Golden Eagle

[raptrlvr]

I just posted 3 pictures of the female golden eagle flying/hunting yesterday. Its pretty hard to take a picture when your by yourself. Once she leaves the glove then I have to get the glove off , raise and try to focus the camera before she is too far away. She made some good chases, but, where we were at was pretty thick stuff and the bunnies all made it to cover. In the first 2 pictures she is after a bunny. This was her 6th free flight.

Here are a coupe of pictures of the female eagle {Shera} flying yesterday.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5746/photo1stassignment004od5.jpg
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/746/photo1stassignment006wt9.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6343/photo1stassignment019mg4.jpg

[everetkhorton]

You do not worry about the fences flying the eagle?

[`Chris L.]

Great pictures. How long have you been flying eagles?

Oh yeah, Please start to sign your posts with your real name. Here is a link to help you with it http://nafex.net/viewtopic.php?t=160

( I also moved your post that you made about the eagles in general falconry to inside this post)

[raptrlvr]

If I worried about flying near fences, I wouldn't have any place to fly. I am in concrete jungle Southern California with just a few fields left to fly. Every field is under housing construction for miles around. We have to fly near electrical towers/ industrial buildings/houses/schools and freeways up the gazoo. "O", I forgot to mention all the idoits that want to shoot your bird. I can drive about 60 miles one way to get to the High Desert, but, there are many houses and freeways there also. And we have way too many falconers in this area.
Jim

[raptrlvr]

I forgot to mention that I have been flying goldens for about 6 years.

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
Man that sucks. I have never seen another falconer in my area in over 30 years. I guess I am just blessed with no fences or power lines where I hunt. I did have a HH killed while flying at starling in town. I have heard that some field have people waiting to fly there birds on the week ends

[gabboon]

k

[raptrlvr]

The field that is in the picture is the most popular field near me during the season. There have been times that I have been flying the eagle and several HH's come out in the field with thier birds. I have talked to them several times and they just don't listen. One guys reply was that he has been a falconer for over 20 years and that he doesn't have to wait to fly the field. I always advise them that the eagle is going to end up on top and don't blame me when it happens. This field is busy from early morning to late in the afternoon. We have over 1000 falconers in Cailfornia. Another time 2 of us were flying our falcons and a guy {we knew him} drove by slowly and parked about 100 yards away from us. The next thing we knew the guy had his goshawk out and was flying it with my falcon in the air. When we yelled at him, the guy got pissed at us and refused to put his bird away. Anybody want to move to California now.

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
I would like to make it to the CHC field meet before I die. Yes, you have a lot of falconers in CA and also some not so very smart one also. How does anyone field take so much presure? I also would like to take a trip down Hwy 101.

[Rudd]

I live in CA off of HWY 101 in San Luis Obispo County. I only know of three falconer and really only two since one's birds are used for education only. I go many places to train my dogs and the only thing I run into is other people with their dogs, who are just as stupid as the people you are describing.

I think I may be the only one out with a bird once I get going this season, hopefully.

[everetkhorton]

Rudd:
Where is the largest consuntration of Falconers in CA.? [smilie=dontknow.gif]

[Rudd]

Ev, I have NO idea. I would imagine either down south in the Los Angeles area or up north in Sacramento area where there is A LOT of hunting.

The one guy in my area I have met is a breeder and does a lot of hunting. He says there is only one other person in our area (one hour radius) who breeds and hunts.

[raptrlvr]

The largest concentration of falconers is defiantly Southern California in the LA basin area. I am about 50 miles from LA due east and all the falconers from LA and all the beach sities come out my way to fly on the weekends. During the week it is not as bad, but, still way too many. Rudd, I have been through your area many times. I have a friend from my town that sold his place here several years ago and bought 30 acres in your town.
Jim

[Rudd]

Jim, where are you located? I use to live in Apple Valley, quite the nice hole!!!

