Eagle Journal

Hello everyone,

JH:

I am most pleased to say this morning was just a little cooler, and not a moment too soon. Energized with the cooler temperatures, JH was dialed in. His weight has crept up a little but not any big deal, unless, of course, there would be a guest in the field and, well, then he’d fly away. JH also has many feathers growing in, 3 tail and both number one primaries, so he is a little careful with them. The arctic blast gave me a shot in the arm as well because, at one point, without even thinking about it, I found myself in the field from hell  (FFH) gliding across the ankle-breaking dirt — funny how one can be energized by a mere drop in temperature.

I had walked out into the pole field thinking I’d make a swing through there and then head out into the FFH. Once again as I drove up I saw 5 or 6 jacks running out of the small hay field. What they do is run out into the pole field but stay along the road and run down the sidewalks. Some even run down the middle of the street. (Reminds me of the Japanese horror films where you see people running from Godzilla; running in every direction.) I was able to cut some off at the pass before they reached the sidewalk and turned and headed for the FFH. Seeing the jack’s running back into a better situation, JH launched and was closing fast on 3 jacks that were 200 yards out. By the time he overtook them they had gone in three different directions. JH did a wing-over and if not for the tumbleweed growing there would have taken one of the jacks in an outstanding flight. As it was, JH reached out with his foot and almost hooked the jack as it went around the bush. Maybe the jack rabbits were right, Godzilla was coming!

I continued to hunt the field, getting 3 more very nice slips with JH almost catching one. Then the farmer showed up with a tractor so I moved over to the large hay field. In the past I have said that this field was 20 acres but it’s much bigger than that, more like 75 plus acres, so it’s not like I’m hunting a small field to death. Truth is there is a good section I don’t even go to because it’s too close to the road. I suspected that part of this field would be flooded, I just didn’t know what part, so I walked out into the field thinking I’d just go until I hit water. My plan was to go as fast as I could to the far end and hopefully cut off the jacks that slip out the back, forcing them back out into the field to hide. That way I could secure some good slips for Widow as well. I was going along the edge of the alfalfa field and the dry part that runs along the bottom of the train track bank. Normally I hunt the field as I walk but this time I was hoping to do the reverse –get to the end and hunt back from there. I did not see one jack as I was moving into position. However, I did see a coyote go hauling out of the field after a jack rabbit which flung itself into the water canal that supplies the farmer’s irrigation water. Mr. Coyote was not interested in going for a swim and broke off the chase. Mr. Jack Rabbit (jack rabbits are good swimmers by the way) made it easily to the other side. Then I saw a jack running along the base of the bank and JH rolled off my fist, cranking after the jack. The jack rabbit noticeably increased speed, now fully aware that it was being pursued. JH increased his wing turn-over as well and was now only 20 yards behind the rabbit.  If the jack turned right it would get caught, so off to the left it went, into the weeds and up the side of the bank. JH made a very smart adjustment — he gained height, flew up the side of the bank and slammed the jack just as it came out the top end wanting to go cross the tracks! That was cool. While fooling around with JH I could see other jacks moving out into the hay field so I fed him up and headed back to get Widow.

Widow:

I walked along the upper bank hoping for a slip but also wanting to get back to the end and start there. Widow wanted to launch at any and all things — dragonflies, lizards, doves, you name it. At one point as I walked along Widow locked up on something in the weeds; I was thinking a jack rabbit. To see what an eagle is locked on is simple. They are like a dog on point, just follow their beak, which I did, and there, down in the rocks, looking up at me was a calico cat! Widow was unsure of what to do and the cat was smart enough to know not to move a muscle, so I quickly moved on.

I finally arrived at the end of the field and went down off the bank into the hay field. I started to work the entire back end of the field trying to keep the wind at my face. It was cooler that way and, well, there is no other reason than it was just cooler. I had walked for quite a long time, saw nothing, and was in danger of sleep-walking. That’s where your hunting senses have calmed down and you find that you’re just walking for the sake of walking. So I walked over here and then over there, going this way and that and, bang, a jack was up and running. That woke me up! Widow got off the fist clean and was flying hard and strong after the jack rabbit. The jack was clearly heading for the bank but had to first get out of the alfalfa hay and cross the dry part. Widow was just inches from being over the top of the jack which went up a slight rise and down the other side. All I could see was the jack go over the hill followed very closely by Widow. From what I could see Widow was in great position to catch it. She went in hard and fast and I saw dirt/dust fly up. I ran over there and she had missed. We hunted for another hour and didn’t get any other clean slips.

Widow has gone awhile now without making another kill. It’s not so much because of lack of effort, she is just young and jacks are very difficult to catch. This is why I spend so much time hunting young eagles if they can perfect catching jacks they will do fine in the wild.

Courtesy of JH Widow got a good full crop of fresh jack rabbit, as I can’t fly either of them until Sunday.

Hope all is well,

Joe