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    The only red-tails I've trained (or have seen) that were okay to sit on the glove unhooded and chill without bating often are birds that are too thin (and therefore desperately WANT to be on the glove), or haven't been successful hunting. When I unhood a hunting hawk, I expect them to be amped up and full of energy. A fit, heavy, confident red-tail will want to get to the action, and they won't have the attention to sit on the glove for no good reason without many hours of manning or weight reduction, and if forced into sitting on the glove for no reason, the vast majority (I've found) will work themselves into a bating frenzy and start hanging upside down, footing the glove, etc. which will definitely have repercussions in the field.

    Hope this helps!

    Dillon
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    I personally avoid holding a passage hawk that isn't hooded or eating, as there isn't anything positive in it for them. I just skirt the entire issue by hooding (or placing in the giant hood) as soon as I retrieve the hawk from the mews or weathering yard, and then they are loose again as soon as they are in the field. This keeps things positive all the time. If, for whatever reason, I wanted the hawk to sit the glove better, I personally find that the only way to do this is to "man" the bird a bit more. As long as they are already flying loose, they usually will sit the glove well, especially if done initially after dark, after they have eaten, with a few tidbits given every so often to keep them interested. The goal here is to get them to behave on the glove the same way they would behave while tethered on a bow perch.
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    Hi Tim,

    When is she bating, when you are just handling her, or in the field?

    Almost all hawks will be really batey on the glove while hunting until they figure out the routine and understand that you will flush prey if they sit tight. This just takes time and success. I don't like hawking off the glove for these reasons, and allow all of my hawks to follow on loose when hawking except for goshawks, which I prefer hawking off the glove in most circumstances. However, I assume you're likely going after squirrels since you're in Kentucky... so take that advice with a grain of salt. For some reason I can't reply to you longer than 1000 words, so this will be continued...
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