[raptrlvr]

Rudd, I am in the town of Norco in Riverside county. I will be here until September and then I am moving to New Mexico to get away from all these people.
Jim

[raptrlvr]

Took the eagle out to the High Desert this morning. She made several chases on bunnies, but, the bunnies all made it back to the thick sage. We stayed out there for about 2 and 1/2 hours and then it started heating up. The eagle followed me from ridge to ridge and kept me in sight. Here are a couple of pictures of her flying today.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2486/swallows066aim5.jpg
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8499/swallows067aqj4.jpg

[everetkhorton]

Great Picture of your eagles, it would look great in the Avator along with some kind of a real name and location. As we get more people on the site it is harder for me [smilie=eusa_think.gif] to keep everyone in place.
Number 65 tomorrow.

[raptrlvr]

Most sites don't have you sign your name or location, so, it takes some getting used to. I am old and keep forgetting to do it. Too lazy to fly the eagle today.
JIM, in So Ca

[kimmerar]

Hey Jim

Go to your profile and fill out the signature and then you don't have to remember to sign your name. Love the eagle pics. Keep up the pics. Chris will make your avatar for you if you want - sorry chris - voluntering your help for you - I just knew you were going to tell him that.

[`Chris L.]

. Chris will make your avatar for you if you want - sorry chris - voluntering your help for you - I just knew you were going to tell him that.

Kim, No porblem.. I dont mind making them at all. Let me know if you need any help with your avatar. Take a look here for help with your signature

great pictures and thanks for taking the time to post them

http://www.nafex.net/viewtopic.php?t=160

[raptrlvr]

Close, but no cigar. Flew her today. I was out there before the sun was up and by the time I got her beeped up I was already sweating. She made several good chases today and on one, I can't figure out how the bunny got away. It looked like she had it and then I saw her lunging for it again on the ground. She hasn't made any attempt to take a high perch and usually sits on the ridges in the field. Today she just about took a perch in a high tree that would have given her a greater look at the whole field. It has been so hot here that by the end of the hunt, my shirt was soaking wet and it was only about 8:30 in the morning. Over 100 today. I ended her up by tying a line onto the carcas that I had brought with me and dragging it through the bushes about 20 feet behind me. Once she saw movement, she was in the air and as she got close, I started running. She hit the carcas and I gave it several hard tugs before she finally locked on to it.
Jim in SoCa

[raptrlvr]

Flew the female eagle today. Got out there at the crack of dawn because it has been smoking hot here. She made several good flights, but, didn't catch. She followed nicely and kept me in her sight. She finally took a perch on top of my truck after about 2 and 1/2 hours. It was hot by then and her mouth was open most of the time, so, I decided that was enough. We were in the vineyards, so, I walked out about 70 yards away from her and dropped out the bag. It ran and dodged through the grape bushes and the eagle gave chase. She closed the gap quickly and disappeared down one of the rows of grape vines. I heard the scream of the rabbit, so, I knew she had it. I let her crop up because I won't fly her again until Friday or Saturday morning. Maybe both.
Jim
SoCa

[raptrlvr]

Checking to see if my signature works

[`Chris L.]

Checking to see if my signature works

Jim, Took care of it for you.. it should work now, your sig [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

[raptrlvr]

Thanks Chris.

[raptrlvr]

Here is a picture of the female flying today. She made several good flights, but, still hasn't made the connection. Right after this picture was taken the female redtail came in and buzzed her and the eagle stopped flying. She is still flying low and really hasn't gained enough confidence to get up in the air. I am flying her agian tomorrow in the same field, but, I'll have another falconer with me to kick up the rabbits. This was taken with a 300mm lens and a Kenko 1.4 teleconverter at a speed of about 1/150 of a second.
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/4954/photoassignment4031ajy2.th.jpg

[raptrlvr]

OK, being the dumb truck driver that I was{retired} I didn't do the above image correctly and it turned out really small. Here is the same picture in a much larger version.

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/4954/photoassignment4031ajy2.jpg

[chamokane]

Nice photos Jim. It ain't easy to take pictures of a bird you are flying yourself.

What are your thoughts on hunting Coyotes with an eagle? There was a wild bird that was catching them here a few years ago. Some of the guys who fly eagles here are talking about it because Jackrabbits are protected here now. I suppose a Coyote could do some damage.

I bet you can't wait to get to the open spaces and Jackrabbits in NM.

