This week I'll be reviewing "The Last Wolf Hawker" by Martin Hollingshead

Author: Martin Hollinshead
Subject: Friedrich Remmler, an early 20th-century German falconer and adventurer
Publisher: Fernhill Press (published in 2006)







Synopsis - The Last Wolf Hawker is a 2006 biographical book about Friedrich Remmler, written and translated by Martin Hollinshead. It explores the history of golden eagle falconry and Remmler's pioneering work training eagles to hunt large game in the 1930s.Eagle Falconry: Documents how Remmler was inspired by Kazakh eagle hunters to fly golden eagles at large quarry.Historical Context: Details the struggles and methods of early Western practitioners attempting to integrate golden eagles into modern falconry

My review - this is a very interesting book and a fun read, the author writes well and the stories flow enough to not make it boring. Remmler started out hunting with hounds in th elate 1800's and his father had falcons and small hawks. His uncle work in the oil fields in Kirzghz where the people like those in Mongolian are famous eagle hunters, but even in Remmlers time the eagle hunter eventually started to decline west of China and Mongolia. He trained his eagles one named Odin in particular to hunt hares and foxes, he preferred to hunt fox (my kind of guy). He invented various roosts to hunt then from both on horseback and standing supporting the roost with a strap and brace on the hip as the eagles get heavy while waiting for game. His son helped him with the eagles, though the son had an eagle Louthi that HATED Remmler and would attack him any time it saw him on a hunt.

By far the best hunt is for wolf on an island in the Arctic ocean, I believe they got 3 or 4 wolves on the island. He developed eagle shed for housing his eagles, the book also covers training and food for the eagles. A very little know book about a scare subject, as most eagle hunting is known form Mongolia not Europe.

I do highly recommend this book if you enjoy obscure hunting and a time long passed. It is scarce 1000 copies an only seen 2 copies for sale in 10 years, and it snot cheap.

Next week tiger hunting

Mike

Thanks for sharing, very neat

Thank you. The most interesting thing is there was/is eagle falconry which is something
I did not know. I had considered falconry at one time in my life but you have to be extremely dedicated to the sport.