Well, I just found out that one of the legends passed away last week on Monday May 1, 2017.

Mr. Don Willis of Russellville, AL (Duncan Creek Kennels) has passed away. I have been knowing Mr. Don for 25 years. He was an ole school fox hunter who kept his dogs. We call them Duncan Creek dogs he had one of the first pens in AL. He actually had 3 pens, two there at his house and one about 4 miles away, (The Hill) we call it.

I remember going there as just a kid. My grandfather (Red Conn) and Uncle Earl Dunn had the 2nd Friday night of each month, and filled that appointment for 20 something years, except for real bad weather, sick or death they would be in Russellville, AL on the 2nd Friday night of each month and it was 2.5 hour drive from Gallant, AL

Mr. Don had three pens: When I first went there, the front pen was all grey fox and the back pen was red fox, and the pen away from his house on Whitten Rd was coyotes. As the years went by he turned the front pen into a coyote pen, leaving the reds in the back pen and that is the way it has been for 15 years or more.


As the years went by my brother Big Kyle, Wade Cotton, Jessie Kitchens and myself rented Mr. Don's pen over on the Hill (Whitten Rd) every 2nd and 4th Friday nights and had the best time. We all hunted together and had some good times.


From time to time we would invite Mr. Don to come and go with us and he would and bring 2 dogs and usually out run us with the two he would bring.

Mr. Don bred up his own hounds for 40 years, I guess. He bred up hounds that most modern day hunters and field trial boys would NOT feed, but he didn't care what anybody else liked. He bred up hounds that run together, run the track, give plenty of mouth and dead game. He made the statement one time he had never bred a quitting hound in his life, not to say that some of his didn't quit (from time to time but not many) but if they did he would not feed them long and sure wouldn't breed to them!!!!!!!!

Mr. Don built his pens for HIM! He didn't care if you or I came or not. He didn't build them for us. Now, yes many people have hunted in his 3 pens through the years, but he didn't care if you ever come back or not. And I have seen him run folks off for having sorry hounds, that's right.

One, time we were hunting up there with him on a Saturday morning, and I won't call the names of the folks there, but Brother and I was there and Brother will testify to this account. We were there and this old man was hunting with us who we knew well, and usually kept good hounds, but he had went and bought 4 hounds from somewhere and they would NOT get out of the road for any length of time. If they came by us once they came by 20 times and after about 2 hours of that, (we could all tell Mr. Don was fixing to loose it) he said to the hunter that brought those hounds, "Catch them sorry no account road running hounds you have brought up here catch em, catch em right now and you and them get out of here and don't you ever bring that s**t back to my pen again". Guess, what that guy caught his hounds and left, as a matter of fact that was last time I ever seen that fellow, I think he quit hunting after that.

I have heard a lot of folks give Mr. Don's dogs down the road. I have heard it said there is a fine line between a babbler and a Duncan Creek, well that might be true. Mr. Don said what good is a tight mouth dog, you feed him to hear him bark don't you? Good Point, some of you modernist who think it is cool to have tight mouth dogs need to know something about fox hunting.

I have heard folks say they are to slow, well you just hadn't run with enough of them. I can personally testify that the worst two butt whippins my brother and I have ever taken was by Duncan Creek hounds, on two different nights two different places and 4 different hounds.

Mr. Don wanted his hounds to pack up and run game and do it with their mouths wide open. I could give you a long list of good Duncan Creek hounds.

Yes Mr. Don was funny and had his on ways and breed his own dogs for which I respect, he didn't let other people influence what he was doing or how he was gonna breed his hounds.

He said that field trialing is about the most **** poor way of judging a hound that has ever been. Then he would go on to say what we ought to do is right down the numbers ever time we see a hound out of the race, and which ever hound has 0 would be the winner. See he thought hounds ought to run game not the roads.



Yeah he was ruff, and yeah he was set in his ways but I respect what he did for his own pleasure. HOF member Joe Gibson said, if dad and I had done what Don Willis has done their would be Gibson hounds today, he said that 10 years ago.


I would call Mr. Don from time to time to get advice on sick dogs, and on breeding. One of his famous quotes is if a man knew how to breed it would take all the fun out of it.

If you knew Don Willis you know what I am talking about if you didn't know him you just missed out.

Oh and on another note, he kept good clean fox pens. He always took care of his game and strived to keep his place clean for hunters and if you didn't help with keeping it clean you were asked to not come back.

They broke the mold when Don was born I am just thankful I had the privilege and opportunity to get to know him and sit by the fire and watch him chew on his match by the fire.

Many good nights and memories made in Russellville, AL and I know I have not done the job that needs to be done to explain this man and his hounds but know this he was a FOX HUNTER not a road racer.


True Grit,
Jonathan Blakeley
Elmore County, AL

Good reading.

Jonathan, you did good on telling about Don. He was a True Houndsman and Foxhunter. You and I were very lucky to be around Foxhunters in our family as we had.Don always had a GOOD pack of hounds. Jackie Johnson

Never met Mr Willis but knew of the Duncan Creek hounds. There was a good cross made with a Ducan Creek hound and Mark Hellums. That's the only time I really saw that line of hounds in the field trial world but from reading The Red Ranger you could tell he had measuring stick hounds. I write this to pay honor but to also ask who's going to take his place. It's all about 3,4,5 hours speed & drive. Who cares about a mouth on a hound or its endurance???

Great job and good writing of Mr Don.
He was most definitely one of a kind. Could tell lots of stories of him and his hounds but I will only share just one as I guess it will always go with me for a very long time.

It begins with several hunters gathering up to eat supper and have an all night 2 dog hunt. No numbers on hounds just a gathering of Foxhunters who enjoyed the sport and sounds of hounds.
We gathered that evening up at Dons pen and we had supper around 5:30pm. The ones I remember there was and forgive me I leave your name out. The hunters as follows, Mr Don, Denver Nichols, Joe Gibson, Ear Dunn, me and Jon, Jesse Kitchens, and Cody Terry.
We had supper and about dark we turned loose 2 hounds a piece and no doubt everyone had brought there best 2. Mr Don turned out Cody and Abraham. We jumped and the race was on. We had 2-3 races going early and then they began to settle on one and we had all been hearing this pair of clear mouth hounds that was really bringing it. Finally we got a good look at them and it was Cody and Abraham about 10 yards ahead of every hound that was there.
Now Don never opened his mouth never talked any trash just let the hounds do his talking for him. Along about 1am they crossed the power line and the coyote run up a leaning tree and the hounds bayed. We walked down there and at this time Don got little upset with me and another hunter as we wanted to see the game in a Tree for me that was a first to see a yote in a tree.
Anyways the dogs left we had good running the rest of the night and the 2 hounds that put on the show was Abraham and Cody.
We all left whooped and looking for another hound to put run Mr Don. I have heard him say many a time by the fire, Boys whatever you do don't turn your heads. We need real Foxhunters to continue this sport because any body will hunt when there winning but we need hunters that will continue to breed raise hounds and judge them on how a Foxhound is supposed to be. Mouths, feet and endurance was a staple in his line of hounds.

He was different, he was The ol Duncan Creek Man
True Foxhunter and True to what he wanted.

I will miss the ol days of hunting with Mr Don
Lord I could tell you so many stories

True Grit Kennel
Kyle Blakeley