Ruger - 2013 Imprint Male Goshawk

[rocgwp]

Today I picked up my new goshawk. He was bred by Steve Kaufer in Wisconsin. I will be raising him using direct food association and shaping his behavior with operant conditioning philosophies/techniques such as a clicker. He will be flown on gray squirrels, starlings, grackles, quail, and woodcock. I'm really excited about this bird!!!

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/620A97D9-C61E-40DD-9107-D9A260BA8259-960-0000015F44F6C6E2.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/620A97D9-C61E-40DD-9107-D9A260BA8259-960-0000015F44F6C6E2.jpg.html)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/2FBFE3C1-0B24-4A06-B930-C87C84A39ED1-960-0000015F524B7442.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/2FBFE3C1-0B24-4A06-B930-C87C84A39ED1-960-0000015F524B7442.jpg.html)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/8051A23C-1931-4C3F-AC57-346017020748-960-0000015F604FE129.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/8051A23C-1931-4C3F-AC57-346017020748-960-0000015F604FE129.jpg.html)

[BestBeagler]

Jeff,

Exciting to hear! I enjoyed your last goshawk thread. Good luck!

[JRedig]

<like> <subscribe>

[FredFogg]

Congrats! I too will be watching this thread daily! clappclappclapp

[Dirthawking]

Ruger G13.... Huh....Never heard of that model!

[hcmcelroy]

Best of luck I look forward to reading the steps.

Harry.

[rocgwp]

The differences between individual hawks always amazes me. Apache was a really laid back bird. He recognized the CR early on, but wasn't ever zealous about anything early on and it took a lot of work to get him to work for the CR and offer behaviors.

Ruger is gonna be different. After just a couple feedings, he is already working for the CR. I am rewarding calm behaviors at this point. When I approach, he chirps and stands and makes his way to the side of the nest bowl closest to me. I wait for him to sit and have a relaxed demeanor before he gets fed. I wait for him to calm down and to be quiet before I CR and give him another bite. I am trying to be careful and reward the calmness and self-restraint at this point. My goal is to establish myself to be seen as the parent.

Ruger is not on a feeding schedule as well. I will be feeding him at random intervals throughout the day. Sometimes I will feed him a lot, sometimes he will only get a couple bites. This would be similar to the parents feeding whatever size meal they catch whenever they catch it. Also, the method of delivering the food I am using is with my bare hands. I simply set the bowl of meat down and then pick up a small piece. When I see something I'm looking for, I CR and hand him a piece of meat.

As you will notice, I also ascribe to Layman's thoughts on asper prevention using conifer needles. Ruger will always be surrounded with conifer needles in his nestbowl and later on I will put ground conifer needles anytime he is traveling in his giant hood.

[kitana]

Jeff, you can't imagine how happy I am that you are making this thread with Ruger! I have been re-reading Apache's story to prepare a little for my goshawk (next year though), and suddenly there comes Ruger! I wish you all the best with this little baby bird, and I will follow this thread religiously.

[royale26]

Jeff,
We never conversed on our gos's that we got from Barry in 2011, but I have a full brother and clutch mate to your Apache. From your thread on him, he looked to be an awesome game hawk, much like mine. I hope your new charge is everybit as laid back as the last, and that the responsiveness to the CR continues.

Pic from this morning, Laid back......

http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o635/royale26/P1040759_zps1fecea86.jpg (http://s1151.photobucket.com/user/royale26/media/P1040759_zps1fecea86.jpg.html)

[RyanVZ]

As you will notice, I also ascribe to Layman's thoughts on asper prevention using conifer needles. Ruger will always be surrounded with conifer needles in his nestbowl and later on I will put ground conifer needles anytime he is traveling in his giant hood.

This is merely a question not a criticism in any way. That looks like Red Cedar that you have in there with him. Does Red Cedar, a Juniper, have the same anti-fungal properties as conifers with true needles, pine, spruce, or fir?

[rocgwp]

This is merely a question not a criticism in any way. That looks like Red Cedar that you have in there with him. Does Red Cedar, a Juniper, have the same anti-fungal properties as conifers with true needles, pine, spruce, or fir?

According to Layman's anecdotal evidence, yes. If I understand him correctly, there are several 'non-conifers' that have the property too, but the conifers are have the anti-fungal property in stronger concentrations and work much better. I have a big juniper tree next to the house, so that is what I use at home. When at work, I grab pine needles. I like the juniper better for the nest bowl since it is easier to line with and softer.

[rocgwp]

Jeff,
We never conversed on our gos's that we got from Barry in 2011, but I have a full brother and clutch mate to your Apache. From your thread on him, he looked to be an awesome game hawk, much like mine. I hope your new charge is everybit as laid back as the last, and that the responsiveness to the CR continues.



It was a kick in the gut to lose Apache to West Nile. He was a great game hawk and fun to have around. Your bird looks great. I love the eyes and laid back demeanor in the pic. Barry produces some great goshawks. I hope Ruger turns out to be as good as Apache and your bird. I have a high standard set for him.

