One of the essential factors in successful game hawking is having the slips. Our jacks (and cottontails) here in southwest Wyoming have crashed. I haven't been getting slips for my eagle. Even fox are down around here, although I have no real motivation to hawk fox with a male eagle. I just don't want to risk getting him injured. I'm not saying it's impossible but I'm attached to this eagle I wouldn't want him getting injured. I have caught fox, legitimately with female eagles and fox fight back many times.

A passage gos flown on creek ducks near town would have been the ticket. I'm finding myself at that place, perhaps some of you have been here before also. You know, the could have, should have thoughts.

With life thrown in, traveling a few hundred miles to get a jack slip isn't turning out to be the opportunity I thought it would be.

Of course, eagles do live a long time and rabbits will eventually come back around here. Eli is a cool eagle. But having him follow me for a few miles every time I turn him loose, with maybe a cottontail slip once in a while and then calling him to the lure gets old after a few weeks.

Ever been in one of those places? I love eagles, but hawking ducks with a gos would have been more fun than this. I envy people who have multiple jack slips at their feet, day after day. Count your blessings.

I reckon I could call coyotes the rest of the winter. I'm not complaining. But it would have been nice to catch some stuff with this eagle.

Notes from the field.

Dan