Congratulations on being retired and still feeling spry enough to fly your bird. I'm in the same situation; it's great. [smilie=icon_pidu.gif]

[raptrlvr]

Dave, I have been to Wa and spent time with Brian K and Linda. When Brian was going through his treatments, I took Wapaha for 6 months and flew him. I also know Lee and Peter who fly eagles. I know that Brian is moving to Oregon and that Lee has a place in Oregon as well. It sounds to me like there will be no eagle flyers left in your state because of the protection afforded the jacks up there. Your right, I can't wait to get to NM and see all the jacks I am getting reports about. But mainly, I just want to get away from all these people here in California. There are so many people here and with that many people in one area, your going to have the idiots who screw it up for everyone else. When we go to the fields to fly our birds, there are couches, tires and sometimes even boat hulls that people have dumped overnight. So the cops run everyone out of the field because they won't put cops out there at night to catch these people who are dumping thier crap in the fields. We have a small stream near me and it has every thing you can dream of in it. Shopping carts, dirty diapers, clothes and just plain old trash dumped into the water. I am just fed up with these ignorant poeple. The female eagle I have now would not hesitate to try and take a coyote. That said, I hope she doesn't and leave me to dispatch a pissed off injured coyote.

[chamokane]

Jim,
How is Brian's bird doing? It seems like I only get to talk to Brian once a year when he comes over for the Partridge fest. Last year he said the eagle had been injured but was recovering and I didn't get a chance to ask him about it this year. I thought Brian was looking pretty good for someone who had been through what he has.

I moved out of California in 1970 to escape the crowds. I'm sure it's much worse now. In 2001, I had to drive down to the San Bernardino area to retrieve a wandering Peregrine. I couldn't believe anyone could stay sane in an environment like that. Maybe they don't.

[raptrlvr]

Dave, Brian's eagle {Wapaha} will never be the same after the attack from the female eagle. If I remember it was Peter's female and they were trying to fly them in a cast. All went well until food entered the picture and Brian tried to call Wapaha to the glove . The female came in and slammed the male almost killing him. Last I heard, Brian was going to move the eagle to a rehabber so that it would never be flown again. I live about 20 miles from San Bernardino straight down the 15 frwy. Love the area, but, way too many people. And your right, I'm not sane from living here. Got about 100,000 new homes being built around me which will add about 200,000 more people.

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
I have heard the same thing happens with Rt. when and if you try and fly them in a cast. Sooner or later the will start to fight over food and attack each other.

[raptrlvr]

Ev, I don't fly any birds in a cast, not even my female HH. I am not into gang hawking like some of the guys are around here. They will put 5 or 6 HH's out in the field and 3 or 4 of them will end up on the same rabbit.Not my idea of hawking. I have a new female HH coming this year if all goes well and I will probably try and socialize her with other HH's for the first year, so, I'll try and hook up with someone with a tiercel to fly with. She will probably be returned to the breeder after a year or two. I flew the eagle today. I have never had anyone in the field with this eagle and today my friend was out there. The eagle wouldn't chase and just sat most of the time unless I walked over and bumped her from her perch. I'll take her out tomorrow by myself and see how she does. She has been doing very well until today.

[chamokane]

Dave, Brian's eagle {Wapaha} will never be the same after the attack from the female eagle. If I remember it was Peter's female and they were trying to fly them in a cast. All went well until food entered the picture and Brian tried to call Wapaha to the glove . The female came in and slammed the male almost killing him. Last I heard, Brian was going to move the eagle to a rehabber so that it would never be flown again. I live about 20 miles from San Bernardino straight down the 15 frwy. Love the area, but, way too many people. And your right, I'm not sane from living here. Got about 100,000 new homes being built around me which will add about 200,000 more people.

You're right, that whole area is a really comfortable place to live. I guess that's why everybody lives there. It's just too crowded for someone who needs a little space and solitude. I need so much solitude that falconers in Washington say they are surprised that I'm still alive when they finally see me. [smilie=eusa_doh.gif]

What part of New Mexico are you moving to? My Jagdterrier pup came from Roswell. The guys I got him from say they have trouble keeping their dogs from chasing Jackrabbits while they are hunting tree game. It sounds just right for someone who flies an eagle. Except for the heat in mid summer, I love the desert.