[rocgwp]

Day 13

Eating and sleeping compose most of Ruger's day. I am doing a couple new things with Ruger that I didn't do with Apache.

I recently used a sound conditioning CD when I raised a litter of german wirehair pups and really liked the results. The CD was designed to be used with horses so that they would be conditioned to not spook at loud noises. I played it continually with the pups and it seems to have made a difference. It has all kinds of sounds from crowds cheering, to construction, to animals, etc... I am playing it with Ruger to see if there is an impact on him. The hope would be that these loud noises just become background noise and a part of life to him and not something scary later in life.

The other thing I am incorporating is target training. I did a little target training with Apache, but I never fully developed it. Today I introduced Ruger to the target stick. By the end of the meal he would turn and touch his beak to the stick on both sides of his body at which point i would CR and then hand him food. I plan to use this to move him around and be able to get him where I want him without having to scare him by picking him up. I also would like to transition it to a laser later on to use in the field while hunting. I can see lots of useful applications of being able to target the bird to where I want him to go. We'll see how it works out.

The big thing for me right now is to make sure I follow Layman's advice and avoid "Death by paper cuts". All of the small handling mistakes are like paper cuts that eventually they add up and can cause you to bleed out (or in this case, result in a bird hanging off your face). I am trying to perfect my handling so that I cause as few paper cuts as possible.

[rocgwp]

Here is a short video showing some of the target training I was working on tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRnlnu27O98

[rocgwp]

Day 14

Today's update is much of the same. I'm feeding him at different intervals and amounts throughout the day. In each session I concentrate on him being calm to take the food or on targeting. After feeding him a minute ago, I put my hand out and he snuggled under it and went to sleep.

I am not posting any weights on Ruger, since I am not weighing him yet. Trying to weigh him daily at this age risks causing some fear chittering, so I am holding off. I'll post a weight when I find an easy opportunity to weigh him without causing fear.

[rocgwp]

Day 16

Ruger continues to eat, sleep. and poop at this point. He has responded really well to target training and I'm excited to see the application for that down the road. We continue to play the sound conditioning cd and he sleeps through all of it. I don't know if it will have a major impact or not, but it's worth a try.

Some people have asked what cd I'm using. Here is a link to it: http://www.spookless.com/productsandservices.html

Tonight I installed braided dacron anklets on him. There was no fear chittering and they went on super easy. I really like this style anklet. I've used them on coops and several falcons and they hold up well with no abrasion. The only issue I've had was with a lanner that liked to pick at his gear. Other than that, they are wonderful.

One thing I have done different with Ruger's imprint tank as opposed to Apache's, is I changed the lining material. With my birds in the past I've lined the imprint tank with a shower curtain or other plastic material. The mutes would hit the plastic and slide down. I would then change it as needed every couple of days. The only problem was that the wet mutes would pile up at the base of the plastic and the odor was pretty strong if not changed often enough. With Ruger's, I lined it with a canvas painter's drop cloth. The canvas absorbs the liquid and has really cut down on odor (which makes my wife happy). I have 2 drop cloths that I rotate since all i have to do is throw it in the wash to clean it.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/AE9225C2-3624-485F-A585-64B066D558A7-572-0000009789472624.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/AE9225C2-3624-485F-A585-64B066D558A7-572-0000009789472624.jpg.html)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/D58B21EA-558D-4D2D-A413-A0BB267BBABB-572-0000009798F1BEB6.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/D58B21EA-558D-4D2D-A413-A0BB267BBABB-572-0000009798F1BEB6.jpg.html)

[Ally]

Jeff - SO EXCITED to see this thread!!! I can't wait to read about Ruger and your progress with him!!

[Breeze]

Jeff - this is an AWESOME thread and look forward to following it every day. LOVE the fact that you are training using CR's and targets! So many possibilities! Look forward to watching the progression of Ruger. Thanks for sharing with all of us!

[JRedig]

One thing I have done different with Ruger's imprint tank as opposed to Apache's, is I changed the lining material. With my birds in the past I've lined the imprint tank with a shower curtain or other plastic material. The mutes would hit the plastic and slide down. I would then change it as needed every couple of days. The only problem was that the wet mutes would pile up at the base of the plastic and the odor was pretty strong if not changed often enough. With Ruger's, I lined it with a canvas painter's drop cloth. The canvas absorbs the liquid and has really cut down on odor (which makes my wife happy). I have 2 drop cloths that I rotate since all i have to do is throw it in the wash to clean it.


+1 here, been using drop cloths to line floors and other area's of my mews for a few years now, works great!

[wesleyc6]

I too am enjoying the updates. Congrats on the new bird bud!

[Goshawk635]

Thanks for this thread.

Jeff, I was planning on a Kaufer bird this year but as luck would have it this is a "No eyas" year at my house due to work and home.

I look forward to following your quest this summer :)

[goshawkr]

Tonight I installed braided dacron anklets on him. There was no fear chittering and they went on super easy. I really like this style anklet. I've used them on coops and several falcons and they hold up well with no abrasion. The only issue I've had was with a lanner that liked to pick at his gear. Other than that, they are wonderful.

