In the Dark

by Martin Hollinshead

The use of hoods for broadwings varies enormously from country to country. In some lands the hood is seen as indispensable, in others, completely superfluous. In North America, it is widely used with passage redtails, and on the Continent, its use with golden eagles has swiftly increased over about fifteen years. In Britain, however, the tendency has been not to use the hood at all, saving it primarily for longwings.

Overall, there seems to be a general move towards hooding, and even in Britain, hood makers report increased sales of broadwing hoods. But the battle hasn’t been completely won. In many quarters the anti-hood feeling lingers. Some falconers consider hooding totally unnecessary with broadwings and argue that these birds become too tame to warrant it. But of course, not all broadwings are tame. Some, depending on species and background, are far from it. And even with the very tamest bird there are numerous reasons why the hood should be employed. The hood eases training, hunting and basic management. Indeed, there are few areas where it can’t be of assistance.

Taming

My own use of the hood begins with basic taming. In Britain there has been a tendency to bare-head tether a newly acquired broadwing - often in full light - and while this can work, it can also be very hard on plumage and legs; and how many newly acquired Harris’ hawks break legs each year? Of course, shock absorbers, either built into the leash or fixed to the perch, do help, but surely the best approach is to prevent bating rather than reduce the damage it does. When dealing with any aviary-fresh bird, my policy is to keep it hooded until it will suffer my approach; the hood is only removed for feeding and manning periods. This is a much kinder, less stressful approach. It’s a method very familiar to US falconer working with passage redtails and has always been the way for Asian falconers flying passage eagles.

It should be remembered with all of this that bating doesn’t make a bird tamer, it makes it wilder. Using the hood, the initial taming period can be sailed through with practically no bating at all. Taming runs smoothly and very swiftly. Not that hooding always works, or is safe. Some birds are very ‘odd’ when initially hooded and will bate and continue to crash about. Such a bird is obviously not safe to be left with the hood on. For this bird, a darkened room has to be used as an alternative and the hood worked in as training progresses.

As training advances and outings further afield are undertaken, the hood helps to keep sessions as positive as possible; a severe fright and a lot of bating will leave a lasting impression on the pupil. I’m reminded of the old shortwinger’s saying: ‘The more they see the tamer they will be.’ But terrifying a glove-restrained bird half to death, is not the way to come forwards. There certainly are many things during initial training that the more sensitive broadwing is better off not seeing. But I agree that caution needs to be exercised lest the hood be overused. The bird that is kept from everything is being done no favours.

In the Field

The hood has numerous uses in the field. Firstly, as with taming and early training, it allows the falconer to keep his bird from negative experiences. Just getting about the field can be made easier. Busy roads may need to be negotiated, fences and streams jumped, even barbed wire wriggled through, and such activities can be unsettling - even dangerous - for the liable-to-bate bird. Even with the free-flying Harris’, the hood helps. The falconer might wish to move to a completely different area, and this move might require the bird to be carried on the fist. Unless hooded, the bird normally given a lot of freedom may do a lot of bating. And what about unexpected happenings? A hot-air balloon preparing to land might upset the tamest bird! The risk of such things didn’t worry one Harris’ owner: ‘If she’s scared she flies back to the car.’ He obviously didn’t hunt far from his car or in very demanding terrain. Some birds will ‘home’ massive distances back to the falconer’s vehicle, but it’s not the most practical way to deal with upsets if you want to get the most out of the day.

Free flight leads me to soaring. I do a lot of soaring on high, wind-swept ground and rely on the hood to get up to where the lift is. With the hood, it is possible to carry the bird up the steepest, windiest hill without any restlessness at all. I am reminded of some hill hawkers on a windy moor. One bird was being carried under its owner’s arm due to the jess-restraint battering its legs had taken.

And from free-flight to ‘off the glove’ and hawking brown hares. The British brown hare is essentially an animal of open, arable landscapes, making soar-hawking difficult, and often removing tree-flights as an option. The hunter of brown hares normally flies from the glove in direct pursuit, and this type of hawking, which might involve a lot of searching before the right hare is found, is much better conducted out of the hood. Under the hood, the bird can be spared the frustration of being held back from quarry flushing at too great a range. And the bird normally allowed free-flight will be especially grateful for the hood. For this bird, the hood keeps tempting, though, for the job at hand, too distant, perches from its gaze.