[raptrlvr]

Dave, I bought a house with 7 and 3/4 acres just outside {15 miles} of Silver City NM about 2 years ago. Silver City is at 5500 feet so the summers are not as hot as they are here where I live. The winters get a tiny bit of snow that is gone by 9 or 10 in the morning. The nearest neighbor is about 10 acres away and there are only about 6 or 7 neighbors in the area. We have our own well and we are on septic. The power is from Texas/New Mexico power company. According to a couple of local falconers the place is loaded with jacks and nobody to hunt them. there are only 72 licensed falconers in NM and not all are active falconers. I think there is one active falconer in the town I am moving to. Noah{FalconBoy} will be attending college there and will fly his gyr/saker on the jacks. I am retired so I don't have to worry about finding a job, which is nice.

[Falcon Boy]

All this NM talk and august 10 seems sooooo far away [smilie=eusa_doh.gif]

I can't wait to get down there, should be fun!

[chamokane]

Jim,
It sounds like you found the right place alright. Are there many game birds or ducks around there? If you and Noah get together, it should be fun to watch the different birds hunting jacks. When my male Peregrine was in his first year, I accidentally flushed a White Tailed Jack under him and he put on a real show until the jack got into heavy cover.

Noah,
I think you should head down there now, I want to read some jackrabbit stories. The only bird I have seriously hunted jacks with was a HH, but that was fun. I took my old RT to chase them one day and she was trying hard but ended up catching a pheasant instead and then we had to leave to trap a PF. It's a tough life. [smilie=eusa_boohoo.gif]

[raptrlvr]

Dave, Plenty of waterfowl in the area where Noah and I will be. I fly a longwing along with the eagles and the HH. Last year I flew a tiercel anatum peregrine and then I returned him to the breeder to be paired up with a female. This year I had a couple of deals going that so far haven't panned out. We will see.

[gabboon]

k

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
Was there any problem when it come to the kill and food? I am sure two Rts. are more effective than one.

[raptrlvr]

I flew the female golden again today. With me and her in the field she did better than yesterday. She made several flights on her own. Once she misses a couple of times, then she sits and when a rabbit runs, she flicks her wings, but, doesn't commit. After 3 hours, I picked her up with a tiny bit of food and hooded her. I won't be able to fly her until tomorrow afternoon, so, she will be pretty hungry by then.

[gabboon]

k

[Jimmy]

We fly redtails in a cast all the time......

[everetkhorton]

Jimmy:
You have had not problem when flying Rts. in a cast.? On rabbits or Sqr.?
Do they eat off the same kill like HH? At what stage in life do you start them?

[areal]

Admittedly this photo was taken before we got Hedi, but Yosuf Hiebler who bred her feeds his young goldies on a kill as part of the entering process.
She has taken a mountain hare this last season and then let one of the males feed on the same kill with her so its still possible to do it with her.
Oh and just in case anyone's wondering she's 100% imprint.
Enjoy
http://www.intekhosting.net/hawks/hediroe.jpg

[everetkhorton]

Jimmy:
Now that's a biggggggggggggg cast [smilie=banana.gif] [smilie=banana.gif]

[Jimmy]

Jimmy:
You have had not problem when flying Rts. in a cast.? On rabbits or Sqr.?
Do they eat off the same kill like HH? At what stage in life do you start them?

Yes, you'll sometimes have problems. But they are usually minor ones. Definitely no feeding on the kills together. Some birds can be flown together and some can't. You won't know until you try it. They won't cooperate the way Harris's do, but redtails will hunt together. I believe I posted about this before?

[raptrlvr]

When we trap goldens here in the states {Wyoming} it is very common to see several goldens on a kill. We have even seen balds and goldens on the same kill. The way we set up the traps is designed to catch multiple eagles on the same set at the same time. It is not a single trap, a set is usually 12 to 14 traps around the carcas. My first female eagle was on a set with another female eagle trapped at the same time. In Europe the only birds that you are allowed are captive bred {correct me if I'm wrong} birds and those can be socialized while they are young. Here in the US we can only trap passage immature eagles and breeding is not allowed at this time. Supposedly the new regulations will address this issue.

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
What type of trap do you use? I would think you would need a cannon net of some kind. You guys have a lot more guts than I do. When a Rt's foots you it is bad enough.
[smilie=yikes.gif]

[`Chris L.]