Jeff,

You caught my attention with the braided anklets you mention. A little over 10 years ago I switched to braided anklets because my climate is so wet that leather anklets were failing after about 4 weeks of use. The first ones I used were braided tarred nylon, and I was worried they would be too abraisive so I lined them with leather. Since the leather wasn't structural, I was able to get them to last quite a while. One pair is still serviceable after 4 years of active use and several more sitting in a bin, but they looked pretty ugly.

For my breeding birds that I rarely handle, where abraision is not a serious concern I have been using some traditional jesses made out of parachute cord.

For my falconry birds that are handled regularly I am currently using anklets I make out of 1500 pound test spectra, but they are a pain to size and install. So far they are holding up well.

Your braided Dacron looks quite elegant. Would you be willing to take a close up photo of it?


One thing I have done different with Ruger's imprint tank as opposed to Apache's, is I changed the lining material. With my birds in the past I've lined the imprint tank with a shower curtain or other plastic material. The mutes would hit the plastic and slide down. I would then change it as needed every couple of days. The only problem was that the wet mutes would pile up at the base of the plastic and the odor was pretty strong if not changed often enough. With Ruger's, I lined it with a canvas painter's drop cloth. The canvas absorbs the liquid and has really cut down on odor (which makes my wife happy). I have 2 drop cloths that I rotate since all i have to do is throw it in the wash to clean it.


Been doing that during my entire falconry career. Cleanup is much easier, and you don't have to worry about drips happening as you change them out or clean them. I keep a few heavy retired absorbant blankets around for that purpose.

[rocgwp]

Jeff,

Your braided Dacron looks quite elegant. Would you be willing to take a close up photo of it?


Here is the link to the anklets.

http://www.mikesfalconry.com/BRAIDED-DACRON-REMOVEABLE-AKLETS-p/dr1.htm

Layman said they are very similar to one of his early designs he used. I'm not sure who braids them for Mike's Falconry, but I love them. For those of us that don't braid, this is a great option that lasts a long time. I too had the problem of leather wearing out quickly with birds being in their bath pans frequently.

[kitana]

Thanks for the link Jeff, very interesting. I'm not very good with falcon's size, but as I guess I would say size 3 would fit a male goshawk or a male Harris?

[Breeze]

Here is a short video showing some of the target training I was working on tonight:

Smart little bugger! :D

[rocgwp]

Day 21

Not a ton to update. Stillhand feeding and shaping calmness. Alternating meals with target training. Still playing the sound cd. The only thing I have noticed is that Ruger doesn't try to stand and get out of his bowl as much as Apache did. I don't think it is a bad thing, and could very well be a product of me rewarding him for sitting calmly at feedings. It has been kind of nice actually. He just sits in his bowl and chills through pretty much everything. That will change shortly, but I'm enjoying the ease of this imprint while I can.

We have a litter of german wirehairs right now, so Ruger is also getting plenty of dog exposure. Can't wait to put him and the new pup together this fall.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/BC4920E3-939B-4114-8AF8-D9570600CAAB-1691-000002BCC2C58B08.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/BC4920E3-939B-4114-8AF8-D9570600CAAB-1691-000002BCC2C58B08.jpg.html)

[wesleyc6]

Now Jeff, you know better than to not include a pic of the little pupspeacee

[hcmcelroy]

Jeff,

Are you feeding with a pup present?

Harry.

[rocgwp]

Here is a pic of one of the pups:

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/6A4B03B5-8267-4027-83C4-2448E516D543-2151-00000330F60EB336.jpg

Yes, I am feeding with a pup or dog present, but not always.

[kitana]

I was wondering about hooding Jeff: since you already started target training with success, do you plan to start hood training and desensitizing to the hood? Maybe starting this early could make the bird acquire an immense history of reinforcement associated with hooding and help him get through the panic phase where the braces are shut for the first time. What do you think?

[rocgwp]

I was wondering about hooding Jeff: since you already started target training with success, do you plan to start hood training and desensitizing to the hood? Maybe starting this early could make the bird acquire an immense history of reinforcement associated with hooding and help him get through the panic phase where the braces are shut for the first time. What do you think?

I won't introduce the hood until later on when he can exercise hard. I'm going off Layman's experience here. He has done both and both work. The chance of paper cuts is greater when you start hooding early. I like how Apache's hooding worked out, so I am going that route.

[rocgwp]

Went to Bass Pro to get some work done on my bow today and Ruger tagged along. 2 hours in the store and nobody ever noticed him. I'm always amazed by that.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/D8E7D3A8-CB01-4DDC-9558-81ECF0E938AD-2151-000003381E06F277.jpg

[OATS]

Went to Bass Pro to get some work done on my bow today and Ruger tagged along. 2 hours in the store and nobody ever noticed him. I'm always amazed by that.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/D8E7D3A8-CB01-4DDC-9558-81ECF0E938AD-2151-000003381E06F277.jpg

Too funny Jeff! It always amazes me how this sport is so below the radar that most people don't notice or recognize what they see. Good luck and great thread. I look forward to following your progress.

[allredone]

Very glad to see this thread. I will be following.

[rocgwp]

Had a strange setback with Ruger tonight. I came home from church and he was flipped on his back in his nest bowl and completely freaked out. It was like a turtle that had been flipped over and couldn't right itself. He wasn't tangled or anything, just stuck on his back. I helped him back over and he eventually calmed down and ate fine. I am a little concerned since he isn't as mobile as I would expect at this age (ie. standing and walking). I'm hoping it was a freak thing, but I'm watching him diligently.

Anybody ever encountered this? This is a new one for me...

[goshawkr]

Had a strange setback with Ruger tonight. I came home from church and he was flipped on his back in his nest bowl and completely freaked out. It was like a turtle that had been flipped over and couldn't right itself. He wasn't tangled or anything, just stuck on his back. I helped him back over and he eventually calmed down and ate fine. I am a little concerned since he isn't as mobile as I would expect at this age (ie. standing and walking). I'm hoping it was a freak thing, but I'm watching him diligently.

Anybody ever encountered this? This is a new one for me...

No, that's a new one on me too. I'd be pretty freaked out as well.

Maybe its happened to one of the goshawks I have raised while I was blissfully ignorant of it. I have never tried to put an eyass goshawk on its back, so I don't know if they normally can right themselves.

My then 2 year old daughter might have when I raised my first one, but if she did none of us noticed. She thought that goshawk was the best toy ever and was always [gently] playing with it.

[rocgwp]

Day 24

It looks like mentally Ruger is fine after the 'stuck on his back' incident yesterday. He ate great today and crawled over to sit next to me in his nestbowl. When he sees me, this is the sound he makes. I'm told that this is a sound of comfort or contentment with their parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN1p8ay4jOo


I'm still a little concerned that he is not standing regularly at this point, but it could be a lot of things. I'll just keep watching him and if he's not standing by the time he hard pens, I'll know something is wrong. :D

I walked in today and found him sleeping like this. My heart about jumped out of my chest when I saw him. I thought he was dead. I then remembered that Apache loved to sleep that same way.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/3FDCF2F6-6832-456A-B48E-6307EDE64920-1716-000001CA430E687A.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/3FDCF2F6-6832-456A-B48E-6307EDE64920-1716-000001CA430E687A.jpg.html)

Here are a couple more pics showing feather growth:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/775BE6DB-71F0-4937-A7E4-9DE57B2D12F3-1716-000001CA3B268955.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/775BE6DB-71F0-4937-A7E4-9DE57B2D12F3-1716-000001CA3B268955.jpg.html)
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/8F5BF357-E257-41AF-8E60-029D63F18C46-1716-000001CA321F4A2A.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/8F5BF357-E257-41AF-8E60-029D63F18C46-1716-000001CA321F4A2A.jpg.html)

[colelkhunter]

I don't think he is behind Jeff. The turtle thing is a little weird but might not be contributory. I thought blue would never stand and then one day she did. No muss no fuss.

I used to play with her toes a little. They always felt a little rubbery and wiggly. One day I was doing this and she was able to tighten them and grip. She was standing the next day. My only question in this direction would be, is he getting plenty of sunlight?

[hcmcelroy]

Jeff,

Sounds like a matter of concern. I hope for the best.

Harry.

[rocgwp]

My only question in this direction would be, is he getting plenty of sunlight?

He is getting plenty of sunlight.

Yesterday he tried to stand several times and then ends up falling over, leaning on the side of the nest bowl, or using his wing to hold him up. The issue resides in his right leg somewhere. He stand flat footed on his left leg just fine, but he can't quite get his right foot under him and his toes flattened out. I don't know if it is a neurological/muscular/skeletal issue or if he just hasn't figured out how to control that foot yet. Time will tell...

Personality wise, I really like this bird.

[rocgwp]

27 days

Ruger is about the same. He is trying to stand some, but loses his balance on his right leg. Feather growth is looking good. I'm continuing to shape behaviors as well.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/C3CF37F4-F944-4554-A9B2-1AE095AB8B30-197-000000132E7BD2CD.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/D9B46FAF-53C3-4F44-B853-249C92E82C9E-197-00000013371E92AB.jpg

[JRedig]

Does he show any favoritism or lack of use in the wing on the same side? Foot responses equal? (ability to grab, etc)

[rocgwp]

Does he show any favoritism or lack of use in the wing on the same side? Foot responses equal? (ability to grab, etc)

He has less control of his right foot for sure. He has a hard time getting his right foot under him and his foot flat. His right wing seems to droop some, but I have assumed that it was because that is how he stabilizes himself.

When he was on his back I saw him clench both of his feet and show he can open and close them, but upright I haven't seen him foot or try to grab anything with either foot.

