by Steve
Lo and behold, there in the back of this guy's SUV was a golden eagle. It was perched on a bar covered in leather made just for that purpose. The windows of the SUV were all covered with tarps, and the eagle had a cover over its head. Apparently even a wild bird will stay put if it can't see, although this one was tethered to the perch just in case. We asked the guy who had captured it what they story was, and here's what he told us.
Although the falconer wears thick leather gloves, the talons from an eagle can pierce leather, so he expects to get clawed up a bit. He's got existing scars, so the new ones will blend right in.
Life on the road is full of unexpected things. What are the odds that we would cross paths with the first golden eagle taken in Wyoming in 10 years in a parking lot in Cheyenne? Pretty small, I think. So the next time someone says, "Hey, come out to the parking lot and see what I have in the back of my van," you might want to consider it.
Well, this is something that doesn't happen every day. Life on the road can be full of odd coincidences, and this certainly was one of them. We were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a couple of nights on our way north. We had noticed when we arrived in Cheyenne that there was a large distribution center for Sierra Trading Post just up the road from our campground, and that they had a retail outlet. So we stopped in the next morning to see if there were any good deals to be had.
It's a pretty big store, so it took us a while to roam the entire place. As we were about the leave, the guy behind the cash register said, "You really ought to see what my friend has out in the parking lot." So we headed out to the parking lot with a few store employees.
Lo and behold, there in the back of this guy's SUV was a golden eagle. It was perched on a bar covered in leather made just for that purpose. The windows of the SUV were all covered with tarps, and the eagle had a cover over its head. Apparently even a wild bird will stay put if it can't see, although this one was tethered to the perch just in case. We asked the guy who had captured it what they story was, and here's what he told us.
There is apparently an abundance of golden eagles in Wyoming, and they were decimating at least one rancher's flock of sheep. The governor of Wyoming had authorized the capture of two eagles--the first permits in Wyoming in 10 years. As a licensed falconer, our man in the parking lot had entered the lottery, along with dozens of other people, and by luck he was selected to be allowed to capture one of the birds. He had caught his that morning, using a type of snare that does not injure the bird in any way.
We asked what he would be doing with the bird. He will get the bird accustomed to him, mainly by watching television in a darkened room with the bird on a roost. Seriously. Doesn't matter which show; it just needs to be fairly dim light. He will take the cover off its head periodically and will eventually get the bird to take food from his hand. The bird will come to trust him and will sit on his gloved arm, knowing that's where to get food. After some time, our falconer will be able to take the bird out to a field to hunt, and it will return to him after capturing its prey.
Although the falconer wears thick leather gloves, the talons from an eagle can pierce leather, so he expects to get clawed up a bit. He's got existing scars, so the new ones will blend right in.
Life on the road is full of unexpected things. What are the odds that we would cross paths with the first golden eagle taken in Wyoming in 10 years in a parking lot in Cheyenne? Pretty small, I think. So the next time someone says, "Hey, come out to the parking lot and see what I have in the back of my van," you might want to consider it.
