Kazakh eagle hunter training his golden eagle (Mongolia)

            The Kazakh men in a hunter’s family usually have been eagle hunters for many generations. Tradition says that, once a boy (and in unique cases, a girl) turns 13 and has the strength to carry the weight of a golden eagle, it’s time to follow in their forefathers’ footsteps. With father's help, the child will learn how to hunt with and train golden eagles, and will then capture and train his/her own. Typically, hunters go in search of young eagles, which have had some experience with hunting in the wild, but can be trained to live and hunt with people. Female eagles are preferred, as they become larger, more powerful and aggressive than the males. 

Once caught, the eagle has to grow accustomed to the world of man and has to be trained. The newly captured bird is tethered to a perch using jesses (short leather straps) and has to learn that life with the eagle hunter affords the easiest and most reliable source of food and protection. At first the leashed bird will try to fly away, but eventually the hunger will be great enough to overcome her initial fear of man. The exhausted bird will eat the tidbits of meat offered right out of the eagle hunter’s hand. The bird will also start wearing a tomagha over the face to keep it calm; this little leather hood is taken off only when it is time to hunt or eat. The eagle will be hand-raised to form a stronger bond and build trust, and will be trained through operant conditioning using the reward of food as a positive reinforcement. While training the bird to follow orders, patience and persistence are great virtues each hunter must poses. When the relationship finally is established, - and the hunter trusts the bird to come back -, the pair will go out into the field. 

The captured eagle becomes part of everyday life and is treated as family. In summer, the eagle often sits outside in front of a hunter's home; in winter the bird will live inside with the family. The intimate relationship between hunter and bird will come eventually to an end. Golden eagles can live up to 30+ years in captivity, but as a rule, the birds are set free again about 10 to 15 years after their capture. It is hoped that, once released into the wild, a trained eagle will go on to breed the next generation of hunting eagles. Letting them go is perceived by hunters as the hardest thing a man can ever do. But often, the bond with the hunter is so strong that the eagles return.

Taken in: Mongolia / Bayan-Olgiy / Ulaanhus (show map)

Taken on: October 8, 2017

Tags:

Mongolia

Asia

eagle

eagle hunter

bird

bird of prey

glove

landing

arm

Kazakh

training

food

jesses

leather

straps

leashed

reward

Bayan-Ölgii

Altai

mountains

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hunting « less

Sets appears in: • 1500+ views • Asia more » • Birds « less

Groups appears in: • Images of Mongolia • Earth Asia (Post 3-Award 3) more » • THE LOOK level 1 RED « less

Camera: Nikon D5100, f/8.0, 1/200 sec, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5100
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Show full info

Stats: 2,180 views / 5 comments

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