Idea #608 – Trying Eagle hunting in Bokonbaevo in Kirghizstan
In Kyrgyzstan, eagle hunting is practiced by farmers as an effective traditional means of subsistence. No common point, then, with the art of Western or Arabic falconry, exercised as a hobby! Only a few families still practice this traditional art around Bakonbaevo, near Lake Issik Kull.The breeding of eagles requires ancestral skills astonishing: the eagle is taken to the nest, locked in a cage and fed by his master who uses it to the sound of his voice. The eagle is trained for 3 to 5 years to hunt foxes, hares, birds, or as a harvester of larger game.
To familiarize him with hunting very early, the master feeds his eagle himself and teaches him to distinguish the different furs and skins that the bird will have to hunt. Once the eagle is two to three years old, training continues on the field while the hunter has fox skins everywhere and teaches his eagle to hunt in real life. After several years of service, the eagle, which has a life expectancy of more than 40 years, will be released in the wild, where he will resume a life of wild predator.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Issik Kull, Bokonbaevo, Kirghizistan