jeff
Most of the sight hoods I've seen can be easily removed by sliding them either forward or backward! There are no screws or pins holding them in place! It is held in place by spring tension!
I would recommend taking a small mallet or something like a screwdriver handle and tapping it until it was off!
BE CAREFUL: If you just grab hold of it and muscle it off, you could get a nasty cut caused by the front sight when the hood finally comes off!