[rocgwp]

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/23AAEF6B-B258-4F0C-BAFE-E033544B1F15-197-00000021DCEC7B56.jpg

[rocgwp]

29 days

Ruger is standing finally. He is talking small steps, but not with any sort of control or balance. My guess is he will figure out how to cope on his own.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/C1E68366-F581-4167-817F-47C5FF03BFED-527-0000006A18CB0A4E.jpg

[hcmcelroy]

Jeff,

Perhaps Ruger will overcome. Humans have a rather encouraging record of recovery from various injuries and I hope he may too.

Harry.

[rocgwp]

31 days (706g)

Ruger is standing much better, but he is not walking much. He tries to flap some but falls over. Tonight he stepped/stumbled out of the nestbowl. I took advantage of the situation to get some pics and weigh him. I'm still rewarding calmness.

Here are some pics:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/44928F1A-7BDA-448F-A295-0DF050809A6D-133-00000003CA83D06E.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/A57C3CFB-6E37-427C-9DE1-AA7F90AC1246-133-00000003DC95BD18.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/C663A35A-9AE2-4052-9410-8AA3D9A1EB8B-133-00000003EE65BF48.jpg

[rocgwp]

33 days (724g)

Good news with Ruger. His foot still has an issue, but he can walk and stand on it. He has control of his toes as well. I think he is going to be okay for hunting. I told my wife that it is rare to find a custom gos like this. Most goshawks have normal feet. To find one like Ruger that has a foot specially designed for strangling squirrels is pretty special. :D

Since he is now getting out of his nest bowl, I suspect he will progress rapidly next week. Instead of going straight to a hacking area, I want to observe his perching skills once he branches. I will set him up in a large flight chamber next week and then if all looks well we will transition to a tame hack.

[hcmcelroy]

Jeff,

Sounds like good news. Perhaps he will develop at a slower pace but eventually catch up.

Harry.

[FredFogg]

Jeff,

Sounds like good news. Perhaps he will develop at a slower pace but eventually catch up.

Harry.

That is what I was thinking Harry! I bet the more he uses his legs and feet and the stronger they get, they will straighten themselves out. I wonder how often this happens with wild birds and if it ensures their death or if they grow out of it?

[hcmcelroy]

Fred,

Good question. I trapped a male sharpie about 1960 with a deformed leg and he was in quite good weight.

Harry.

[rocgwp]

36 days

Ruger is making slow and steady progress. He is now flapping consistently and not falling over. He can get out of his nest bowl, but he doesn't venture far. I have noticed that his mutes are more "pressured up" now. For a while he didn't seem to be able to slice as far or with as much force as I would have expected. He's now back to launching them again. I'm ready to be past this and get to the hunting part.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/A7F4D935-02C9-4772-A6C4-E3BCEBA94507-731-0000013730398EA0.jpg

[allredone]

Cute little guy!

[rocgwp]

41 days

I had one of those days where I drove almost a thousand miles yesterday. I was at the airport dropping off 2 puppies to go to their new homes and had flights 15 minutes apart. The first dog was accepted and shipped, the second dog was rejected because the temperatures were predicted to rise over the heat restriction in that 15 minute time frame. Since it wasn't going to be any cooler for a long time, I drove and met the new owner halfway. When all is said and done, this litter will be scattered amongst Texas, Pennsylvania, Washington, Nebraska, and North Carolina.

When I got back home late last night, I walked in to this sight...

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/038E676C-3F72-4619-B5B3-AF77C11F9596-463-000000D705D2919B.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/038E676C-3F72-4619-B5B3-AF77C11F9596-463-000000D705D2919B.jpg.html)

Ruger is officially branching!!!!

[Breeze]

Go Ruger! thumbsupp

[rocgwp]

42 Days

Ruger is definitely branching now, but he is not as mobile as most branchers. He will play for a little bit and then lay down. His foot is a factor in that. He has a hard time walking on a flat surface. I have seen him use both feet to foot a ball of paper, so that is good news.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/A93AE044-53AB-44D8-9CB9-3058FFFA7587-313-00000018E1D8DEC1.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/A93AE044-53AB-44D8-9CB9-3058FFFA7587-313-00000018E1D8DEC1.jpg.html)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/C9654A6F-0ACE-4652-B7A8-6C8DB9B18AAE-313-00000018BF3834D8.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/C9654A6F-0ACE-4652-B7A8-6C8DB9B18AAE-313-00000018BF3834D8.jpg.html)

[hcmcelroy]

Good to see you have employed an assistant falconer.

Harry.

[rocgwp]

43 days

Here are some pics from this weekend...

