The golden eagle is a powerful bird of prey that has been used in falconry for centuries. Falconry is the sport of hunting wild quarry with trained birds of prey. While many falconers use more common birds like peregrine falcons or goshawks, there is a tradition of hunting with golden eagles in some parts of the world.
Falconry with Golden Eagles
Golden eagles are the largest and most powerful raptors used in falconry. An adult female golden eagle can weigh up to 13 pounds, with wingspans over 7 feet wide. They are capable of taking down prey as large as deer and wolves. This makes the golden eagle an impressive hunting companion. Falconers who work with these birds must have great skill, strength, and experience.
There are records of hunting with golden eagles dating back thousands of years in countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The technique was reserved for royalty and nobility who had the resources to trap and train these powerful birds. Over time, a tradition and culture developed around eagle hunting on the Central Asian steppes.
Where is Golden Eagle Falconry Still Practiced?
While falconry with golden eagles declined over the past century, there are still a few places in the world where this tradition continues today:
- Mongolia – Golden eagle falconry has ancient roots here and is still practiced in remote western regions of the country. It is an important cultural tradition.
- Kazakhstan – Kazakh eagle hunters are famous for hunting with golden eagles in the Altai Mountains region. Hunting competitions and festivals help keep the tradition alive.
- Kyrgyzstan – A small number of traditional eagle hunters live in rural Kyrgyzstan and practice the sport during winter months.
- China – Falconry with golden eagles can still be found in far western Chinese regions like Xinjiang and Qinghai.
- Pakistan – Traditionally part of the Central Asian falconry culture, eagle hunting persists today in northern mountain areas.
While eagle hunting occurs elsewhere sporadically, these Central Asian regions have the strongest remaining traditions and practices centered around golden eagles.
The Eagle Hunting Process
Hunting with golden eagles follows a specific process adapted to the birds’ strength, speed, and natural behaviors:
- Trapping a wild eaglet – Getting a young golden eagle is the first step. Experienced eagle hunters will rappel down cliff faces to access aeries and retrieve an eaglet. This is done in early summer.
- Training and bonding – The eaglet is hand-raised and rigorously trained to hunt while bonding closely with the falconer. This training period lasts for several years.
- Hunting small game – At around 2-3 years old, the fully-grown eagle is ready to start hunting smaller prey like hares, foxes, and marmots under the falconer’s supervision.
- Taking larger quarry – Mature eagles around 6-8 years old are capable hunters and will take down deer, wolves, and other large prey in conjunction with the falconer.
- Releasing into the wild – Golden eagles may be released back into the wild after 8-10 years of hunting in order to breed and pass on their genes.
Not all eagle hunters follow this exact process, but it gives a general outline of how these birds are handled for hunting purposes. The years of rigorous training create a close bond between falconer and eagle.
Why Golden Eagles Are Good Hunting Birds
Golden eagles have a unique set of abilities that make them well-suited for falconry:
- Size and strength – Their large size and muscular build allows them to take down huge prey like wolves and deer.
- Speed – Golden eagles can dive at speeds over 150 mph, giving them incredible striking force.
- Vision – Their vision is up to 8 times sharper than a human’s, allowing them to spot prey from far away.
- Talons – Their large, razor-sharp talons and powerful feet are able to inflict lethal damage.
- Wild instincts – Even after years of training, golden eagles retain their fierce wild instincts for hunting.
These natural attributes make the golden eagle an awe-inspiring hunting partner when trained properly. No other falconry bird shares the same blend of size, speed, power and instincts.
Challenges of Hunting with Golden Eagles
While golden eagles are unmatched as falconry birds, hunting with them poses some challenges:
- Difficulty trapping and training – Years of effort go into trapping, training, and bonding with a golden eagle.
- Only seasoned experts can handle them – Their size and power means only the most experienced experts can work with golden eagles.
- Huge expense – From housing to feeding to healthcare, caring for golden eagles is extremely expensive.
- High maintenance – These birds require constant, hands-on care and maintenance on a daily basis.
- Risk of injury – Their talons and beak can inflict serious injuries if they are not handled properly.
These barriers make falconry with golden eagles an exclusive practice reserved only for the most committed and experienced individuals.
Examples of Traditional Golden Eagle Use
There are a few specific examples of how golden eagles have been used in falconry traditions:
Fox Hunting in Mongolia
Mongolian eagle hunters often use golden eagles to hunt red foxes in the vast Mongolian steppe. Fox furs are prized for their warmth and were often traded. The eagle’s sharp vision and aerial agility is an advantage in spotting and diving upon foxes in the open grasslands.
Wolf Hunting in Kazakhstan
The Kazakh eagle hunters of the Altai Mountains are famous for hunting wolves with golden eagles in winter months. Two to four hunters will work together, flushing wolves from the brush for the eagle to strike. Wolves are challenging prey even for golden eagles.
Hare Coursing in Kyrgyzstan
In rural Kyrgyzstan, golden eagles are used to hunt hares in open fields during winter. Hares are a good quarry for young eagles learning to hunt. Experienced eagles can snatch a fleeing hare and quickly dispatch it.
Fox and Marmot Hunting in China
China’s western regions have a tradition of using golden eagles to hunt foxes, marmots, and other small prey. Marmots may be hunted for their fur. Eagles’ sharp talons kill cleanly and leave the fur undamaged.
Cultural Significance of Golden Eagles
Beyond their practical hunting abilities, golden eagles hold a deep cultural meaning for traditional eagle hunting peoples because:
- They are national symbols and icons.
- Their strength and fierceness represents human courage and warrior spirits.
- Training them takes great skill, care, and patience over years.
- They form a close bond between eagle and handler.
- They pass on traditions and knowledge from one generation to the next.
For these reasons, golden eagle falconry remains an honored tradition even as the practice declines worldwide due to modern pressures.
Threats to Traditional Eagle Falconry
Traditional falconry with golden eagles faces several threats to its future:
- Urbanization taking more young people away from rural villages.
- Lack of access to wild golden eagles as habitats are disrupted.
- Costs of caring for eagles are prohibitive for many families.
- Popularity of modern guns for hunting instead of eagles.
- Lack of interest from younger generations to learn traditional practices.
As the number of practitioners dwindles each year, conservation efforts are needed to document and preserve this ancient tradition before it disappears completely.
Golden Eagle Hunting Competitions
One way some communities are keeping eagle hunting traditions alive is through competitive festivals and contests. These events allow eagle hunters to showcase their skills to the public and build wider appreciation.
Some major eagle hunting competitions include:
- Golden Eagle Festival – Held annually in October in Bayan-Ulgii, Mongolia. Features displays of traditional hunting styles.
- Berkutchi Eagle Hunting Competition – Annual contest held in Kyrgyzstan where hunters compete to catch fox skins.
- Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival – Celebration of traditional eagle hunting skills by Kazakh hunters in western Mongolia.
- Eagle Hunting Contest and Cultural Festival – Competition in Xinjiang, China that judges hunting techniques.
These competitive events help promote interest and engagement in keeping these customs alive for future generations.
Conclusion
The ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles has roots thousands of years old on the Central Asian steppes. While very few practitioners remain today, golden eagle falconry persists as an important cultural practice in remote regions of countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China.
Trapping, training, and hunting with these magnificent raptors represents incredible skill, dedication, and relationship between man and bird. As modern society threatens this ancient way of life, conservation efforts and competitive festivals help preserve golden eagle falconry for future generations.