I like boots answer best, and that is if a man is looking for the best of several breeds of hounds. If a guy is running a large pack on bears and lions, then boots has mentioned the color of hounds that will most likely do what he mentioned.........
I have a mixed pack of lion and bear hounds, and did bring a plott dog into the pack nearly two years ago. He is not a mean dog and will handle, tree, bay and fight a bear with the best of them. In the first year he missed alot of trees, and I think that was a combination of trying to run or move his own track, not honoring the older dogs and a few trash problems, as that dog is pretty gamey....
The jury is still out on whether he has the nose my English and Redbones have, but he is now off trash and finishing to the tree. This spring I've found them pilled up on an old lion track and that plott is working the ground and cold trailing pretty well. I think by late fall it'll be hard to tell him from the others except by color.......
But I believe LCK is right in saying if you get a good one they are a plus, and if you get a bad one then cut your loses.........
ike