Socializing with the new gwp puppy
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/77392B7B-6441-40FF-8CE2-EAC1CCA4E14A-817-00000088ADCBFE1B.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/77392B7B-6441-40FF-8CE2-EAC1CCA4E14A-817-00000088ADCBFE1B.jpg.html)

Sitting on the Meng Perch...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/B80BEA52-A4C7-4FAD-8933-F4D64E962116-817-00000088BF4CCD28.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/B80BEA52-A4C7-4FAD-8933-F4D64E962116-817-00000088BF4CCD28.jpg.html)

Outside on the tire perch...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/9DD4FCC9-CF0F-4A9F-8864-A612EE4B7205-261-00000025AC2CDDBE.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/9DD4FCC9-CF0F-4A9F-8864-A612EE4B7205-261-00000025AC2CDDBE.jpg.html)

[rocgwp]

47 days

Ruger has been a totally different bird to work with than Apache. He is just as tame, but health issues have been a major problem. We have had a lot of rain recently and the temps have dropped. This past Sunday I noticed that Ruger had a slight Wheeze when he was breathing. I immediately began to suspect asper and started treatment. I am using Layman's treatment of ground up conifer needles in an enclosed hawk box. I grind up 3-4 cups of pine or juniper needles and put them in the giant hood with him. I change the needles every 1-2 hours and every 4 hours at night. After gassing him on the first day, I put him in a mew to let him air out and feed him. He still had the wheeze and he began to sneeze a lot. I left him in the mew for several hours and then took him back home to be gassed again. On the car ride home he cast. His casting was covered in a straw colored liquid/mucus. I have continued this routine for several days now and he seems to be doing fine. We are still have some sneezing, but the wheeze went from slight to worse to improving. He is eating fine and his normal fun self. Here are some pics from this morning when I put him in the mew to air out.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/8F138907-BE4A-4EB3-8310-D7A556597DAB-302-000000C9406A839E.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/8F138907-BE4A-4EB3-8310-D7A556597DAB-302-000000C9406A839E.jpg.html)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/13AE989A-976E-4E20-8167-5002BBE3A4CA-302-000000C9598B2627.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/13AE989A-976E-4E20-8167-5002BBE3A4CA-302-000000C9598B2627.jpg.html)

[rocgwp]

49 days

Ruger's weight has been hovering between 680-700g. It looks like he will be an average to smaller sized goshawk.

He health has definitely improved. As of today, he is not wheezing. Since he is used to sleeping in the giant hood, I will go ahead and keep that transition at this point. I will gas him each night as a preventative for a while to make sure it is completely cleared up.

Ruger is also the tamest bird I've worked with to date. This morning I turned him loose in his chamber to get some exercise. He flew down to the nest bowl and patiently waited on the side while I cut up his breakfast. You could tell he was hungry, but he waited for me to hand him his meal. He rides the glove great and steps onto and off the scale without issue. I hope to build a car perch this weekend and transition him to that to and from work. I may do some car hawking with him to see how he uses his foot on game and if there is any major hindrance.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/B85DAC60-7795-43B5-8410-B2C9C3BBEDBE-191-00000008F8C5D34E.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/rocgwp/media/B85DAC60-7795-43B5-8410-B2C9C3BBEDBE-191-00000008F8C5D34E.jpg.html)

[Bryant Tarr]

Sorry if I missed it Jeff, but by "gassing" him are you saying you are nebulizing the bird, or just putting him in with the off-gassing ground up conifer materials?

Thanks for any clarification.

Enjoying the thread!

[wesleyc6]

Glad to hear he is doing better! He sounds like a real sweet bird and of course you are getting good at the whole imprinting thing obviously. Enjoying the thread!

[rocgwp]

54 days

It's been a bit since I've updated on Ruger. He continues to progress. He is spending the day in a flight chamber and evenings in the house. Tonight we worked on shaping fist drops, controlled bates, and jump ups. He gets to eat as much as he wants, he just has to work for each tidbit. When he stops working, the food stops coming.

Now that his feathers are almost grown in, I'm curious if he will have drooped alula. They never lay right. He also has a couple secondaries that seem odd. Hopefully it won't affect flight.

He has progressed enough that I am considering hacking or starting walk abouts with him this weekend. Some friends helped me install a backpack, so he is ready to go.

Here are some pics:

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/7A4B8114-95B1-4416-8D3C-7CB4D4F54439-127-00000003BDBD7713.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/9800E072-8CBB-494C-A196-74DFEC3FBA86-127-00000003CC630436.jpg

[falcon56]

Those alulas will not settle into place naturally, but there is a way to tie them into place that has been successful. Not sure how long to keep them tied down, 6 months maybe, but there have been many instances where the alulas stayed in a natural position after the tie is cut.

[hcmcelroy]

As Id recall some have glued the alulas in place. Not sure which adhesive...perhaps hot glue?

Harry.

[rocgwp]

56 days (710g)

Ruger is getting close to hawking. This morning I had him on the fist and gave him a baggie quail. He watched it land and then went after it. He caught it, released it, chased it down on foot, recaught it, released it and continue to play with it for a while. Once he decided to kill it, he mantled for a second. I CR'ed when he plucked and then made in with the lure. He immediately transferred to the lure and then I picked him and the lure up together and let him finish. I am planning on taking him car hawking next week if he continues to progress.

Each evening he is getting exercise/shaping sessions. We work fist drops, rp's, controlled bates, etc.

Once he hard pens next week, I'll start hooding.

