“The bond with the bird is so strong! A new documentary chronicles a 13-year-old girl's quest to join an eagle hunting competition. Sometimes I dream about these things.”. Golden eagles can take down small mammals like foxes, as well as goats and wolves. They can weigh up to 7 kilograms (15,43 pounds) and have more than 2 metres (6,56 feet) of wingspan. We almost exclusively walk our horse, so beginners can also take part in the game hunting. The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt wolves and here the bird of prey is often considered a family member. Even today, the hunters dress in traditional garb. (Photo by Brad Ruoho/The Star Tribune) A Golden Eagle at the Eagle Hunting Festival about to swoop down to his master in a timed race. Directed by Otto Bell. This practice is very noble, complex, few money-making, guzzler of time and reserved for those who had a long preliminary training. Deep in the craggy hills of Mongolia’s Altai region live a group of hunters with an extremely rare skill: hunting using golden eagles. Then, it swoops down on the prey and tries to catch it. An eagle hunter can travel over kilometers of land in a day, usually on horseback, but often on foot. An eagle hunter carries his eagle on horseback over craggy cliffs. Sayat (hunting with golden eagles) is regarded as a national sport in Kazakhstan even though it is practiced mainly by Kazakhs in Mongolia. One of the Mongolian ethnic groups is the Muslim Kazakhs of Turkic origin. Eagle hunting is a traditional type of falconry that was practised in the Eurasian steppe. High rated Mongolian Tour Operator Company specialized in tailor-made, private and small group tour packages. The eagle hunting tradition has begun from central Asian nomadic past 6000 years ago. One hunter, known as a berkutchi, told Reuters, eagle hunting is “our tradition, and we, Kazakhs, simple can’t live without it.They say it is a sport, but this is wrong. They’ve also highlighted women like Zamanbol, who are the last of their kind. Photo: Christopher Michel (CC BY 2.0). First, the falconer starves the eagle for several days, then he can start the training : equilibrium, for the eagle to follow the movements of the horse while it's perched on its master's arm, and hunting strictly speaking, training with a lure called shirga. The eagle will hunt with its master until it's 8 or 10 years old. One of the first things we learnt was that Eagle Hunting is a key part of Kazakh culture. Most of the eagles are treated like family members, fed by hand and kept in comfortable quarters in the family’s home. During your stay with a falconer, you will follow him horse riding in the neighbouring mountains. Today it is practiced by Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz in contemporary Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as diasporas in Bayan-Ölgii Provinces Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, China. Eaglets are caught in the nestle, when they're not able to fly, or they're trapped a bit later with a net. Eagle Hunting: Marketization of Traditional Practice. Eagle hunting is also increasingly popular back in Kazakhstan and Khyrgistan. Eagle hunting is the hottest sport in Mongolia, and 26-year-old Jinsbek is Mongolia's hottest eagle hunter. Living with Mongolian Eagle Hunters. While in the care of their human families, eagles’ bonds with their human companions are unshakeable. Two hunters lift their eagles to the sky. With Aisholpan Nurgaiv, Daisy Ridley, Rys Nurgaiv. They don’t hunt eagles, but rather use the revered golden eagle as their tool — and form a close bond with the bird of prey along the way. Leo Thomas/InstagramZamanbol, one of just 10 female eagle hunters left in Mongolia. Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, practiced by ancient Mongolic and Turkic peoples. Falconers prefer females because they're bigger and more powerful then males. “It makes them feel loved and relaxes them, just like a baby.”. Western Mongolian winter is extremely COLD but incredibly beautiful. Leo Thomas/InstagramGolden eagles can take down small mammals like foxes, as well as goats and wolves. Mongolian eagle hunting festival . Today, there are only 10 female Mongolian golden-eagle hunters. Its panoramic view is eight times intenser than ours. Golden Eagle Festival is a cultural and adventurous attraction for both local and foreign travelers and photographers. I. n Mongolia, hunting with Eagles is a tradition brought in by Kazakhs who migrated to Mongolia to escape from the Communist regime in Kazakhstan, when the nation was a part of the Soviet Union.. Horseback Mongolia is a Franco-Mongol travel agency based in Ulaanbaatar since 2006. Once the prey – usually a fox – is spotted, the hunter charges towards it to flush it into the open, then releases the eagle to make the kill. When the eagles are not hunting they wear special caps to blind them and keep them calm. Meet the Hot Guy of Mongolian Eagle Hunting. He must avoid the eagle damaging the skin of the prey, or the injured prey injuring the eagle in its turn. Getting a bird's-eye view of hunting eagles. For some Kazakhs it is