Hoods

What’s with the Hawk Hat?

The hood for a raptor is a special piece of equipment that is helpful during the manning process, aiding the raptor in keeping them calm.  The hood shields the eyes from light, as well as movement which can startle your raptor. In the old days of falconry, falconers would use a process known as “seeling” the eyes.  That is to say, they would sew the eyes shut during the manning process in order to tame the raptor. This practice has been replaced with the falconry hood and is a much more humane way of properly manning your raptor.  The additional benefit to this is that you can continue to use the hood in various settings to keep the raptor calm and under control, even if the environmental setting may be unsettling to your raptor.
Hood construction can vary from highly simple, to very complex. The hood is a falconry item that is manufactured for special purposes, and can be highly customized based on the hood-maker and the species being hooded.  I would also say that the process of making a hood is highly specialized and could almost be considered an art, requiring a vast amount of skill and talent in order to make a good one.
I’ve drawn the line here at this item and decided to purchase a hood, rather than attempt to (clumsily) make my own.  There are many patterns, styles, and variations to these intricate hoods, and I’d like to leave this craft to the experts.  Hood styles can range from simple to ornate.  Some common styles of hoods are:
* Dutch
* Khan
* Moridian
* Many other styles.

The hood for a raptor is a special piece of equipment that is helpful during the manning process, aiding the raptor in keeping them calm.  The hood shields the eyes from light, as well as movement which can startle your raptor. In the old days of falconry, falconers would use a process known as “seeling” the eyes.  That is to say, they would sew the eyes shut during the manning process in order to tame the raptor. This practice has been replaced with the falconry hood and is a much more humane way of properly manning your raptor.  The additional benefit to this is that you can continue to use the hood in various settings to keep the raptor calm and under control, even if the environmental setting may be unsettling to your raptor.

Hood construction can vary from highly simple, to very complex. The hood is a falconry item that is manufactured for special purposes, and can be highly customized based on the hood-maker and the species being hooded.  I would also say that the process of making a hood is highly specialized and could almost be considered an art, requiring a vast amount of skill and talent in order to make a good one.

I’ve drawn the line here at this item and decided to purchase a hood, rather than attempt to (clumsily) make my own.  There are many patterns, styles, and variations to these intricate hoods, and I’d like to leave this craft to the experts.  Hood styles can range from simple to ornate.  Some common styles of hoods are:

* Dutch

* Khan

* Moridian

* Many other styles.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *