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Re: Hooding Question

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Posted by Hans on December 30, 2001 at 22:22:52:

In Reply to: Re: Hooding Question posted by Karen on December 30, 2001 at 20:30:13:

I just wanted to make sure you did not live in the USA (if you did, it meant that you should hold at least a general class permit and threfore know the answer to your question or you had the bird illegaly, but I'm glad this is not the case)

Hooding raptors has a lot of advantages: Keeps the birds calm, makes it easier to transport them in a vehicle, etc. Now, not all raptors need to be hooded, most falconers use hoods on falcons but not on most species of hawks. Falcons are generally nervous and far more fragile than most hawks so the use of a hood is imperative, but when it comes to hawks it is really not that nesessary, it depends on the personality of the bird and the conditions in which it's handled. Hooding a bird requires a good technique and it is a skill that the falconer aquires only through experience. If a bird is not conditioned to a hood correctly it will turn this simple act into a horrible nightmare and the end result will be a traumatized bird, rendering it hoodshy forever. It could also turn a potentially good hawk into a mediocre one or it may even injure the animal permanently if this is not done right.
If you can handle your bird without a hood and don't have any problems then don't use one. Use a travel box to transport it to and from the field instead. Get someone with experience to show you how to hood birds and how to practice falconry the right way! remember that the only way to become a real falconer is to learn from one! books only give you a very basic notion of this beautiful art, a falconer is the only one who can really teach you how to practice it.
Good luck
Hans

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: I just wanted to make sure you did not live in the USA (if you did, it meant that you should hold at least a general class permit and threfore know the answer to your question or you had the bird illegaly, but I'm glad this is not the case) : Hooding raptors has a lot of advantages: Keeps the birds calm, makes it easier to transport them in a vehicle, etc. Now, not all raptors need to be hooded, most falconers use hoods on falcons but not on most species of hawks. Falcons are generally nervous and far more fragile than most hawks so the use of a hood is imperative, but when it comes to hawks it is really not that nesessary, it depends on the personality of the bird and the conditions in which it's handled. Hooding a bird requires a good technique and it is a skill that the falconer aquires only through experience. If a bird is not conditioned to a hood correctly it will turn this simple act into a horrible nightmare and the end result will be a traumatized bird, rendering it hoodshy forever. It could also turn a potentially good hawk into a mediocre one or it may even injure the animal permanently if this is not done right. : If you can handle your bird without a hood and don't have any problems then don't use one. Use a travel box to transport it to and from the field instead. Get someone with experience to show you how to hood birds and how to practice falconry the right way! remember that the only way to become a real falconer is to learn from one! books only give you a very basic notion of this beautiful art, a falconer is the only one who can really teach you how to practice it. : Good luck : Hans

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