Wilbur,that is a load of drivel! Personally I'd never touch older hounds as you're only taking on someone else's shit. I've seen it done by one man that's always looking for a short cut and has never got a good un yet. Get pups,put the training in and reap the rewards. I started with two pups and I've had a few joint hunts with other boys and the first two I trained were by far the steadiest out of all them all.