Hooding a Gos

[Gaz]

How would you go about hooding a parent reared Gos (eyass) :?:
Would you go for the tit bit in the hood gradual process,or the hood straight away for 4 or 5 days process :?: OR..
Would you bother to hood a Gos at all :!:

[PeregrinesUK]

I hood my male P/R gos, just hood train it like anything else. as long as you are confident and quite good at hooding you wont have a problem ( as long as you have a good fitting hood that is) I always hood train every hawk / falcon / eagle whatever i train makes life a lot easier form changing equiptment to seting up the flush - deffinatly hood train the bird (just my opinion) :D

[Gaz]

In the form of a "beginers" guide dudes (& dudetes :!: )..How to........ :finga:

[PeregrinesUK]

practice the movement before you get the bird its all in the rolling of the wrist. hold the hood by the top knot with the beak opening facing the palm of your hand and roll your wrist back and forth. stroke the birds chest with the hood that sometimes helps, other birds just get it on before she baits possily have a go at hooding a made bird for practice if possible i think without some experience you will struggle a little at first but persistance will pay off - always hood train as soon as the birds out the avairy dont bother late stage hooding its always alot harder to get a bird to accept the hood at a later stage in training

[Jay]

Although I have never personaly done this with a Gos I have seen the tidbit meathod work great with them, as well as my own bird. We use conditioned responce where the bird learns to associate a whistle with somthing it does right and food.
We introduce the hood from an arms distance when the bird looks we give the whistle and tidbit. We repeate this process slowly bring the hood closer each time. Eventulay we put the hood on without closing the braces, take it off then give the whistle and tidbit. This meathod works great with birds of any age, peticuarly with hoodshy and old birds never made to the hood.

In the case of eyass a collection of hoods can be bought. When they are young and still in the nest box a propper fitting hood should be placed on their head occasionaly at first. Then more frequently. As the bird grows larger hoods are used. With this meathod the hood just becomes a part of life for the bird.

[Jastreb]

I never use hood for my gos because I fly imprint gos , but I hooded last two times when I was training passages for some other people. I did hooding with tidbits and it was great.
I also whistle every time when I put hood off and gos see tidbit.

[OutFlying]

I only have a hood for a p/r gos for visits to the vets. Never needed to hood as the parent reared gosses have been steady to most things as they are manned and housed next to a fire station / police early in their first seasons. Wouldn't like to fly them out of the hood in the field, I want it to clock as much as possible - head held high, crested feather bobbing its head ready for the set up flush or the unexpected slip when something just bursts out.

[Tim Laycock]

Gaz
I would not entertain an accipiter that did not take the hood well, but this is only because it makes everything so much easier, To my mind even with an imprint.
How do you chaps with imprint Goshawks slip selectivley if you do not use them with the hood?

<BTW> Im a big believer in the titbits and feeding from the hood method
But there are many others that are suitable :D

[OutFlying]

BB,

Slip selectively ?????? I fly over a pointer that only points quarry that I fly at - pheasant, partridge or duck. It doesn't point anything else (inc fur), from the location of the point I can decide whether to fly or not, walk forwards, backwards, sideways or whatever before sending the dog in on the flush.

If flown in company, the gos soon works out it's not his slip or you can position yourself so that your gos doesn't see the flush for the other gos. I want my gos to be at "full alert" at all times whilst in the field, if flying partridge late in the season (which will flush on sight of the dog) I haven't got time to remove a hood. The quarry gets up and I'll slip.

Most of the time I'll hunt alone or maybe with one other gos, never had a problem without hooding.

If some people require to hood their gosses then fair enough but i've never felt the need to.

OF.

[Tim Laycock]

Fair play OutFlying :D
personaly I have never had the luxury of a hawking dog or at least not one that points game at any rate.

I suppose this is why I place so much hold in hoods and hooding, I also suppose in this instance I am also guilty of applying my Sparrowhawk ethics to Goshawking.
Regardless of this I would still recomend the making of Goshawks to the hood.
Horses for courses matey :D :wink:

[Hawkmaster]

Hey Gaz, I am sure you do know how to do this, so all I can say is, Well Done! On a good thoughtful and constructive thread.

Lets keep it that way guys!

[OutFlying]

Fair play OutFlying :D
personaly I have never had the luxury of a hawking dog or at least not one that points game at any rate.

I suppose this is why I place so much hold in hoods and hooding, I also suppose in this instance I am also guilty of applying my Sparrowhawk ethics to Goshawking.
Regardless of this I would still recomend the making of Goshawks to the hood.
Horses for courses matey :D :wink:

Horses for courses - yep - if someone feels the need to hood a gos due to their circumstances or flying style then hood it, but I don't need to at the moment so don't.

OF.

ps Do you hood yours Gaz, if so when, where and why ?

[GriffMJ]

Hi All

Maynes Hawk Hood on a female :) I have altered the gape pattern to not touch the side mouth parts now for those who prefer this :)

http://www.m-jhoods.co.uk/images/Gos/MHHGos.jpg

[Liam Hay]

surely hooding a gos or having a gos that will take the hood would make anybody's life easier, you never know whats around the corner and i personally would prefer to hood and keep them stress free, this also goes for fieldmeets etc if somebody else's bird has caught something you can hood yours and keep them calm as apposed to them bating at the other bird with quarry.

i have always hooded any bird i owned(except owls)

liam

[Tim Laycock]

I like it Griff :D
Thats what I call a proper Gos hood M8!
The gape is spot on.

pchay wrotei have always hooded any bird i owned

Same as, Liam

[Goldie]

I like it Griff :D
Thats what I call a proper Gos hood M8!
The gape is spot on.

Aye, but what does Derry think? :wink:

[Hawkmaster]

I would prefer to be able to hood a Gos, simply because they have this knack to always anticipate quarry ahead and bate towards areas like that.

I currently don't hood mine as she does break dancing and acrobatics if she sees a hood in my hand. :lol:

[OutFlying]

I would prefer to be able to hood a Gos, simply because they have this knack to always anticipate quarry ahead and bate towards areas like that.

I currently don't hood mine as she does break dancing and acrobatics if she sees a hood in my hand. :lol:

Sounds like she hasn't caught enough quarry to me Hawkmaster.

[Hawkmaster]

You are right she has not. I have always said she is a rubbish Gos, but still better than any Harris Hawk.

[OutFlying]

:lol:

[Hawkmaster]

I do have hope this year though, not too high expectations I think, about 50 head will suit me. I have a secret weapon, Duggy Dog!

So we will see, but there will be no hooding unforutnately? :sad:

[Tim Laycock]

I have always said she is a rubbish Gos, but still better than any Harris Hawk

:supz: :lol: 8)

[Gaz]

Do you hood yours Gaz, if so when, where and why ?

Only when fitting furniture after the moult or illness(vets)
Other than that,no,for the very same reasons as in your post mate...:supz:

[Gaz]

:supz::supz: