February 25, 2000

Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:52:20 -0500 (EST)  from an email from tattoo to Frank Evans, Philadelphia: 

"1. Do GHO"S molt earlier than Redtails?

For the first two years you can expect unusual molting patterns, hooters don't even fully hard pen in the first year. Then depending on your weather they may molt earlier or around the same time as RT's

2. Barry said you have some information about bagging ducks and pheasants.

First blood is extremely important in training all birds but even more so with hooters. I'll try to explain this as best I can but it is long and involved.  Whatever game you would like to take with your bird it has to be totally brainwashed as to the quarry. You need to find live real game species for training.  If you plan to hunt ducks and pheasant you will need ducks of the species that you wish to hunt. Mostly you will only find mallards available through game farms. I had a master falconer for years that could supply me with many species when he could get them away from his Peregrine alive. Since hooters don't wait on as falcons do I found the best ducks were ditch ducks. Mallards teal and the like. Training your bird to pheasant or any game will follow along the same lines I'm about to describe.  Hooters stay with their parents till almost the following nesting season and then the desire to hunt kicks in more strongly. In that first season they see all the prey species that their parents hunt. This is your goal to present as many species in the first 2 seasons as you can.   The set up is crucial. With a bagged duck go to a hunting local. In the case of a duck find a small ditch creek or stream that you know is used by ducks.  Leave your bird in your vehicle while you arrange the set up. Make sure that the duck is tethered with a weighted creance maybe 20-25 ft long use a strong mono filament fish line for the creance so that it appears as natural as possible. In the case of a duck make your plant on dry land, preferably with open field immediately adjacent to it and in such a way that you can approach the planted duck and flush it towards the field not the stream. With the duck in a sack find your plant spot and twirl the duck around in the sack vigorously.  This will disorient the duck and it should stay planted until you flush it.  Plant the duck so that it will not be all that visible to your hooter until you want it to be. It may prove useful to have a friend that can flush the duck for you. Hopefully you have already served you bird some whole dead ducks at this point so that she recognizes them as food. You can set up deadies in the same way if you haven't already.   Approach the duck slowly as if you were hunting naturally kicking at grass tussocks and bushes as though flushing and searching for game. Have your friend do this too. Keep your friend on your right so that he is not behind your bird. As you approach the planted duck make sure your bird is paying attention if not wait till she is.  Have your friend flush the duck and cast your bird toward it. Hopefully you won't have to she will be on it on her own, but if you have to cast her. Let her catch the duck and break in to help her. Pin the ducks wings so that they don't beat on her, then let her KILL the duck let her take her time and kill it herself. Some struggle from the duck is ok as this will excite her. Once she has killed the duck then pick her and the duck up and you sit with your friend where she can see him and get comfy. Let her eat until she is full and keep her on your fist.  Even when she seems full and wants no more chuck her and try to get her to eat more . You want her absolutely full. This will give her the mindset that this is a good thing to kill and eat like this. The brainwashing has begun. The more species you can do this with the more species she is likely to hunt well. BE PATIENT this is not an RT this is a whole nother critter. You will lose some training days from this feed but not to worry this technique will bring your bird around to hunting quickly. She will know the difference between regular training when you control her food intake and when she gets to kill and gorge. You will eventually as she starts taking game more regularly be able to discontinue with the gorging and use a hunting maintenance regimen and fly her more frequently. When she does finally take wild game and not plants be sure to use the same technique LET HER GORGE. As your training progresses I will try to instruct you on setting up wild slips so as to give your bird the best advantage for success. This same technique should be used for all game species. I hope this is clear if you have questions please write me and I will do my best to clarify.   Remember ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS feed you bird on your fist. NEVER at anytime let her eat anywhere else. Did I say ALWAYS??? This is crucial with any bird so many hawk bums don't do this and they wonder why there birds don't hunt well. These methods that I'm teaching you work wonders and many hawking buds that never would use them hated me and my birds because we always caught more game than they did,,,, no brag just fact ..

3. Are GHQ's more aggressive and has one ever attacked you in the mews?

I've had lots of birds attack me in the mews. Always meant a good hunting day. In the case of you hooter it also means she's growing up. My first hen killed her brother, didn't eat him just killed him over a old jack rabbit hind quarter. This is as far as I can determine natural in owls. Most raptors will drive off like species but not kill them [like] hooters will. So I think that answers you. This is also a good indication of peak weight and prime hunting conditions. Not always true but most often, you have to learn from your bird all the little detail factors of the conditions. Weather, light, cloud cover, humidity, all play a factor, She'll tell you if you watch her.

4. Is weight more critical with GHO's than with Redtails?

Tough question. Hooters have a slower metabolism than RT's so it takes longer too cut there weight but it is easier to maintain as they have greater body weight. Ambiguous answer I know. The weight she was on the day she attacked you(I'm assuming this is not a regular occurrence) Should be her prime hunting weight, through monitoring her food intake you should be able to maintain her weight so as to maximize your hunting and training time. I used a four day cycle. Hunting day peak weight, with a successful hunt I would feed her maintenance plus 15-20% depending on how cold it was. Bad hunt she would get maintenance less 10% only.. This is a key psychological factor, they learn the difference between catching and not catching quarry. Just like real life. Then they learn to hunt as though their life depended on it. Depending on a good or bad hunt. Second day if there was a good hunt then that would be a training day. Just lure training, fly to the fist whatever just to give her the contact and exercise. Make her work till she either won't anymore or till her ration is gone. Then sit with her and feed her 15-20% more along with the balance of her ration if there is any.  If there was a bad hunt you can hunt again. Use the same feed principals as the first day. If she hunts well feed the extra if not then later after the hunt and you've returned home you can feed her up. Don't just feed it all to her give her a few little bites and then wait a bit pet her chuck to her, fiddle with her feet, what ever but pay attention to her so she pays attention to you. Then feed her a little more and like that till done. When done handle her a few more minutes and then put her up. Preferably do this in the evening regardless of whether a morning or evening hunt. Last chance of the day sort of thing and you as her mate have come through and provided for her. It is all psychological with birds. Last day of the cycle handle her as much as possible. If she likes baths then give her a bath or a spray whichever she prefers. Sit with her while she grooms help her groom with you fingers just spend time with her. NO FOOD ALL DAY. That evening feed her as the night before only just feed the balance of her four day ration.  Which should be about 60-70% of a daily ration. Same psychological effect and she had a light meal so will be ready to hunt the next day.  This can be modified to adjust to your schedule. Just look at it and change the days around to set hunting days for those days you know that you can. Hope this all makes sense to you LOL. Did I mention she should AWAYS eat on your fist?

5. What kind of perches do you recommend for GHQ's in the mews?

In the mews I used untreated landscape timbers. The ones you get at your home improvement center. Like a small log flat on two sides. Sometimes they are already drilled out. I set up perches like hitching posts. Upside down U shape and would vary them so some were flat and some were round up. Covered with cheap Astroturf. You can also put some catty corner perches up a little higher. I would leave on end of the perches stick up higher than the cross piece because they like to snuggle up against something similar to a tree trunk to sleep and rest. Height of these perches is about four feet.   Provide a large deep water bowl. I use quarter whiskey or wine barrels. Put a large rock in the center and rocks around the lip. I bury the barrel about half way. This will help keep your birds talons naturally short and sharp requiring less trimming from you. I also use old tires with a 4x4 through them and then bolt through the tire into the end of the 4x4 make Astroturf make an Astroturf cover that goes up one side over the top and down the other side. This will cover the holes in the tire. These are some of their favorite perches.   Never have seen a hooter that would sit right on the top either always a little to one side of the curve or the other.

6. Do you hunt mostly off the fist or out of trees with the Great Horn?

I like to have a very close relationship with my bird and its quarry.   If they are going to perch and pounce they're going to do it from my fist. I know of hawk bums that do hunt squirrels from trees but I've never hunter tree squirrel myself.   I knew one that made a PVC pipe pole out of 4" PVC that he covered the cap on the top end with Astroturf and would walk around the fields with that and his bird on top. Gave a better vantage point and a better drop. Worked real well too. But I like my bird on my fist....

I learned a very psychological approach to hawking using as many of the birds natural instincts as possible to my advantage. Hooters are mate for life birds and you have to fill that role and then some with your bird. I'm even assuming the sex of your bird that's how little I know what I am dealing with. So the overview I gave you is hen oriented. Which I hope you have. I've never done well with males. I've caught as big as common and snowy egrets with hens though. Please be patient hooters take some time to train but are powerful, aggressive and efficient hunters that will thrill the pants off you. But don't expect big results till near the end of your second season. From then on things will improve rapidly. If you live and hunt in a heavily wooded area I advise you to get a pair of eagle bells and bell two tail feathers.

Later

Tattoo"