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started raising Walker hounds, a native American breed that originated in Tennessee. They began with the best, a super dog named Gangster Jake who carved a niche in the hound hall of fame.
Jake was more than a great hunter. He had the rare ability to pass this talent down to his offspring. “His pups were so tough. They had a special style of going. You could pick them out at any field trial,” Clifton stated proudly. Jake sired seven nationally known champions and still ranks third among the top Walker stud dogs in the country.
At the memorial cemetery for hounds in Center, Texas, stand 13 headstones. Only 13 dogs out of all the millions of hounds in the nation have met qualifications for recognition there. One honors the hound from Woodville that belonged to Clifton and June Clark and Misty Hitt. The inscription reads “Gangster Jake—Noble By Birth.”
Jake died in 1974. The Clarks still miss him. “He’s buried up there where we’re going to be buried at, on a hill outside the family cemetery,” Clifton said.
His dogs today carry Gangster Jake’s blood. Clifton follows a careful line breeding program, attempting to duplicate Jake’s outstanding hunting talents. For two years in a row, the Clarks won the Virginia State Field Trial Championships with Gangster Jake’s pups, Red Oak Stepper and Red Oak Scout.
But the sons didn’t quite measure up to their old man. "I’ve spent a lot of money,” Clifton admitted with a rueful smile "but I never got anything as good as Gangster Jake.”
Clifton keeps trying, though, and his hounds still bring home truckfuls of tropies but “noble by birth” is a hard act to follow.
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