Even with ferreting the hood can sometimes help. For example, a dangerous warren, perhaps one next to a fence, might need to be worked. The bird can remain hooded until it’s clear which way the rabbit is going to run. Even when digging down to a ferret-caught rabbit the hood can be employed. Harris’ hawks especially can become quite fidgety during the dig. But if one member of the team keeps the bird hooded while the other digs, should a rabbit bolt mid-dig (a common occurrence), a flight can still be had; and if no flight, then the bird is saved from seeing the rabbit being extracted. In open, treeless country I might even use the hood to get the bird from warren to warren; again, the bird normally allowed a lot of freedom will not appreciate being carried unless hooded. Also, the bird out on a group day, will be better off for not constantly having to watch quarry being flown at by other hawks, this does nothing for commitment. And then there are many Harris’ hawks that are flown from car windows to corvids. Here again the hood helps.

The hood can assist in the field in a couple of other ways to. Quarry might need to be transferred from the hawking bag to the rucksack. And, to return to ferreting, the locator-less falconer might want to resort to using a dead rabbit to try and lure the ferret from below ground. Then there’s the end of the day, the time when the bag is inspected, perhaps dressed out, and the inevitable snap shot taken. And for this the bird should be hooded. I hate to see birds staring at quarry they have previously caught. This, like being held back from flights, can’t do any thing for commitment.

And then it’s back to the car, and again the hood guarantees the well-rewarded bird’s last moments in the field are as pleasant as possible. Indeed, at the close of the day, and when the bird has taken a good reward from its final kill, it will be actually looking for the hood and the peace it brings. After being picked up, the seasoned performer will clean its beak on the offered bare hand and then feak again when hooded. This shows real contentment under the hood. Of course, the walk back to the car could be accomplished with the bird feeding on the fist. But this is nothing like as smooth or safe. The glove-food has to last the entire journey and so has to be very tough or bulky. When the car is reached, it will have to be traded for something easier/speedier to eat, or be removed, or left with the bird to finish. Trading can be tricky, removal, without causing offence, practically impossible, and the last option, very time consuming. And, from a personal point of view, I like the bird to finish the day at the scene of the final kill. The hood guarantees the bird’s last thoughts are on that kill.

Other Uses

The hood can help enormously with lure pursuits. I use lure pursuits a lot; they start during training and continue all through the bird’s career. They get youngsters thinking about catching their own meals and keep older birds fit during non hunting periods. Such pursuits are almost impossible to operate smoothly without the hood. Reloading the lure is difficult without the bird seeing, and even just getting sufficient distance between bird and lure-puller is problematic. The anti-hooder might argue that the falconer’s body can be used as a shield, or the bird simply restrained, but smooth all of this is not. If the hood is used things run so much better. The bird is hooded, carried into position, unhooded and allowed to fly. At the lure, it is then rehooded and the procedure can be repeated. Sessions run without a single bate. Of course, this type of flying also prepares the ground for that out-of-the-hood work at quarry.

Basic Management

The realm of basic management is another area where being able to hood any broadwing is a massive advantage. Things like basic coping, imping tail feathers, attaching jesses and bells, even sharpening talons and cleaning feet can all be easily attended to when the hood is employed. All too often, the less experienced falconer sees a bit of manhandling as part and parcel of hawk ownership. But it can, of course, have a disastrous impact on the relationship. Granted, some birds will tolerate all manner of ‘fiddling’ while sitting bareheaded, and many jobs can also be achieved while the bird feeds on a lure or kill. Nevertheless, the hood is a very helpful tool. And then there are trips to the vet. A transport box can be used to get the bird there, but the hood can make a simple examination possible without needing to restrain the bird or frighten it. The list of advantages goes on and on.

Closing Note

I hope I have offered a sound argument for the use of the hood with all broadwings. The hood doesn’t replace sensible training and management, it works hand in hand with it. Nor does it replace the hawk box. It is there as an additional friend. Really, is there any reason for not making broadwings to the hood? The hood makes the overall falconry experience so much better and the falconer who won’t try it is simply keeping himself in the dark.

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