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Posts: 25
| So I was out last Saturday casting a Bobbie bait. Mostly uneventful until a bald eagle (previously unnoticed) swooped down from very close by right as the lure hit the water. I quickly jerked (sending the lure down) as the eagle opened up it's wings and talons came out. It somehow managed to grab the lure and take off, getting about 10 feet up. I am of course screaming at this thing with a million thoughts going through my head (mostly terrifying images of the possibility of dealing with an eagle full of musky hooks). I gave it a little jerk and the eagle dropped it, only to have another eagle (also previously unseen) leave its nearby perch to take a shot at it (this one missed my now lightning fast retrieve).
Both eagles circled and returned to their tree, completely unharmed.
So my question is this....what would be the move IF it had been hooked? Cut the line? Follow it? What if it was hooked and then fell into the drink? Would you try to get it in the boat?
What authorities should be called? Would a person who accidentally hooked a bald eagle be in trouble?
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Posts: 8780
| Not sure how you would manage it when fishing alone, but you have to cover their eyes with a towel or something. Then it's just a matter of unhooking them. If they can't see, you are much safer from talons and sharp beaks. I wouldn't cut the line, as their chance for survival would be slim with a big muskie bait hooked to them. We've done this in Florida with commorants, pelicans, and the occasional seagull. It really takes two people - one to cover the offender and hold on to it, and another to remove the hooks. Once you are done, best bet is to release the bird in one quick motion, and get as far away from it as you can as fast as you can. In a boat, that may not be so easy. The birds we've released all just sat there for a minute, and then flew off without incident, but we did wind up pretty well covered in bird poop. I think that's par for the course with any animal you handle - the first thing they do is rid themselves of any extra weight they are carrying. Maybe being lighter makes for a quicker escape? As for calling authorities? Hmm. Might be worth a call to the DNR just to tell them what happened. I can't imagine you would get in trouble for hooking one, or doing what you could to get it unhooked and released.
Edited by esoxaddict 10/10/2012 2:19 PM
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Posts: 13
| I have no clue for the legal issues but just from experience with a seagull, blue heron and a cormorant, I would never want to tangle with an eagle.
If hooked they have little power to fly against a line of any strength and they end up in the drink quick and then it is all wings and water!
Great story though! |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | You would not get in trouble if you reported it to the DNR.
You do need to cover their head. But if you don't feel confident, cut the line and call the DNR and give them as good of a description of where the eagle was last seen.
I've been on a couple of golden eagle calls and they aren't a bird to mess with. |
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