Hunting with catching birds

Some time ago Kazakh people thought that the best present for a Kazakh teenage boy was a nestling of a Golden eagle. For steppe people a Golden eagle has always been a symbol of courage honour and independence. People believed that if a main turned the nestling of a Golden eagle into a good hunter then he would be awarded with all those qualities listed above. The ancient kind of national hunting is more than thousand years old. Hunters are called Kusbegi or Berkutchi. As it is known, Kazakh used 8 kinds of birds for hunting, such as eagles, falcons, hawks, but the most preferred one was and still is a Golden eagle – the cleverest, powerful, martial and perspicacious bird. The span of its wings is sometimes up to two and a half or three meters and the weight is 7 kilograms. In all times it was extremely difficult to get a nestling from this proud bird. Golden eagles tend to make their aeries high in the mountains on the unapproachable rocks. It is not easy to find them and people spend years to find these aeries. Golden eagles have become a very rare kind of bird and subsequently more cautions. Having found a nestle a hunter sometimes wants for more than a day to take a nestling from it. Adult birds are ready to due to stand up for their nestlings. It is very important who will be the first person to take the Goldens eagle’s nestling into his hands. This person exactly will become the owner of the nestling. The Golden eagle will obey only this person and will give a caught booty only to him ….

The Colden eagle’s training is a refined art. It needs a tolerance, knowledge of special methods and also endurance and physical strength. The experience of Golden eagle’s training was passed through generations. A caught bird is gradually accustomed to its owner as soon as the bird got accustomed to its owner and is able to make the main commands it is taught hunting mastering. Hunters usually use the scarecrows of hares, wolves and foxes. The training of these birds lasts for several years. The success depends not only on ingenuity of the Golden eagle but also on the training mastering talent of its owner.

One of the leading roles plays the personal relationships between the bird and owner. Golden eagles have a high self-respect and never forgive unfair and strict attitude towards them. If they are taught very well they are devoted to their owners till the end of their days. People hunt with Golden eagles usually at plain or hilly places. The hunting takes place in winter-time. Having tracked down the booty berkutchi keeping his bird on his hand lets his horse at a gallop.On the move he takes off tomata from bird’s hend (tomata is a special leather cap) and throws it up, an experienced bird which took part in hunting many times, is able to catch the booty in a minute.