When we trap goldens here in the states {Wyoming} it is very common to see several goldens on a kill. We have even seen balds and goldens on the same kill. The way we set up the traps is designed to catch multiple eagles on the same set at the same time. It is not a single trap, a set is usually 12 to 14 traps around the carcas. My first female eagle was on a set with another female eagle trapped at the same time. In Europe the only birds that you are allowed are captive bred {correct me if I'm wrong} birds and those can be socialized while they are young. Here in the US we can only trap passage immature eagles and breeding is not allowed at this time. Supposedly the new regulations will address this issue.

Jim,
will you all trap this season at all?. If you do will you let me know when. I am from Cali ( Ventura ) and may make a trip out there to see that for sure. I would take a ton of pictures and some video. Let me know what you think about that. You are a lucky man to be able to experience that for sure [smilie=icon_pray.gif]

[gabboon]

k

[Jimmy]

Everyone I know uses modified leg hold traps for eagles. And they can only be trapped on depredation areas, which is why most of them are trapped in Wyoming. You have to go where they're depredating..... I hope the new regs lighten up on the use of eagles. As the regs stand now, it's rediculous. If you can fly a redtail, you can fly an eagle. Other than size and strength, there's not much difference. There's only about 35 eaglers in the country, and only a handfull of those actually hunt with them. The rest are just ego boosters and mew ornaments.

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
I have heard you can tell a person that flies Eagles because they only have on ear. [smilie=BangHead.gif]

[gabboon]

k

[Falcon Boy]

Just keep the bird away from you're chest if you're handling the bird without a shirt on... and never sit an eyass on your lap without a shirt on. Trust me [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

[raptrlvr]

Can I post pictures of the traps we use to catch the eagles? We do use BC's in addition to the leg hold traps. The paperwork to get an eagle took me about 11 months the first time and then about 6 months for the other trips to trap. There are 10 permits, {varies with each state} and the Wyoming trapping fee is $201 for a non resident. That fee is the same for any kind of bird you trap in Wyoming as a non resident. You have to have a USDA agent with you when you trap and he makes sure you stay in the depredation area. He is a really cool guy {Sam Crowe} and he flies gyr falcons. He knows more about trapping eagles than anyone else in the country so thats a benefit to the person trapping. Unfortunantely, he is going to be retireing in the next year or so and then we will be dealing with someone else. the last trapping trip I went on took me 6 days and on the 6th day we trapped 2 in about 2 hours. Once the bird is trapped and jessed up, then you have to take it to the Game and Fish office to register before you leave the state of Wyoming. You have to give them the location of where you trapped your eagle so they can verify that it was trapped in the depredation area.
Here is a piture of my tiercel after a day of flying.
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/6010/img001vr4.jpg

[Jimmy]

Can I post pictures of the traps we use to catch the eagles?

[smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

[`Chris L.]

Can I post pictures of the traps we use to catch the eagles? We do use BC's in addition to the leg hold traps.

Jim,

I don't mind you posting them. It used to be a sensitive subject but there are so many pictures/info on the net about hawk traps someone will figure it out. It is not secret anymore how to trap. If you are ok with it , I dont think it is a problem. I for one would enjoy seeing them..

But, post it in a section under the equipment. You at least have to register to look there.

WOW, what an impressive picture. I would have that framed if I was you.. great shot [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
Very nice picture. Great looking bird. Try and down size the picture so we can at least see half of the picture at one time. Keep them coming.

[raptrlvr]

The size of the picture must be somewhere in the settings on my computer. I'll see if I can figure that out. I am not doing anything different than the first couple that I posted. Its hell being a dumb truckdriver.

[Falcon Boy]

Jim,
I remember you emailing me the picture but i can't find it. If you email it to me again i'll post it for you.

[raptrlvr]

Took the female to the desert this morning. Didn't see one jack which is preety unusual.did see some bunnies that she chased and saw lots of quail. Here is a picture from todays flight. I have another one to post but, I want to see if I did the size thing right.
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7568/eagleflightwe0.jpg

[raptrlvr]

OK, that one was a little too small. Lets try this one.
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2676/hawk0006op9.jpg

[raptrlvr]

Flew the female again this morning. She is getting pretty hungry and her flights are a little more determined to catch the rabbit. She made 2 long flights on jacks today and than a flight on a cottontail that I thought she would catch. But, she came up empty on all the flights. I called her in with a small piece of quail so we will try again tomorrow.

