all as a big hearted cooner that will hold its own in any semblance of cooning competition whether it's down in cooning bottoms or at present day organized competitive coon hunts or in bench shows” -Guy Ormiston