[wesleyc6]

56 days (710g)

Ruger is getting close to hawking. This morning I had him on the fist and gave him a baggie quail. He watched it land and then went after it. He caught it, released it, chased it down on foot, recaught it, released it and continue to play with it for a while. Once he decided to kill it, he mantled for a second. I CR'ed when he plucked and then made in with the lure. He immediately transferred to the lure and then I picked him and the lure up together and let him finish. I am planning on taking him car hawking next week if he continues to progress.

Each evening he is getting exercise/shaping sessions. We work fist drops, rp's, controlled bates, etc.

Once he hard pens next week, I'll start hooding.

Coming along well it seems!

[rocgwp]

60 days (740g)

Ruger is getting close to being hard penned. He has caught several baggie quail and traded off well to the lure. We do a morning feeding/hunt training session and an evening exercise session in the house.

I could be wrong about this, but it looks like he has an extra dark band on his tail. He has 6 bands and I thought goshawks normally had 5. This is only my second gos, so I could be off.

Here is his tail. 6th band is at the top under the tail coverts:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/AB16423F-2B17-4375-9149-E364EC6FA63E-184-00000016EDF1F338.jpg

Sitting on a Meng perch:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/E29955ED-842A-4FDF-934F-91349BF3783B-184-0000001701D6B1F8.jpg

Had to throw in a pic of our gwp pup too:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/8C107C79-A365-4EFB-AC76-71B78DEE6EC6-184-0000001734EEFB5C.jpg

[falcondoc]

There is a way to tie the alulas up and in some cases they stay up permanently. It involves tying them to the base of the 7th primary. Jeff PM me if you want info. It is pretty detailed but I am happy to discuss it with you. I used to have to tie alulas in a few dozen large falcons each breeding season. The sooner you do it the better the outcome. In my opinion gluing them never lasts long enough for it to work. Tim Sullivan DVM

[carlosR]

Beautiful pup and hawk. It's going to be a lot of fun.

[Ally]

Jeff, just coming back to check the thread, looks like you've had your share of challenges with this little guy, but sometimes it's that little bit of dysfunction that makes the full experience. Great on you for sticking with him!
I apologize for the stupid question in advance, but is there anything wrong with the drooping alulas? Will it affect his flight or is it just an aesthetic thing? My RT Chance had one that did it and I never really paid it any mind. Good to know these things! And he's looking great :)

[rocgwp]

67 days (730g)

Ruger is now hard penned. It has been ridiculously hot lately and its made it difficult to work him hard unless it is inside the house. The heat affects him more than coops for sure.

My routine has been to weigh him in the morning and them to take him to a big flight chamber or outside to let him catch a baggie. I then trade him off and leave him in the mew for the day. I pick him up and he rides home in the giant hood. Once home he sits on a meng perch in the living room. I'll do some workout with him in the evening and then put him in the giant hood for the night.

Today I saw a little bit of an attitude change in him. He was definitely nervous while I was weighing him, so I opted to take him to the big flight chamber. He ignored the quail and tried to figure out a way to exit the chamber. He ended up hanging from the netting on the ceiling. I got to him to step over to the t-perch without incident. It looks like the dispersal phase is here. I'll increase his workouts in order to get him focus more.

Also, now that he is hard penned I'll start hooding training soon.

[wesleyc6]

Enjoying the updates my friend

[skooky20]

any updates

[Minkenry]

Went to Bass Pro to get some work done on my bow today and Ruger tagged along. 2 hours in the store and nobody ever noticed him. I'm always amazed by that.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/rocgwp/D8E7D3A8-CB01-4DDC-9558-81ECF0E938AD-2151-000003381E06F277.jpg

LOL People are so clueless! I took two adult mink into Cabela's and close to no one noticed ether!

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac279/zhi06zhi/66691_10151240641676612_1755566209_n_zps926d494e.j pg (http://s907.photobucket.com/user/zhi06zhi/media/66691_10151240641676612_1755566209_n_zps926d494e.j pg.html)

[rocgwp]

Nothing major to update on Ruger at this point. We really need some cool weather. I had intended to start him with car hawking, but we don't have the slips to do it consistently right now so I abandoned that plan. He is noisier than I like, but once he gets hunting i anticipate that changing.

I took him out today for a short walk in the woods. The heat gets to him pretty fast and he's not really in shape yet. We did a couple lure calls and then I gave him a baggie quail. He is definitely in a baby mindset still. I'm going to try and keep him in that mindset until cooler weather gets here.

[rocgwp]

Ruger got some unintended hack time today. The past couple of days I have been taking him on short walks in the woods. He goes from baby gos begging in the tree to slicked down silent predator after a small bird in an instant. I've been letting him play for a while and then calling him in for the day.

This morning I let him play for a while and he wasn't interested in coming in. I decided to let him hang out and check on him later. I checked on him several times throughout the day and things looked good, so I left him out. He was out for about 7 hours when I called him this evening. I think I will repeat this for a little while since he really needs some practice landing in trees.