[Jimmy]

I'm curious, what's an average meal for her, weight wise?

[KidK]

In a bow net, you either hold them down by pressing their back until you get the feet. If they are feet up, you hold the net down and grab the legs. Make sure your netting is strong.

Steve,

I would hazard to guess that Ev has removed literally thousands of hawks and falcons from bow nets and dho gazas over the years while banding.

Ev have you ever trapped any eagles at WFP?

[everetkhorton]

Kory:
No, but Mike Jones has. But only one.

[raptrlvr]

The female can eat about half an adult jack in the 5 to 6 lb range. We don't use bow nets to trap eagles. Mostly modified leg hold traps and BC's. But, once the bird is on the trap, we push them down to the ground and grab the feet. Slap the hood on and they are just as calm as can be. The leg hold traps have about 7 foot of chain to keep the eagle from flying away with the trap. I'll look through my pictures and do some posting of the traps and the sets.

[kimmerar]

I'll look through my pictures and do some posting of the traps and the sets.


Can't wait to see them.

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
This eagle was caught on a starling in a bow net. The odd thing is that
it was trapped in a clearing in the woods. The clearing is not that
big.

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
Sorry the last post was for Jim. [smilie=BangHead.gif]

[raptrlvr]

The first picture is a modified leg hold trap. The traps are tied together in pairs and then each trap has 7 foot of chain on it. The second picture is a "set". You lay the carcas {sheep} down on the ground bloody side up and then you put between 12 to 14 traps around it. The third picture is of Barry Blithers {Scottish falconer} and myself holding female golden eagles that were caught on te same set at the same time. One of the eagles ended up on the frozen pond behind us and lucky for us we had a light weight lady with us and she walked out on the pond to retreive the eagle. Barry was here in the states to observe how we trapped eagles because in Europe and the UK, you have to use captive bred eagles for falconry. All other falconry birds have to be captive bred also.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9672/a0326auc9.jpg
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/913/a02315aqd9.jpg
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/1143/a01414us3.jpg

[kimmerar]

Thanks for that Jim. I love the thread you started.

Wow - a sheep. So much for gerbils. Have you had an eagle injured from those traps? I thought they were dangerous. I'm guessing that's what modified is for. Can you give some modification tips. I have to say I don't see me ever wanting to trap an eagle but it's nice knowing the info.

I bet your friend had a blast with that experience. Well worth coming here for that.

Thanks again

[raptrlvr]

The springs on these traps are modified to reduce the injury to the eagles. There have been minor injuries such as bruised toes. My first eagle{the female in the picture} had a dislocated toe from pushing her down and the trap getting twisted beneath her. She wore a splint on that toe for a couple of weeks and was fine after that. I have had my finger caught in one of these traps while setting it up and it didn't hurt at all. I could not get my finger out of the trap without help because the traps have a metal bar that slides up and locks into place. When you are out there trapping, your driving off the snow packed dirt roads across sage and small ravines. Here is a picture of one of the trucks stuck in the snow. We had to wait for the other truck to come and pull us out. The trap sets are about 5 miles apart and you have about 5 or 6 sets out there covering the whole area. The 2nd picture is of the Virginian Hotel where we all stayed. The 3rd picture is of Jack Hubley {Pa falconer} and the USDA agent setting up the traps. This was in Medicine Bow, Wyoming in November. There is absolutely nothing in the town of Medicine Bow except trains. The hotel was right next to the train yards and 24 hours day and night the train whistles were blowing.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2668/a00137adw4.jpg
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/7760/a0178afs3.jpg
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6825/a02612anc6.jpg

[Rudd]

That looks like quite the adventure. I bet it is a lot of fun! Keep the pictures coming.

