Kyrgyzstan: Eagle hunting

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Nomads used to have a lot of cattle and it was the main source to live for them. But also they practiced some other skills...

There is a remarkable way of hunting in Kyrgyzstan. Nomads have special trained eagles and falcons for hunting. Even nowadays there are people who still use this ancient skill.

A hunter looks for just born baby birds and takes them home. Then he talks to them all the time in order to make them memorise his voice. Afterwards he feeds them with a piece of meat. He pulls it in front of the birds to make them follow the food. When the birds can fly the hunter fastens a piece of meat to one end of a rope and ties the other end to the horse's tail. Then he lets the horse run and birds try to catch the meat.

When falcons or eagles, respectively are ready and grown to their full size, the hunter chooses the best one for hunting. He closes the falcon's eyes and goes to the top of a mountain. Then he opens the bird's eyes and lets the falcon fly looking for the prey. During one season a hunter can get about 30 marmots, 40 foxes and 70 hares. 

 

Welcome to Kyrgyzstan!