1st imprint...1st time hack???

[Lee Slikkers]

Ok, so here is another question that is a bit out on a tangent…

For the 1st time imprinter working with a Gos’…is it worth the risk to do a short hack period?

I live on 20 acres (3 are mine, 17 my ol’ man’s) and am surrounded pretty much by state land (no hunting state land) on a fair amount of the borders. None of my neighbors shoot (and if I was in question I can easily knock on doors and “prep” them for the possibility of them seeing an unusually tame hawk hanging around) Gos’ aren’t cheap and if this one was lost it would have a significant impact on my season but from all I read there are no doubts as to the benefits to the young birds mental state during those formative days.

Thoughts?

[Saluqi]

Go for it. Assuming you're picking him very young by the time he's ready to branch he'll be so tame and dependent on you that he won't go too far too soon. Put a bell and transmitter on him and you'll be all set. I was just telling my wife yesterday that the next gos I get will be a tiercel that will stay out at hack for a long time. My female was out for 27 days and was just really starting to benefit from it, then she killed a neighbors chicken and I had to put an end to the hack. My female learned how to fly and land and kill while out, she came in every evening and was tethered to a pole perch in the house. We went right into "hunting" from the hack, more like outings with lots of chasing and very little catching.

[John]

I hope Barry will weigh in on this. I've never done it but from what I've read on here about goshawks and other places about coops, I'd do it if I were in your position. Sounds like you have a perfect spot for it. If I get a coops in the next couple weeks, I may try it here so I'd love to see what everyone suggests before trying it.

[goshawks00]

If you have good neighbors ( or live out in the sticks) hacking a hawk is really a fun endeavor... Having done 5 goshawks now along with a spar and a half attempted sharpie I can tell you as Paul has said they will come in leaps and bounds ahead of the hawk that has to weight until hard penning... Don't start to late, I think, as they will develop flight paths and preferences as to where they like to hang out and feel secure.

John I think of all the accips a bit of hackinbg will bebefit the coop the most. Not having to deal with pent up energy and some independence, may make the imprint coop a fun hawk to fly.( I've never gotten over the over the shoulder Dragon stare they give you). Be careful though while it takes a while for a gos to become a killer ... a coop and for me it was my sharpie, takes very little time to figure it out. Also with a sharpie they will quickly become independent if you aren't careful.
BTW I would skip the bell , and view it as a dinner bell to every predator in the 'hood, that's why you put the wire on them.02
Barry

[Falcon Boy]

Perhaps i am completely wrong in my train of thought on this, but personally i don't see a reason to imprint a bird than hack it. The main advantage i see with imprints is you mold them to hunt HOW YOU want and WHAT YOU want, not how they previously have learned from being wild. A hack, in my inexperienced opinion, completely erases this because they use the time to learn how to hunt on their own. Lets say you want to hunt jacks and she clips into a jack, gets her ass kicked, and never chases a jack with you in the field. Had you been there, perhaps you would have gotten there in time to help her out.

I've never hacked a bird and doubt i will for the above reasons. In my mind it makes a bird more like a passage, and if you're doing an imprint, i see no reason why you would want that?

[goshawks00]

Noah , you have part of the equation correct... Some reasons for hack... learning how to fly in cover /winds/landings etc. they get a bit of independence, they are quiet when brought in,almost to what you would call passage yet there is no fear as in a passage. They start to develop a hunting and eventually killing attitude.... They learn about not being able to kill little birds that will buzz them, that bugs don't taste good, and many other things that a hawk tied to a perch or left in a mews until hunting season doesn't know. Falcons I can't say what a tame hack does for them as I don't dabble in them but it is a great way to raise a hawk. The liklihood of them getting ruined by a run in with game is slight, though possible. The greatest of fears are these... predation, accidents, lost if telemetry quits, and to much independence once they learn they can effectively kill game from a perch.
Having lost my best gos ever for a month during the molt one late summer, she came back with a new understanding of how to survive, and would completely refuse to hunt from the fist , and never did really ever get over that urge to take a perch . As I said it's not for everyone, but for me, it's a great training tool to develop my hawk during it's natural training period.

Barry