How to Train your Eagle – Part 1 : Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Portrait of a Kazakh eagle hunter and his hooded golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Jakslak and his Eagle
Jakslak, one of four sons in a family of semi-nomadic Kazakh eagle hunters, bears the scars of hunts gone wrong.

“A fast horse and a soaring eagle
are the wings of a nomad.”

–Kazakh proverb

The animals in Western Mongolia are as wild as the landscape: the horses are unruly and the hunting eagles are never fully tame. I suspect that the ethnic Kazakhs who live there prefer it that way.

The Kazakhs are descendants of medieval Turkic and Mongol tribes who formed a unique identity between 1456 and 1465. They were always semi-nomadic wanderers on the steppes, reliant on their livestock: sheep, Bactrian camels and horses; for transportation, clothing and food. 

Over the years – and for various reasons (see: At Home with the KazakhsNurguli, Eagle Huntress) – large numbers of Kazakhs crossed the Altai Mountains from Kazakhstan into Bayan-Ölgii Province in the western corner of Mongolia. High in the mountain plateaus that nestle along the borders of China and Russia, the customs and traditions of the 90,000-or-so ethnic Kazakhs that live here have changed little in hundreds of years. Nominally Sunni Muslims, they also pay reverence to the sky, ancestors, fire and supernatural good- and evil-spirits. Although Mongolian is taught at school, it is a second language for most people in the province who speak their own Turkic Kazakh at home. They rely on their clan and their herds, living a pastoral-nomadic lifestyle, complete with their age-old tradition of hunting with eagles.

Training a golden eagle (or, more rarely, another raptor) in the timeless Kazakh traditions is passed down through generations. In the family where I was staying –  with Mongolian guides G and Segi of Shaman Tours, photographers Jeffrey Chapman and Winslow Lockhart from Within the Frame, and several other travellers – the patriarch Sarkhad was an award-winning eagle hunter. Two of his four sons had followed in his footsteps, and these three men were guiding Sarkhad’s young granddaughter in the art of eagle hunting (see: Nurguli, Eagle Huntress).

Becoming a burkitshi, a Kazakh eagle hunter, takes strength, endurance, patience, and of course, a love of these beautiful raptors. Commentators who have spent time with these burkitshi remark on the affinity they have with their birds. The hunters find an eagle nest – high in the mountains – and capture a young female bird from under her parents’ watchful eyes. The bird is then hooded, tethered and hand reared: “The first rule in training an eagle to hunt is to treat it with respect and gentleness like it is a baby.” The trainer talks, sings, and croons to the hooded bird to get it used to his or her voice, and to keep it calm and happy. Although the birds are restrained between hunts, they could easily fly away when released, or attack their handlers.

Once the birds are old enough, the hunters – on foot or on specially trained horses – take the eagles high onto a ridge or hill and teach them to come when called and to catch prey and give it to their masters. The key here is repetition. Lots and lots of repetition.

The Kazakhs hunt in winter when the pelts of the furred animals they are seeking – rabbits, marmots, foxes, and even wolves – are lusher. Eagle hunting provides the furs and meat necessary to survive the harsh winters, and animal furs, felts and pelts are an integral part of traditional Kazakh clothing.

The eagles take four to five years to train fully, and are only ever semi-tamed. After about ten years of captivity, they are returned to the wild: the hunter leaves a sheep carcass deep in the mountains, releases the bird and leaves her to fend for herself, find a mate and reproduce.

We were able to tag along as Sarkhad and his two eagle-hunting sons helped 13-year old Nurguli learn how to handle and train her young bird.

It was a learning experience for us as well!

Kazakh Homestead, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Kazakh Homestead
In summer, our Kazakh hosts follow the herds with their portable ger camps; this is their permanent base and winter home: a complex of flat-roofed white-washed mud-brick rooms set behind rocky fences.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Burkitshi – Kazakh Eagle Hunter
Called burkitshi in Kazakh, eagle hunters wear traditionally embroidered clothing and fox fur hats.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter and his golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Razdak and his Eagle
Kazakhs usually choose female eagles because they are much larger and therefore able to catch heavier animals. The eagles are hooded to keep them calm until they are released to catch prey.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter and his golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Razdak and his Eagle
During training, eagle hunters hum, sing, and speak to their birds to imprint their voices on them. They develop an affinity with their eagles, and continue to communicate with them, especially when the birds are hooded.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter and his golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Jakslak and his Eagle
The eagle’s hood – tomaga – is removed in preparation for hunting.

