Eagle Journal

Hello everyone,

As you can see I flew both eagles today; JH in the morning and Widow in the afternoon.

JH:

Driving down to the fields I was trying to figure which field would be the best for JH to start the season in. I settled on the large alfalfa field. As I walked up and over the train tracks I must confess I had a slight smirk on my face. It has been somewhat frustrating hunting Widow with her only wanting the perfect slip and sometimes not even reacting to those. As you recall I have at times gone through 3 or 4 fields, working hard to get her the one rabbit she likes. Well, the game just changed and I have upgraded. It’s like getting that new computer — the old one did the job but the new one is so much faster and better!

As I walked down the bank heading out into the hay field I was trying to unhood JH which can be an adventure in itself. JH gets very excited and starts jumping up and down while he has a firm grip on my arm. Therefore, my arm goes up and down with him. So, after 3 or 4 open mouth lunges at the hood I finally got it off. From the second the hood came off JH was all business, hunting very intensely, looking in any and all possible hiding places. I don’t think I had walked ten feet into the hay field when a jack flushed from seemingly nowhere. Just as fast as the jack flushed, JH was off my arm and closing on the rabbit. I didn’t even have time to move my arm forward before he was gone..unbelievable! The jack was in full after-burners, ears pinned and heading for the bank. Within just a second or two JH was along side of the jack and threw out a foot, swiping at the rabbit, and just barely missing. Dust was flying everywhere as JH recovered and closed again in what could only be described as a last ditch effort. The jack rabbit threw itself sideways and JH missed again and pulled up. My smirk was now a large toothy grin as I turned and continued out into the field. Another jack flushed out in front of us. JH launched and closed easily but lost the rabbit in the taller hay. More than likely it froze in one spot. I turned back thinking that there should be at least one more jack over in the area where the first one flushed.

Hunting with JH is unlike hunting any other eagle I have had. I have to be ready at all times..no relaxing. Other than being his mobile fence post, the only thing I can have any effect on is when he launches after a jack. Eagles launch off the fist with such power that your arm is pushed downward which can take away their forward motion and mess up the take off. So you must be ready at all times because you never know when the next jack will flush — it could be the very next step. At the very least I want to give them a solid launching pad and if I’m in sync I can move my arm forward, aiding in the launch.  With Widow there is a slight delay and so I can time it easily. But with JH I have to be on full alert every step. I worked my way over toward the areas where the hay was a little thinner but still thick in places. I worked my way over through one of the areas that looked like a good spot. Before I got there a jack exploded off my right side and went straight off to the right. JH was off and building speed. He is not in good condition, and was already showing signs of being tired, but was still closing on the rabbit. JH, within a second, was just an inch or two behind the jack which was now heading for a large hole at the bottom of a telephone pole. As the jack got to the hole JH arrived at the same time, slamming both feet down into the hole, hooking the jack and pulling him out all in one motion. During this flight JH lost his deck tail feather and a secondary flight feather, so I guess he’s not too stressed coming back to work. JH was not overly happy about giving up his first jack of the season but I was eventually able to convince him. I fed him up and called it a day.

Widow:

The wind was good at my house but would it hold over to the ranch some 25 miles away? Without any wind I would really be wasting my time taking Widow to soar because she would do little more than sit on the side of the hill and look at me. So the whole drive over I was looking at the leaves on the trees checking to see if they were still moving. If I have one wish I could give to the folks that read this eagle journal it would be that you could stand on a hill and launch an eagle off your arm into the wind. A few people on this list have experienced this and for those of you that have not I’ll try and describe what it is like

Huffing and puffing, I finally made it to the top of this long and sometimes tricky hill made especially tricky because the dry grass can be very slippery, and carrying a 9lb eagle makes it all the more so. Widow was fidgety on my arm, not knowing what we were doing, and she was growing impatient. It was hot, 90’ plus, and the wind that was blowing was hot also. But every once in a while the wind carried just the slightest bit of coolness, which gave a little break from the heat. Standing on top of this hill overlooking the valley below there was a brown layer of hot air that was hanging close to the ground. Above that was the cool, blue, cloudless sky.  I reached around and struck Widow’s hood. She looked around and then turned her attention to the open sky, fixed on something way too far off for my eyes to see. Widow was not hunting jack rabbits today, she was looking out into the deep blue sky. I could feel it calling her. The moment Widow spread her wings she became as light as a feather. Unsure of the urges that called to her, she hung onto my glove with her talons. I did not rush her, just held my arm out and let her take her time; let her feel the call of the wind, a call she must answer.

Rolling my arm slightly forward, Widow’s talons lost their hold and she was gone, flying over my head, only to drop down off the side of the hill. Widow gained speed and began to climb in the air. She flew out over the valley, fanned her tail, and instinctively began looking for even greater lift. She banked back downwind and circled right in front of me, not more than a few inches away. I could hear the wind rushing over her back as she began to climb, leaving the hazy hot air and me behind. I wished I could go too. Widow made two or three more circles, riding the wind, testing herself, maybe for the first time. In the open sky eagles have no equal — the sky is their domain, they are the masters. Widow rode the wind back and forth along the hill side, only to land briefly, then jump back in the wind once more. It was clear to me that Widow instinctively knew that was where she belonged, up riding the wind, and she was doing her best to answer its call. After an hour or so Widow was done and so was I. This first day was a good one — she actually flew more than I expected. Sometimes she flew nearly a mile or more away from me, then worked her way back, landing at my feet. I went down to the bottom of the hill, held out my glove with a full quail in my hand, and called. Widow rolled off a fence post and began building speed, fast. Thirty yards out she dropped her feet looking every bit an eagle and pulled up to land softly on my arm to eat her meal.

Hope all is well

Joe