more than a sport. During the week she attends school in the city, and on the weekends she trains as a hunter. The Kazaks or the Eagle Hunting People live in the far western mountainous part of Mongolia about 1600 km distance from Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian Eagle hunters in History. But training eagles to hunt is not easy. The Berkutchi is a falconer who hunts with the golden eagle. (Photo by Brad Ruoho/The Star Tribune) Jeanette Cox, an Adventure Sherpas client, held an eagle … Then it will be delivered and will wildly live again 20 years and find a partner for reproduction. If the eagle sees a prey, it starts to shout to be released by its master. Though, as with any male-dominated field, some women have risen and excelled. And we will recommend you our best travel ideas. Mongolian eagle hunting festival is premium festival takes place in Olgii, western Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar. Security, quality support and comfort are our main concerns. Eagle hunting can be traced back to a forgotten kingdom in Central Asia, where direct descendants of Genghis Khan settled by the Aral Sea until … Thirteen-year-old Aisholpan trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her nomad family to become an eagle … For centuries, nomadic tribes of the Altai region have trained their young men and women in the ancient art of golden-eagle hunting. Deep in the craggy hills of Mongolia’s Altai region live a group of hunters with an extremely rare skill: hunting using golden eagles. It represents the most dramatic and primary relations between man and beast, which is kept well through generation to generation in the remote mountains of western Mongolia. Let's explore Mongolia with us. Hunting trips can last many days, as the hunter and eagle trek up to a mountain ridge to obtain a good view across the landscape. Therefore, Mongolia is the best country which can retain eagle hunting. After trekking high up into craggy mountains and perching themselves atop a vantage point, the silent hunters gaze down on the valleys and plains below. Other Mongolian ethnic groups don't seem to practice eagle hunting much, despite the fact there are plenty of eagles throughout Mongol-dominated provinces out west such as Zavkhan and Uvs. Once in the mountains, the falconer removes the mask from the eagle, and the eagle scans the horizon. KAZAKH EAGLE HUNTING. Though the eagles have lifespans stretching upwards of 30 years, the hunters keep the birds captive for only a third of that time. During the communist era, this identity was repressed, and the rise of farming also contributed to the decline of falconry. The Eagle Hunting Festival has revived Kazakh culture which was surpressed under Soviet rule. The eagle — always a female, as they are the larger of the sexes and therefore the more adept hunters — then swoops down and captures the prey before it can escape, soaring back up to the mountaintops to give it over to its master. The Kazakh eagle hunters preserve the hundreds of year tradition of eagle hunting on horse back for foxes, marmots and even wolves. Preys are mainly foxes, but eagles sometimes catch hares or, more rarely, small wolves. Several eagles can hunt one single prey, so that they can catch bigger animals, such as ibex or wolves. Then check out the Gurung honey hunters, another group of ancient (and interesting) hunters. Today, several forms of this art still exist in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, in Xinjiang in China, and in the province of Bayan Olgii, in Mongolia, where many Kazakhs live. “They love to be carried in such a way,” one hunter told a photographer. Eagle hunting is a traditional form of falconry, widespread throughout the Eurasian steppe among nomadic peoples. Fortunately, ethnic Kazakhsliving on the border of M… In Mongolia's remote north-west, a teenage girl is her family's sole hope of keeping an ancient tradition alive. Once a target (usually a small mammal like a hare or a fox) is spotted, they release the golden eagle perched on their arm. Leo Thomas/InstagramZamanbol hunting on horseback with her eagle, alongside her brother Barzabai and his eagle. References to eagle hunting in Central Asia can be found even in the works of Marco Polo, who wrote about Kublai Khan’s falconry hunting expeditions. The Ancient Mongolian Art Of Hunting With Eagles Is A Sight To Behold. It is one of the must see events in Asia, especially in Mongolia. Zamanbol, one of just 10 female eagle hunters left in Mongolia. What was once a secret experience has become the topic of festivals and documentaries, which have helped shine a light on a dying tradition of the old world. Portrait of a giant golden eagle against the Mongolian skies near the border with Russia. If you are traveling in summer, we can arrange the tour overland including some attractions and scenic places of the Gobi desert, the north and the west of Mongolia. For centuries, nomadic tribes of the Altai region have trained their young men and women in the ancient art of golden-eagle hunting. By Lucy Xu. 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