Portrait: Kazakh Eagle Hunter and his golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Jakslak’s Eagle
Those eyes! That beak! These powerful birds have a wingspan of 2.5 meters (8ft) and weigh up to 7 kg (15lbs) when fully grown.

Golden Eagle in Flight, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Golden Eagle in Flight
Soaring at speeds of around 45–52 kilometres per hour (28–32 mph), and diving after prey at around 240 to 320 kilometres per hour (150 to 200 mph), golden eagles are perhaps the best fliers among all raptors.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter with his bird, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad and the Incoming Eagle
It takes balance, strength and a lot of practice to land a seven-kilo (14 lb) incoming eagle.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter with his bird, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

The Eagle has Landed!
The birds are rewarded immediately when they have performed their tasks.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter on Horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Razdak and his Horse
Mongolian ponies are small and feisty; …

Kazakh Eagle Hunter on Horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Razdak Catching his Eagle
… they are also well trained – allowing their rider to catch the incoming eagle.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter horseback with his bird, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Razdak and his Eagle
The praise and reward is immediate, and then the bird is hooded again.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter on Horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Jakslak Waiting for his Eagle
Lots of repetition is the key to good training, and the brothers take turns calling their birds …

Kazakh Eagle Hunter horseback with his bird, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Jakslak and his Eagle
… and catching them on the fly.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter on Horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad on Horseback
Patriarch of the family, Sarkhad wears the traditional long, richly embroidered chapan overcoat …

Portrait: Kazakh Eagle Hunter on Horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad Horseback
… and malakhai – a very warm winter hat with ear-flaps made out of fox fur.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter horseback with his bird, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Horse and Eagle Moving
Another training exercise involves dragging a fox carcass behind the cantering pony for the eagle to catch. (ISO100 70mm f/22 1/30sec)

Golden eagle on a fox carcass, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Eagle and Fox
Again, the bird will be rewarded with fresh meat once she releases the fox. It is said that some birds can bring down prey with no damage to the precious fur.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter and his golden eagle, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad and his Eagle
Sarkhad is indeed master of his eagle and his domain.

Kazakh Eagle Hunters with their birds, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Taking the Eagles Uphill
The next day we head out with the hunters again, as they climb the hills with their eagles – and with a trussed fox that one of the more experienced eagles has just captured.

Kazakh Eagle Family with their birds, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Kazakh Family
The family poses briefly on the rocky hillside before going back to training.

Close up: Rugged Ground, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Rugged Ground
The vegetation is sparse on the rugged slopes.

Kazakh Eagle Hunters in the vast landscape, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Hunters on the Hill
It is a starkly beautiful landscape, with an unforgiving climate, … 

Kazakh Grandfather and Granddaughter on a Hill with their eagles, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Grandfather and Granddaughter on the Hill
… and it gives rise to tough people with some harsh customs.

Muzzled fox on a hillside, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

The Fox
The terrified fox is muzzled and set loose so that the youngest eagle can practice hunting.

As I said – some harsh customs. 

It used to be that the annual Ölgii Eagle Festival included live prey, but tourists found it too distressing, so only pelts are used in competition. There is nothing “romantic” about the traditional lives of the Kazakh nomads!

Text: Take only PicturesBut, it is clear how well they understand their environment, and how much they respect and value the magnificent birds of prey that they have persuaded to help them clothe and feed their families.

It was a real privilege to spend time with them.

Pictures: 28&29Septembery2016

  • I Diamonds - August 10, 2023 - 6:10 pm

    I am interested in learning to be an eagle hunter. Please contact me.ReplyCancel

    • Ursula - August 10, 2023 - 8:03 pm

      If you have read the story, you know I was just a visitor!ReplyCancel

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