[raptrlvr]

The eagle trapping trips are a lot of fun as long as you get along with the rest of the people and as long as you abide by the rules set up before you get there. When there is more than one person trying to get an eagle, you have a pecking order. Your using traps that are shared by all the trapping party. You state what sex and age of the bird you want and when that bird is trapped, its yours. You are not trapping individually. One trip we had a little problem with the person who was trapping the week before we went. You have to reserve the leg hold traps for the weeks that you are trapping. The person before us had reserved the traps until Saturday. Three eagle trappers came in on Saturday to start trapping on Sunday. The person before us decided to stay another day to try and get a female eagle. We told him that the traps were reserved for us on Sunday. He got pissed and when we trapped a male eagle on Sunday night, he abruptly stated that he was taking that eagle no matter what. To avoid any further conflict, we let him take the male eagle {even though he only wanted a female}and was happy that he and his family were leaving. The male eagle later died. The trapping trips can take from 2 hours to 2 weeks depending on the weather and the amount of natural food that is available to the eagles. Its not like any other trapping you have ever done. The trapping area can also change from year to year. The first trip I went on was in MedicineBow which is on the eastern side of Wyoming and then the next 2 trips I went on was in Kemmerer which is on the western side of Wyoming. It depends on where they are having a problem with the eagles killing livestock. As you saw in a couple of the pictures, there are no trees. The landscape is flat and the eagles sit on the ridges and overlook the whole area. You use your bino's to see the dark eagles against the white {snow}background to determine where you set the traps. FUN times.

[kimmerar]

It sounds like a great adventure. Thanks for the info. Make sure you get pics on your next trip and keep us informed.

[everetkhorton]

Jim:
Looks like a blast!! How long does it take to make a round of the traps?
Do you ever see more than one eagle on the bait at a time?
Thanks for the post and picture.

[raptrlvr]

When we place the sets{12 traps} we put them about 5 miles apart. Sometimes more. We usually have about 5 or 6 sets out there which means there are about 60 working leg hold traps. We also carry BC,s with us to throw under any eagles we see sitting on and you drive around checking the traps all day. We put about 350 to 400 miles in each day, but, thats all within about a 50 mile radius. If you try to watch the traps after you have put them out, the eagles will not come in on them. You have to tottally leave the area where the sets are at. Sometimes when you pull up to check the traps you will see 3 or 4 eagles feeding on the carcas. If you have a breeding pair of eagles in the area, you might as well pick up the traps and move on. The breeding pair will not allow the immature eagles to come into thier area.

[gabboon]

k

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
I have trapped and banded a few owls. Not really my bag. The station uses
mist nets and every so often they run them. The guy I band with use night vision and live lure them. But most of the time you do no see much and if you do not have night vision you see nothing. I live lure and put in a long day at it and come night I am ready for bed. GHO are nothing to fool with, and even in the dark it is worse. I have not been doing the amount of banding I use to do. But it is still a rush with every bird.

[everetkhorton]

Steve:
Oh yes, they have been banding owls for years. The guys I band with are
not a part of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. The guy I band with
have been involved in falconry in one way or another. We band on private land. The observatory has a web site. They do not do any hawk trapping any more that I know of. I think they just mist net owl and small birds and count hawks a waterfowl. When they are not doing that they are kissing the baby's. There is a big power struggle between the maritime society and the
WPBO for the use of land. WPBO is running out of people to help run the place. The old timer are no longer around to do the work. The WPBO is on a down hill slide. The bird banded are banded under a station permit now. IMO.

[raptrlvr]

My wife and I took a drive yesterday {150 miles}to an area known as the Grapevine. This area is hundreds of thousands of acre's of agriculture land with citrus trees and grapevine bushes for miles. On the southwest side of these fields is a mountain range and there is an animal preserve {Wind Wolves Preserve} where there is no hunting allowed. We took the female eagle and released her in that area. She should do OK with all the game that is in that area and hopefully the protection of the preserve. There are only the farm workers in that area and not many other people or dogs around. When we released her we watched her for a little while and she eventually flew off and under some trees for some shade. There is also a wide irrigation ditch with plenty of water in it. Here is a picture of her after release. More pictures will follow if I can get them to load into Image Shack.
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9908/femaleeaglerelease004ayj7.jpg

[EricADugan]

Jim,
Well done, she looked great when I was over. I imagine that you did all you can to give her another shot at wild life. Im still amazed at the size of that bird. Any plans of taking the male out for rabbits?
Eric

[chamokane]

Awesome, Jim. It must be quite an experience to send a bird like that down the wind. I used to live a little north of there. I used to see eagles pretty often and, once in a while, a Condor before they trapped the last ones.

