Hunting with Golden Eagles

Hawking with Golden Eagles paints a vivid picture of the eagle experience and takes the reader into the skies on a hunt for quarry. Based on practical field experience, this breakthrough book gives a full account of training and hunting procedures, and takes a close look at the quarries a golden eagle can currently be flown to. Full of breathtaking photographs and insightful description, the book is sure to be enjoyed by anyone wishing to explore the eagle's role within falconry throughout the centuries. My purpose in writing this small book is to try to give an insight into hawking with golden eagles. These raptors have frequently been described in less-than-glowing terms and their value as modern day falconry birds questioned. This book will attempt to paint a more positive picture. Naturally, when flown under unsuitable conditions and handled by inexperienced falconers, golden eagles will give a poor account of themselves. But, if trained and flown correctly, these eagles can be employed very effectively by the contemporary falconer and provide him with a unique hawking experience. My own understanding and appreciation of the golden eagle owes little to my early British falconry background. Far more influential have been my central European experiences. I have spent a good deal of time living and hawking on the Continent. There, my involvement with three large falconry center has resulted in me being presented with opportunities seldom afforded the private individual; and, with Germany or Austria serving as a base, I have traveled widely and hunted with golden eagles in many different parts of Europe. In writing this book, I have assumed that those interested in hawking with golden eagles will already have a background of experience with birds such as goshawks,…