Eagle Aides

Ben Woodruff of the North American Falcononer’s Association recently appeared with his 12-year-old female Golden Eagle named Holly to plead his case with sheep ranchers that they can be an asset, not a killer of their livestock. “Bald eagles are more about eating fish and roadkill. Golden Eagles will actively hunt sheep and lambs. They will also eat coyotes which is good for the wool industry but they do take their toll on sheep and lambs. When we train them, we hunt rabbits, foxes and coyotes. It is pretty cut and dried. We train them with food first, it's not a reward system like a dog. It is social bonding so giving them food, they eat off your gloves or hop to your fist and you just build that trust and you just introduce them to rabbits which they have probably been hunting in the wild already. They kind of view you as a hunting partner. Or maybe you are the hunting dog flushing the rabbits out. They build that trust very quickly and understand that it is a very good deal on their end. They get a guaranteed meal no matter what and they still get to fly free and hunt. We put radio transmitters on their leg so if something unexpectedly happens, you can still track them down and find them. They are very very loyal within just a couple of months of being trained. It is kind of interesting. It’s like eagles are the big bad Wolf. They cause problems. Some people absolutely hate them. Some people think they are noble animals and it is just unfortunate that they keep the lambs so we have had a great reception from people who understand now that there is this opportunity to have a win win situation.