[rocgwp]

Ruger's hack time has ended. He has officially entered the "dispersal" phase.

He has gotten much better at landing and is starting to look like a goshawk now when he flies. He spent the night out on Thursday. I have been hacking him in an area that was pretty open underneath and didn't have a lot of game. He was staying within 200 yds of where I would release him. On Thursday I showed up to call him down and heard the distress call of a grey squirrel. It took me a little bit to locate it, but Ruger had it pinned below him in a tree. I flushed the squirrel and Ruger ignored it. After that, he didn't want to come down, he was more interested in finding other things. I left him out for a while longer and then o'gos 30 set in and he went crazy trying to find a place to roost. He flew all over the canopy looking for a roosting spot. I showed up the next morning and located him. He flew near me, but didn't want to come down. I finally called him in to a live lure. Once on the fist he had the look of "Who are you?". I fed him, but he refused to take tidbits from my hands like he normally does. I tried again later that day and same thing. This is fairly normal, I expect to have my sweet imprint back by the time cold weather gets here.

Until then, I'll be playing games with him and establishing parameters for our relationship. I had hoped to get him hooding prior to dispersal, but it didn't happen. I'll start hooding him once he starts accepting tidbits calmly from my hand again.

[Ally]

Jeff...I had that same reaction from Blackjack when he hit this stage and it was like I was a total stranger...do you have the time to write a little bit more detail about what you do with him at this stage specifically? I didn't handle it as well as I would have liked and I lost him to crazy for a while.
We're way past that now and gearing up for season 2 but it was a tough time and I'd like to know how to be more successful.
Thanks :)

[rocgwp]

Jeff...I had that same reaction from Blackjack when he hit this stage and it was like I was a total stranger...do you have the time to write a little bit more detail about what you do with him at this stage specifically? I didn't handle it as well as I would have liked and I lost him to crazy for a while.
We're way past that now and gearing up for season 2 but it was a tough time and I'd like to know how to be more successful.
Thanks :)

The way I handle dispersal is to get him working hard playing games which gets his metabolism going more,helps establish guidelines in our relationship, and puts the hunting mindset on cue.

I free loft Ruger. Our routine right now is I walk into his mew and pick him up off his perch and go weigh him. He is usually sitting on his perch calling to me at this point. He sometimes is nervous about stepping onto the glove, but that is diminishing each day. His weight has been around 690g-700g. I then come back in and we do 4-5 restrained pursuits to tidbits. He gets the tidbit and I stand back and let him eat it and then let him choose to hop back up on the glove. If he doesn't want to hop back up on the glove, I leave. Since my mew is at work, I have the luxury of checking on him throughout the day. I will come back later and repeat the above process. As long as he is willing to work, he gets fed. When he stops, I leave. If I am in a hurry or don't have time throughout the day, I will do a couple restrained pursuits to his entire food ration for the day. One thing I do right now until this phase passes is that I don't mess with him while he is eating. I don't practice trade offs or touch his food. I am trying to build trust, so I let him have the food and then hop back to the fist and show him how he can make me give him more food.

He is controlling his own weight and food intake at this point. I will feed him as much as he wants as long as he works for it. Part of what I am doing is putting the hunting mindset on cue. When I show up it means that it is time to switch into hunting mode. Once he will start taking tidbits from my fingers gently again I will know that this phase has passed and I'll feel more comfortable turning him loose. I'll be able to walk outside, play a quick game or two to cue the hunting mindset and then go hunt.

Hope that answers your question. It's always harder to type out, because my response depends on what the bird does. I have a "toolbox" so to speak and depending on what the bird does determines which tool I pull out for that situation.

[rocgwp]

I figured I would go ahead and close this thread. Ruger died in February from injuries he recieved while tangling with a wild red-tail while out hawking. Ruger's foot never fully recovered although he did catch some game including a couple squirrels. The biggest issue with his foot was I had to constantly treat it to prevent bumble foot or another infection. He had control of it, but there footing issues due to the odd angle.

I have a new gos coming, so I figured I'd close this chapter as I start my next adventure.

[kitana]

I'm so sorry for Ruger and you, what a hard life it is for goshawks! I will follow the story of your future goshawk, as my breeder is having difficulty getting fertile eggs this year for my own goshawk...

[BestBeagler]

I figured I would go ahead and close this thread. Ruger died in February from injuries he recieved while tangling with a wild red-tail while out hawking. Ruger's foot never fully recovered although he did catch some game including a couple squirrels. The biggest issue with his foot was I had to constantly treat it to prevent bumble foot or another infection. He had control of it, but there footing issues due to the odd angle.

I have a new gos coming, so I figured I'd close this chapter as I start my next adventure.

Jeff, sorry to hear that. Where are you getting your next goshawk from?

[Paul Ward]

I'm sorry to hear that..really enjoyed reading through the thread

[Breeze]

Sorry, Jeff. :( Enjoyed reading your exploits with Ruger and look forward to hearing about your new Gos when you get it. Best wishes for a great season with your new charge.