RE: coon hunting
It depends on how you want to hunt coons. I use a terrier and flush them out of brush piles and from barns. He's small but gets the job done. Hounds use foot scent, Curs Feists and terriers will air scent more. I don't know this from experience but my friend who had black and tans then went to treeing Walkers and finally is sticking with Stephen's stock curs tells me B&T's use foot scent and cold trail the most, are slow but won't range as far. Walkers range out to find a hot scent they can tree. This can be a problem if the dog trees on someone's land which is posted. My terrier will punch out 200-300 yds and check in (too much for my hound friends). This is what a cur and feist will do but range a bit further. You haveto decide what your goals and aspirations are as each hunting style will put fur on the stretcher.
Doc George