Eagle VS Deer

Deadduck · Sep 29, 2004

I am kind of scared to post this message, because I am sure there are people who are not going to believe me. I swear that this is true: last Sunday we were fishing at Strawberry, when we noticed a large Golden Eagle circling around the area. We watched him circle, then it made a dive towards a sagebrush hill, and scared out a yearling doe. We watched the deer, and to our disbelief watched the eagle dive towards the deer, and try to grab it with it's talons. The eagle made 3 or 4 passes, before the deer escaped into some aspen trees. Me and my buddy could not believe what we had just witnessed. The deer was not a fawn, and the eagle was definately trying to grab it (wings back, and talons extended).
Any of you ever see anything like this before???

Oakbuck · Sep 29, 2004

I believe you!! On a back pack hunt into the Ruby Mountains of NV about 10 years ago I watched an eagle kill a doe. I think it broke her spine with it's talons. It was a quite sight to see.

Oakbuck

eyeguard · Sep 29, 2004

Dd,

I've never seen it happen myself, but I've heard of it happening from others. In fact, I think a while back there was a post regarding this same subject, and a few people related similar experiences.

I was at Strawberry on Sunday as well. We were on the west side over by Haw's Point. How did ya do? We caught 9 in a little over 4 hours, so it wasn't red hot, but at least we didn't get skunked either. Wished I could've seen what you did. That definitely would've been something to remember.

EG

"You're welcome at my fire anytime!"

DallanC · Sep 29, 2004

Yup, it happens.

Eagles kill alot of young lambs from sheep herds. They can also kill smaller deer.

-DallanC

cascade · Sep 29, 2004

I have seen it happen, couldn't believe it. The eagle came down on a mature doe and its yearling. It got its talons into the yearly and picking it up. Probably got it 10 yards in the air before it became to heavy and dropped her. I wish that I had gotten a picture of it!

264Magnum · Sep 29, 2004

about 5 years ago i was in az unit 9 watching antelope and saw a golden eagle actually carry off an antelope fawn. i was with my uncle and some friends of his and we all just stood there and stared in disbelief. one of the coolest things i've ever seen.

tallbuck1 · Sep 29, 2004

Well Not only did I witness 5 haggard (adult) eagles kill and eat off an buck antelope for two days, but I have a buddie in Wyoming that has been hunting with eagles on Coyotes and foxes the past 10 years. The are a very fun to hunt with and are very aggresive. He harvests over 50 head of both species every year. I have another buddie up in Idaho that hunts his eagle on foxes and pheasants.

So it does not suprise me. You had a chance to witness one of mother natures most versitle prediators!!!

Tallbuck1

One Bad Day Hunting
is better than a good day
at WORK!

RELH · Sep 29, 2004

Old time hunters, like Elmer Keith, had a strong dislike for eagles due to them killing off the fawns of big horn sheep. In those days they would kill the eagles. This was before there were laws protecting eagles and they were plentiful.

RELH

dakotakid · Sep 29, 2004

I've seen them run antelope into the dirt before.

Mike

MartinHunter · Sep 29, 2004

Shoot! I almost weight as much as a doe deer! I think I will watch my back when I see an eagle this hunting season, lol. Has anyone ever heard of an eagle carring off a person?

Micahel

GJM · Sep 29, 2004

I also have a few stories about eagles being in the ranching business for 20 yrs before selling out, but no one would beleive them so perhaps another time , but the thing I would like to add is since they banned 1080 and live bait on traps they have definately made a comeback, and they do have an impact just don't ask a game biologist, in my opinion there are too damn many of them, put them on the hunt list with the wolf!

boneaddict · Sep 29, 2004

I absolutely beleive you, in fact on a goat trip my father had one try to pull him off a cliff. The bird made several attempts before finally giving up. I watched one in the spring pull down a deer(weakened), and the deer just gave up and died. I couldn't beleive it.

Chad · Sep 29, 2004

We were just talking about this! My buddy watched a golden try several times to knock down a forked horn muley buck! It would go up and dive down hitting it hard in the back with it's talons in some wide open prairie ground!
And one of my friends lost thier dog when a golden came down right into thier yard and snatched thier border collie right in front of the whole crew that was on lunch break while working cattle that day!

polarbear · Sep 30, 2004

One time at band camp in Alaska, I watched an eagle carry an adult bull moose up to it's nest to feed it's babys! What a sight. I went back a couple of days later to the base of the tree where the eagle nest was and found a huge pile of antlers and skulls on the ground below. It was sweeeeeet! It took me and my buddy 3 days to haul all of the racks out of there. We sold them all on e-bay and made enough to pay for fully guided dall sheep, mt. goat and moose hunts for the both of us!

Eric

Cooter · Sep 30, 2004

Hey PB, I think the combination of morphine (from your surgery) and the Johnny Quest re-runs have taken it's toll... Easy big fella!

Coot

Smiley · Sep 30, 2004

I have a buddy that hunts coyotes with his golden he says that they will go after wolves also .

tallbuck1 · Sep 30, 2004

Whats your buddies name, and what state is he from?

Tallbuck1

One Bad Day Hunting
is better than a good day
at WORK!

kilowatt · Sep 30, 2004

This cat does not seem to be intimidated by the Bald Eagle in this picture. But don't know who won the stare down either.

polarbear · Sep 30, 2004

Morphine is a powerful drug!

Eric

schmalts · Sep 30, 2004

I was video taping 4 muley bucks when out of knowhwere a golden eagle screamed into the picture and took a practice dive at this bucks hear, only inches from acually grabbing it!!!! cool video moment.

Smiley · Oct 1, 2004

LAST EDITED ON Oct-01-04 AT 09:57AM (MST)[p]Idaho , Jim Porter is my buddies name , Jim used to take coyotes in California with his golden and he said that he knew of someone that had an eagle that took a wolf , and that it happens in the wild .
And for those of you that dont know , a golden is much much bigger than a Bald eagle.

Roy · Oct 1, 2004

I watched a goshawk dive from about 150 ft in the air stright down on a huge bull mouse. Carried him right away - Actually I was amazed at the speed and precision - it was just flying along - all I could see was a speck in the sky and all of a sudden - down it came right on the mouse in about 10 inch grass. It dropped so fast and hard that at first I thought it had been shot or something.
ROY

PS - Golden Eagles are responsible for the near extinct status of the jackelope. Apparently they kill them for fun.

losthuntr · Oct 4, 2004

I've seen it on the winter range with fawns, but like you nobody I know believe's me, I even had a daring golden eagle dive at me while I was shed hunting, a couple of years back I was shed hunting later in the spring, after all the snow was gone when I spooked about ten deer across a sage flat, a big bald eagle that was perched on top of one of the cedars dove at at a stragler in the bunch, the deer roled onto its back and started to kick at the diving bird it was one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen

scottyboy · Oct 4, 2004

A few years back, we were headed out to a praire dog town in eastern NM and saw a golden eagle catch and kill a fawn antelope out on a huge flat. The bird was huge compared to the fawn When we went towards the bird, he took off with the fawn and we watched him carry it till he went out of sight.

On another ocassion, we were down in Sanderson, TX muley hunting on a friends ranch right on the border. I kept noticing a ton of eagles around the area. My buddy insisted that they would kill kid goats. I really did'nt pay that much attention to him about it until we got back to the ranch house and he showed me a pic of a golden with a damned near full grown goat on the top of a telephone pole!
Quite a pic for sure......

Scottyboy