Berkutchi (Hunting with an Eagle)
Berkutchi (hunting with an eagle). Hunting with a golden eagle in Kyrgyzstan is one of the most widespread, beloved, and profitable activities.
Golden eagles are primarily used to hunt predatory and fur-bearing animals—foxes, wolves, hares, marmots, and other small animals and rodents that cause significant harm to agriculture.
How much effort, skill, and courage are required to extract a young eagle from a nest located on nearly inaccessible cliffs, tame it, raise it, and make the freedom-loving eagle serve humans!
Usually, an older rider with a majestic and proudly sitting golden eagle on his arm slowly moves across the field or along a mountain path, scanning for prey. Suddenly, the keen ear of the hunter catches a small rustle in the bushes, or he notices a fleeting shadow. The hunter quickly removes the tomogo (the cap on the eagle's head), the eagle quickly looks around, flaps its wings, and..., having spotted the prey from above, flies down toward it. In an instant, the eagle seizes the prey, sinking its sharp and powerful talons into it. Resistance is futile—the eagle bends the body of its victim with its strong legs.
Sometimes, when hunting a strong predator or animal (wolf, ibex), the eagle, having caught the prey with one foot, will cling to the nearest object (bush, etc.) with the other foot; in such cases, it sometimes happens that the eagle, unwilling to release its prey or unable to unclasp its talons, itself suffers defeat.
A trained golden eagle can serve a hunting falconer for 10, 12, and in skilled hands sometimes up to 20 years. During this time, a bond is established not only between the person and the bird but often a touching friendship.
A captured golden eagle is not a prisoner but a friend and helper of the hunter. Ask such a bird lover to sell it, and you will see how he frowns and replies that friends are not for sale. Praise the eagle, and you will see how the owner smiles warmly and gently strokes the bird's feathers, saying a few heartfelt warm words to it.
The famous hunting with golden eagles in Kyrgyzstan has earned deserved fame and honor for this national sport. Hunting with a golden eagle, besides its sporting significance, has practical importance in Kyrgyzstan, as the main fur-bearing animal hunted by the eagle is the valuable Tian Shan fox.
...The golden eagle is one of the largest eagles. Its wingspan reaches 2 to 2.5 meters. Very agile in flight, brave, strong, and possessing remarkable eyesight, it almost infallibly captures its prey.
Even today, despite the widespread availability of firearms, hunting with golden eagles remains a beloved and one of the most popular forms of national sport.
