Advice needed! Late hooding...

[Adam R]

Hi all, just looking for some advice from those with more experience than I.

I have a 2 year old male redtail than I have acquired from my friend and mentor. He has never been hooded, but I do believe that he would more than likely be able to be hooded in due time. What advice can anyone give me about late hooding? Its the pros of hooding I would like, but as he has never been hooded (at least not to my knowledge) how should approach getting him used to the hood? I have not yet tried to hood him an nor will I until I have been given some tips!

Any advice received would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards

Adam

[Gozzhawk]

check back , loads of threads.
different appraoaches , you may think one will be better suited to you and the hawk

[OutHawkn]

I'd just slip the hood and off, offer a tidbit and see how that went.....Then make any adjustments after that

[Jack]

Hooding hawks is pretty much a dead art over here I fear. Just about everyone I know that fly's a RT will also transport it in a giant hood box. I have a male Harris that takes the hood if I insist, but he really does not like it. It will not be an over night success, but you can hood your RT if you put in the effort at the right times. I find that if I hood most birds as I pick them up they take it a lot easier. If they think they are about to eat or about to fly they will resist strongly. The best times to start hooding is after you have the hawk at a good hunting weight. When you go to pick the hawk up from the mews or weathering, take your time and persist until the hawk is hooded. Don't try to slam it on and don't try to whip it on fast. Just take your time and if the hawk refuses and attempts to turn or move away, move your fist or arm so that the hawk must reposition itself for balance. I will sometimes, just as I attempt to slip the hood over the head, roll my fist or drop it slightly so that the loses balance or does not have the balance to instantly dodge it. Don't always work. Just persist, gently and by taking your time and get the hood on. Then go hunting. Again, after the hawk has flown and has been rewarded either from a kill or the lure, again hood the hawk. It will not usually be easy in the beginning, but they are creatures of habit and routine, and they quickly learn that hunting follows the hood. And once they feed up they are less likely to want to argue with you about it. There is no magic technique, no silver bullet. Just patience and gentle persuasion.

Jack

[Derry Shaw]

Hooding hawks is pretty much a dead art over here I fear. Just about everyone I know that fly's a RT will also transport it in a giant hood box. I have a male Harris that takes the hood if I insist, but he really does not like it. It will not be an over night success, but you can hood your RT if you put in the effort at the right times. I find that if I hood most birds as I pick them up they take it a lot easier. If they think they are about to eat or about to fly they will resist strongly. The best times to start hooding is after you have the hawk at a good hunting weight. When you go to pick the hawk up from the mews or weathering, take your time and persist until the hawk is hooded. Don't try to slam it on and don't try to whip it on fast. Just take your time and if the hawk refuses and attempts to turn or move away, move your fist or arm so that the hawk must reposition itself for balance. I will sometimes, just as I attempt to slip the hood over the head, roll my fist or drop it slightly so that the loses balance or does not have the balance to instantly dodge it. Don't always work. Just persist, gently and by taking your time and get the hood on. Then go hunting. Again, after the hawk has flown and has been rewarded either from a kill or the lure, again hood the hawk. It will not usually be easy in the beginning, but they are creatures of habit and routine, and they quickly learn that hunting follows the hood. And once they feed up they are less likely to want to argue with you about it. There is no magic technique, no silver bullet. Just patience and gentle persuasion.

Jack

This is all the advice you need.:wink:

[Adam R]

Hooding hawks is pretty much a dead art over here I fear. Just about everyone I know that fly's a RT will also transport it in a giant hood box. I have a male Harris that takes the hood if I insist, but he really does not like it. It will not be an over night success, but you can hood your RT if you put in the effort at the right times. I find that if I hood most birds as I pick them up they take it a lot easier. If they think they are about to eat or about to fly they will resist strongly. The best times to start hooding is after you have the hawk at a good hunting weight. When you go to pick the hawk up from the mews or weathering, take your time and persist until the hawk is hooded. Don't try to slam it on and don't try to whip it on fast. Just take your time and if the hawk refuses and attempts to turn or move away, move your fist or arm so that the hawk must reposition itself for balance. I will sometimes, just as I attempt to slip the hood over the head, roll my fist or drop it slightly so that the loses balance or does not have the balance to instantly dodge it. Don't always work. Just persist, gently and by taking your time and get the hood on. Then go hunting. Again, after the hawk has flown and has been rewarded either from a kill or the lure, again hood the hawk. It will not usually be easy in the beginning, but they are creatures of habit and routine, and they quickly learn that hunting follows the hood. And once they feed up they are less likely to want to argue with you about it. There is no magic technique, no silver bullet. Just patience and gentle persuasion.

Jack


Thanks Jack, just the advice I was looking for! :supz:

Adam

[CanadaManada]

My 2 bits are: DO NOT RUSH and to use an anglo-indian hood instead of a blocked dutch hood.
Flamehairedfalconer on here makes a great hood at a great price.

Justin

[Jiff]

i havnt read all replies mate as i aint had time lately, i also cannot personaly apply my ideas to a red tail as i aint ever owned one, introduce the hood sympetheticaly, show the hood, stroke the bird with the hood, let the bird see the hood as a none combatant, once the bird accepts the precance 0f the hood, get it to take a morsel from the hood (do not try and accelerate this point) after a while hood the bird while it is taking the morsel in one swift movement, once the hood is on emediately remove it, carry this process on extending the time in the hood, it isa time consuming affair which is why alot of "falconers" don't bother!:yawinkle: