Golden Eagles
#6488441
03/12/19 02:44 AM
03/12/19 02:44 AM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,759 east TN, USA
harleydparts
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,759
east TN, USA
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Anybody have any pictures or stories of Golden Eagles? I've only seen them twice in 36 years of traveling the country. Once in Montana on a deer carcass with 3 Bald Eagles around it, I was blown away just how much bigger a Golden is than a Bald Eagle. Once in Oregon on the Columbia River, that one was fighting with 2 bald eagles, watched it flip upside down, kinda do a backwards air brake thing and grab one, flipped back over, dropped it and I watch the bald eagle flutter and flap into the river. The other bald eagle got real aggressive and the golden eagle seemed to increase its efforts to run from it! I thought they both had it wrong.
Not as bad as I could be, not as good as I should be.
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488491
03/12/19 06:59 AM
03/12/19 06:59 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086 SEPA
Lugnut
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086
SEPA
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I saw one a couple of months ago on a deer carcass. I pulled in to a turn around on one of the farms I trap. Somebody had dumped a partially butchered deer. It was huge! I had plenty off time to take a pic with my cell phone as it flew about 150 yards to a tree line but was so amazed I forgot all about it.
I had seen a bald eagle on a different deer carcass ten miles away earlier that morning. A bald eagle and a golden eagle in one day, I should have played the lottery.
The golden eagle was only the third or fourth I've ever seen around here.
Eh...wot?
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488517
03/12/19 07:58 AM
03/12/19 07:58 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325
Northern MN
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We have them. A couple winters ago I had a deer carcass out front on the ice and in short order dead of winter there were a dozen bald eagles on it. Two of us were watching the bait and after a couple hours those eagles suddenly parted off it and a golden landed and hopped on into that bait like he owned it. All others stood to the side, none tried to eat.
Most interesting in eastern Montana I was shooting on a spread and the ranchers son came to pick me up after a morning walk. We were coming along a ridge and saw 4 antelope on a flat down below us. They took off but not because of us, we thought coyote and got out and watched as a golden came down and hit the last one. He flapped up and soon a second swooped down and hit the same goat. That one pulled up and the other hit again. I saw the goat stumble after a few hits then down and I'm not sure but after 8 whacks or so that antelope stayed down with an eagle on it then the other joined. The ranchers son said that wasn't uncommon bit I sure wish I had a video of that antelopes death. Wicked birds.
Osky
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488518
03/12/19 07:58 AM
03/12/19 07:58 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404 MT
snowy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404
MT
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Anybody have any pictures or stories of Golden Eagles? I've only seen them twice in 36 years of traveling the country. Once in Montana on a deer carcass with 3 Bald Eagles around it, I was blown away just how much bigger a Golden is than a Bald Eagle. Once in Oregon on the Columbia River, that one was fighting with 2 bald eagles, watched it flip upside down, kinda do a backwards air brake thing and grab one, flipped back over, dropped it and I watch the bald eagle flutter and flap into the river. The other bald eagle got real aggressive and the golden eagle seemed to increase its efforts to run from it! I thought they both had it wrong. I see them almost daily. As far as size goes actually the bald eagle is a little bit larger then the golden. The air show you descripted resembles their mating ritual. Not sure you ever seen the golden mating ritual but it is an amazing thing to watch. I have seen it about 4 times and is a priceless air show. On a carcass both will feed at the same time but the golden always seems to me to have more control and will be more aggressive from my observations. Two year ago in the late spring I watched a nest they had along a creek where absolutely nothing could get to that nest but them. It was in a very unique place. I don't have any pictures but I will take a look today to see if I can see if a pair is around that old nest area.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: M.Magis]
#6488540
03/12/19 08:46 AM
03/12/19 08:46 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404 MT
snowy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404
MT
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We had one on the farm here in Ohio a couple winters ago. I didn't realize what it was at first. Both it and a bald eagle were trying to eat a coon carcass, I couldn't understand what would be so much bigger than the bald eagle. If you research both birds the bald is actually a bigger bird, is what they say. They should of laid their egg's right about now.
Last edited by snowy; 03/12/19 08:50 AM.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488546
03/12/19 08:53 AM
03/12/19 08:53 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325
Northern MN
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They may say that, but the one on my bait pile was far and away bigger than any in the gathering of Eagles on my bait. All were mature balds but that golden was significantly bigger. On the open flat that day I had no size comparison but they sure dwarfed the antelope doe, she at maybe 60-70 pounds.
Osky
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488570
03/12/19 09:27 AM
03/12/19 09:27 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404 MT
snowy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,404
MT
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Saskfly ^ Yep, the experts have the bald as larger (do the research) and I'm with you very little difference in size as long as you compare age to age of birds and sex. Lol I have seen many with both on carcasses and really would have to look to see any different in size, but what ever.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488573
03/12/19 09:28 AM
03/12/19 09:28 AM
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 849 Washington
wildflights
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 849
Washington
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Had one take a close look at my 35 lb. springer spaniel while pheasant hunting. Turned and did a low flyby while we worked an old fence line.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. -Gustav Mahler
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: snowy]
#6488608
03/12/19 10:08 AM
03/12/19 10:08 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,693 S.E. Ohio
M.Magis
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,693
S.E. Ohio
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We had one on the farm here in Ohio a couple winters ago. I didn't realize what it was at first. Both it and a bald eagle were trying to eat a coon carcass, I couldn't understand what would be so much bigger than the bald eagle. If you research both birds the bald is actually a bigger bird, is what they say. They should of laid their egg's right about now. I don't know, this was the only one I've ever seen. But I've seen a lot of bald eagles and they're a big bird. But the golden was considerable bigger.
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488739
03/12/19 12:31 PM
03/12/19 12:31 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086 SEPA
Lugnut
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086
SEPA
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We had one on the farm here in Ohio a couple winters ago. I didn't realize what it was at first. Both it and a bald eagle were trying to eat a coon carcass, I couldn't understand what would be so much bigger than the bald eagle. If you research both birds the bald is actually a bigger bird, is what they say. They should of laid their egg's right about now. I don't know, this was the only one I've ever seen. But I've seen a lot of bald eagles and they're a big bird. But the golden was considerable bigger. I’ve done the research and it is inconclusive. Some sites say the golden eagle is the largest bird of prey in North America. Other sites say the bald eagle is bigger. Still other sites say they are virtually the same. The golden eagle I saw a couple of months ago on the deer carcass was considerably bigger than any bald eagle I’ve ever seen and they ( bald eagles) are not uncommon around here. Here are a couple of pictures of an immature bald eagle I saw last week. He was hopping up-and-down and clawing at the ice. There must’ve been something frozen in the ice that he was trying to get.
Eh...wot?
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488762
03/12/19 01:08 PM
03/12/19 01:08 PM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325 Northern MN
Osky
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9,325
Northern MN
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Lugnut on some lakes here the eagles scrape for minnows icefisherman toss out. As do coyotes.
Some books say lynx are larger than bobs. Books say bobs range up to 40 pounds, here and other places they go well over 40. Experts are wonderful but there are always exceptions in nature, and many variables come into play.
Osky
"A womans heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth, and I can find no sign on it" Jabless in Minnesota www.SureDockusa.com
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Re: Golden Eagles
[Re: harleydparts]
#6488779
03/12/19 01:37 PM
03/12/19 01:37 PM
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 3,077 Wyoming
cmcf
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 3,077
Wyoming
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We have a lot of both here. Most amazing video I've ever seen was a golden landing on a fawn's head. The bird mantels until the fawn stopped kicking, then it straightened up picked out its flight plan (downhill) and flew off with the fawn swinging from it's talons. It was definitely gaining altitude when it flew out of sight. Don't remember the program, probably Nat Geo. The narrator said it was the only film footage of its kind. I've always believed golden eagles were the larger of the two. Any yeah they will definitely shred an animal that is caught, I've lost a few that way.
“The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined” B. Disraeli
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