We have them in the area but had never seen one on a fence post or pasture. Currently calving but there were no newborns this day. What was he up to?

ETA. I drove up to him on a grass farm road to within about 20 yards before he flew off. A feather came off as he flew. Is it legal to keep an eagle feather?

Beautiful. Likely, watching for small rodents in the field. The post looks like the highest perch in the immediate area. Mine come in and perch on the lower tree branches and pick off the small stuff down the paths including squirrels.

Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

Not an Indian, but I used to drink lots of 101 wild turkey. When he flew off the post, I thought he dropped something out in the pasture but it was this feather.

OnlyForNow said:

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Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

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If you are a legit Native American, what does it take to get a Cultural Use Permit?

Asking for a friend, a very close friend, or three.

If you're kin to Elizabeth Warren, yeah you're good to go.

normaleagle05 said:

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OnlyForNow said:

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Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

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If you are a legit Native American, what does it take to get a Cultural Use Permit?

Asking for a friend, a very close friend, or three.

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Username checks out?

But seriously, I know a place that was looking for Native American folks to come "manage" a few bald eagles they had problems with. I never asked how that works but I know that it is a thing.

Bald eagle wont take a calf but would eat a dead one. They are predators of fish and scavengers of most everything else. They might go after something as large as a housecat but nothing much bigger than that and they really don't hunt terrestrial creatures if they can avoid it. Diet goes:
fish (80-90% of diet)>>>>>>>>>>>>>> carrion>>>birds>>>>>small mammals

SanAntoneAg said:

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If you're kin to Elizabeth Warren, yeah you're good to go.

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Good day, sir!

I have seen them feeding on dead hog carcasses. Hogs I had shot and left in the field. The last time I looked under the nest which is about 6 miles away in a tall pine, there were lots of fish skeletons. And numerous other small bones.

Badace52 said:

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Bald eagle wont take a calf but would eat a dead one. They are predators of fish and scavengers of most everything else. They might go after something as large as a housecat but nothing much bigger than that and they really don't hunt terrestrial creatures if they can avoid it. Diet goes:
fish (80-90% of diet)>>>>>>>>>>>>>> carrion>>>birds>>>>>small mammals

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This is spot on. He was just resting and surveying. Maybe would jump on a rodent if he saw one. They scavenge a lot, even when there is fishable waters. Though they do catch a lot of fish.

Oh, and I'm glad to hear you dropped the feather wheee you found it, officially on a public forum. Maybe it will find its way to the bottom of a lake and adorn some of our firearms that keep falling in.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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normaleagle05 said:

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OnlyForNow said:

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Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

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If you are a legit Native American, what does it take to get a Cultural Use Permit?

Asking for a friend, a very close friend, or three.

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Username checks out?

But seriously, I know a place that was looking for Native American folks to come "manage" a few bald eagles they had problems with. I never asked how that works but I know that it is a thing.

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LOL, not me. My wife has folks on the Cherokee Dawes Roll. Aside from our two kids I'm the only "eagle" she's managing.

You're ok with a Bald Eagle hanging around. I only know of one person personally has their paperwork etc to poses an Eagle Feather, so I would leave it lay.

Golden Eagles and buzzards for sure try to kill a new born calf though.

Have no idea. If you read the BGEPA then it talks a little bit about feather possession.

You can also read the CITES Act. That's also about animal Product trade.

I just know that native Americans are allowed to collect loose feathers for their use in ceremonies.

OnlyForNow said:

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Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

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Keep the feather. If anyone asks, just tell them "this eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine, but someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line."

They like prairie dogs. A client near Dumas had an old center pivot system across the road from his house. The bald and golden eagles loved to perch there and nail prairie dogs from the dog town in the adjoining pasture.

I've seen a group of 7 eagles near a prairie dog town in Randall County

EDIT: meant thumbs up not down

My son had one keeping an eye on his new chickens. He did a little skeet shooting in the area and scared him off. Think the Eagle would try to take a chicken?

If anyone asks you lost that feather in the boating accident - just like all your guns.

My experience with wildlife folks is that they don't want to mess with eagle stuff either. Last time I had an eagle carcass on my place (electrocuted where two high lines crossed), I thought they'd be happy to have it for Indian use.

They didn't come out and say "shovel and shut up", but that was the message I got

Wanna bet? If they can carry off a full sized goat……..

I've seen one pick up a full grown opossum carcass. It could barely get off the ground. Flew about 50 yards with it, and then stopped to eat.

A large hawk will definitely kill chickens opportunistically so I don't see why an eagle wouldn't.

My guess would be an eagle or hawk watching livestock mill around in a field is pretty much taking advantage of them spooking smaller critters into moving or being distracted.

Cue the caracara eating the eyes out of newborn calves posts with zero photographic evidence.

Have a buddy that the Llano river goes through his property. I was fly fishing on a beautiful day when a Bald Eagle swooped down and grabbed a bass that was maybe 2 lbs. One of my favorite outdoor memories. Thanks for getting me to remember it again.

That eagle is probably working over the afterbirth.

My wife is Native American and has a license to keep and possess eagle feathers. It's not that difficult to get the license, just a pain in the rear end. You have to download a form from the National Eagle registry out of Colorado, fill it out and have it signed by the official recognized tribal department that tracks the degree of Indian blood for that tribe. Submit the form back and they will send you a license generally within 4 to 6 weeks. You can also apply to have feathers or carcasses sent to you when the become available from the sanctuary. She has her license but has not received her requested allotment of feathers yet as it is a waiting list. She's been in it for almost 2 years now. For the record, she doesn't care anything about it but I pushed her to do it cause I wanted her to gift one to each of our kids which you can do if they have a CDIB card. None of them care but I think it's cool and hey, why not.

I don't think the OP has to be a Native American to keep the feather. I think that now-a-days all he has to do is "identify" as a Native American, and he's good to go.

We have red tailed and red shouldered hawks in our neighborhood, they let ducks and all the other birds in the area who is boss by calling when circling overhead. All the birds take cover, I have only seen one take a medium size duck (turtles typically get the ducklings) but I have seen them do it.

I have seen a lot more hawks and a lot less rabbits this year, thinking the hawks are going after different game now.

BTW ... They taste like frogs.

Great White Buffalo said:

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BTW ... They taste like frogs.

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Funny that you say that. My old man used to have a saying that went something like, "he was watching her like a bald eagle watches a frog pond"........your post made me laugh out loud. Thanks.

Saw these two this morning near the Illinois river when I was driving out to meet a farmer.

Why is that illegal? Keep people from shooting them?

Here's a pic of one that got in my chicken coop.

I have a bunch of feathers from the pasture that I have in hats and a vase on my mantle. I figure since I didn't turn that hawk into a pink mist, I'll keep all the feathers I damn well please as I find them. Indian license or not.

I even helped him out. By the way, if you havnt seen a bird like this up close, it really makes you carefully evaluate the manner and procedure in aiding his escape. He didn't look like he gave a single **** about my thin skinned arms based on the talons he was sporting. Pretty neat animal.

aTm2004 said:

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OnlyForNow said:

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Negative on the feather, unless your legit Native American and have a cultural use permit.

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Keep the feather. If anyone asks, just tell them "this eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine, but someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line."

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A real special lady gave me this hat pin but I don't know if I'll ever see her again