Most coon hound lines, IMO, are more gritty than the running walkers. The nose should be natural for the bluetick. The thing to rember with hounds is that they take much longer to teach than, say, a lab. The guy I got my Hank pup from trains coon hounds and high end bird dogs he has been the biggest help in the world. Most of what I have done is straight from his mouth.
With hounds you don't nessiarly train them, you help them to get all that is locked in their head out. Most stuff that they will do is genetics not to be tought. most wont heal and sit like labs but lost of encuragement and patiance will go a long ways. The running walker line is a soft dog if you are to rough on them they may laydown and cower, where as a coon hound doesn't get phased from a whoopin. My female lays down if I am in the yard hollarin at my lab.