There were oil fields and range land with sage brush and mesquite and a lot of Jack Rabbits, Cottontails, and pheasants. There were also a lot of signs back in those days that read, "Caution Poison Bait".

By the way, I remember when the Grapevine was a steep, twisting, two lane, trucker's nightmare.

[raptrlvr]

I probably won't fly the male eagle {Zoltar} until I make the move to New Mexico. I have so many things to do to get ready for that, I just don't have the time to fly anything. The female HH will be put in Lee's {Virginia}project.
The Grapevine is now about 5 lanes of freeway traffic on both north and south bound. Thousands of cars go up and down this freeway every day to get into and out of LA. I don't like going out there, but, you do what you gotta do. This is also the same area {Bakersfield}where the CHC holds its annual meet every other year. There has always been plenty of game. Its a good feeling to release a bird back into the wild, but, you always have that fear that they may not make it. With this eagle, I had no choice because of her status as a rehab bird. The law {USFWS}makes me release her back into the wild even though she has never known the wild.
I tried to load some more pictures on Image Shack, but, for some reason they didn't go through. I'll probably send them to FalconBoy or Chris to have them loaded.

[Falcon Boy]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/apprenticefalconry2/FemaleEaglerelease001.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/apprenticefalconry2/FemaleEaglerelease020A2.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/apprenticefalconry2/FemaleEaglerelease025.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/apprenticefalconry2/WindWolvespreserveA.jpg

[raptrlvr]

Thanks for loading the pictures FalconBoy. The first pictures is immeadiately after releaseing the eagle. She sat there for a few minutes. The sign on the gate says "Wind Wolves Preserve", no hunting allowed. You can look that up on the internet. After a few minutes the eagle lifted off and landed on the big pile of branches. She kept going after something in the pile, but, she was about 60 yards away from us and we couldn't see what it was. The next picture is her flying off into the field and finding a tree that had shade. This area temperatures can get in the 100 degree's. Lots of high winds here also. The last picture is actually 7 pictures {panarama}in 1 and shows the whole area where she was released.

[lovefreshwater]

wow... raptrlvr is no joke! He is a real "old school"!!!
i mean dude..! he is cool.. man.
i grow up here 15 years in L.A. and i can see he was living near where i am right now.
hey, raptrlvr ?
i'm staying over at culver city and marina del rey area in a Los angeles california. if you are wearing UCLA bruins clothes you might know where I am don't you?lolol
i wish i could afford to live at over at San luis obispo! so, i won't worried to have my first RT. there are my favorit hot springs call "Sycamore hot springs resort" i remenber just pay $20 bucks and i'll be in heaven out door hot spring tub gazing sky...then i'll be a [smilie=sleepy2.gif] for a all day! good luck with your golden eagle! it's really looks massive!! [smilie=icon_thumright.gif] U! C! L! A! GO~Bruins!! [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] [smilie=eusa_clap.gif]

[raptrlvr]

Issak, Yes, I know exactly the area you are talking about. My daughter is a Bruin for life having spent 4 years there.

[lovefreshwater]

Yeah! I'm glad that you can picture where i am living right now... i'm near Washington and Centinella around. i studied a little at SMC long time ago...Yes, i did see those people throwing away trashes to the Concreat Canals which is located just below the S.Sloson ave. it is connected to balboa natural Wet lands & Marina Del Rey directry to the Ocean....which is a very diapointing fact. i myself thinking may be i should move out of here...since, i can't get good mews locations for the Falcon near future.One time i got to clean & took water samples from those canals because of biology class at SMC that i took long ago. Well, I did public urination there long after that but you know!lololo ... i did it on a soils so , i 'm sure it's filtered by the many layers of soils....[smilie=eusa_doh.gif]
well, back to the falconry. so, start from tommorow. i'll get books and prepare for the apprentice level test. hope after the test I can find the sponser around that area.... [smilie=dontknow.gif] I wish one day you can show me your Monster Eagle "Zolter" soring over a blue sky!! [smilie=eusa_pray.gif] Nice to talk to you Jim! You are one honarable Falconer in a Golden state of California!! [smilie=icon_pray.gif] [smilie=icon_pray.gif]