Posted on 06/04/2021 1:08:26 AM PDT by nickcarraway
In April, Rocky Matthews started finding dead lambs on his farm near Murtaugh Lake. At first, Matthews thought someone had killed the animals with a pellet gun.
The animals all had puncture wounds the circumference of a No. 2 pencil.
It wasn’t until he saw an eagle attack his flock that he realized the true culprit.
A large eagle nest has existed on his property for more than 20 years, but the birds have never affected his farming operations. Currently, the nest is home to two adults and at least two babies.
“They’ve never crossed paths till this year,” he said.
Since the first death, Matthews has lost an estimated $7,500 in revenue from 54 dead lambs.
“The damage under the hide is a hundredfold from what you see on the exterior,” Matthews said.
Eagles causing a stir
A pair of bald eagles nest with their young May 28 near Murtaugh Lake.
In one day, Matthews lost seven lambs.
“I truly think he was just honing his skills because you don’t kill seven of them out of need, ” he said of the eagle.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional wildlife biologist Lyn Snoddy said eagles strike from above and use their talons to grab the animals. In this process, they can sever internal arteries and wait for the animal to bleed out.
Eagles’ primary food is fish, Snoddy said, but they have been known to prey on smaller mammals.
Matthews says he thinks the water in Murtaugh Lake took longer to warm up this spring, meaning fewer carp in the lake were available to the eagles. This could have forced the birds to find alternative food sources.
The situation is unusual because the nest is located just above a pasture. Eagle-related livestock deaths don’t happen in large enough numbers to cause alarm, Snoddy said.
Eagles are protected by multiple federal laws, including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Penalties for killing a bald eagle can reach a maximum $100,000 fine and one year in prison for a first offense by an individual. The penalty increases for organizations and second offenses become a felony.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. Fish and Game directed Matthews to Idaho Wildlife Services, a program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The program works to resolve wildlife conflicts between people and wildlife, according to its website.
A representative from Wildlife Services came out to the Matthews farm and performed a necropsy, a study of an animal’s body after death.
To protect his animals, Matthews had two options. He could apply for a Federal Migratory Bird Depredation permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or he could move his animals to another pasture. This hazing permit provides short-term relief until long-term nonlethal measures can be taken. The depredation permit costs $100 and allows the harassment of birds causing depredation or damage to crops, livestock and private property.
Harassment includes loud noises, pyrotechnics, propane cannons, scarecrows, dogs and trained raptors, according to the permit application.
Migratory bird permit specialist Mandy Lawrence said her office hasn’t received any depredation permit requests for eagle-related livestock issues in Idaho in 2021.
The permit process takes 30 to 60 days, but it can be expedited in emergency situations, Lawrence said.
Matthews chose to move his sheep instead of waiting for a hazing permit.
“In 45 days, I’ll be out of sheep,” Matthews said.
He also worried about the eaglets’ survival if he attempted to scare the parents away.
Plan A was to move all the livestock closer to his barn — which worked for a few days until the eagles killed again. He moved the younger lambs to a different pasture, but the eagles then went after older sheep on his property. The dead animals ranged from 12 to 80 pounds.
Matthews and his wife, Becca, filled out the paperwork and, if approved, they will get paid 75% of the market value of the livestock.
“In our mind, doing the right thing is just trying to wait it out,” he said.
Compensation for his losses could come from the USDA Farm Service Agency Livestock Indemnity Program. This program pays farmers for livestock deaths that exceed normal mortality and are caused by adverse weather or attacks from animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government.
Although the eagles have cost him money, Matthews says they are cool birds who don’t know any better.
He should build one of them big electric windmill thingys in his field. He could probably get a Biden subsidy to do it and it would take care of the eagles.
He just needs to install a wind turbine on his property. Problem solved the “green way”.
Bathe the lambs in carolina reeper pepper jucie. After the 1st 2 sheep, the eagles will move on.
Apex predators will act like apex predstors.
Eagles knock off mountain climbers too : )
Save the eagles by feeding them lemmings, and leave the sheep to the coyotes.
I have a Great Pyrenees on my property. He is on patrol 24/7 and loves his job. Early one morning I saw him actually run down a Coyote, grab the predators hind quarter on a full run, and literally throw him in the air about 25 feet over a fence. Haven't heard or seen one Coyote yelling at night or in the early morning since that incident. My Pry is a three year old, a mere 126 lbs., and runs like a small horse. He is also very alert to large birds that fly over the property.
Eagles will pick up floaters. When fishing on a lake we would sometimes catch fish that could not be released with any chance of survival. Nearby eagles would immediately swoop in and take the fish back to the nest.
I have a girl that is 110 lbs and a boy that is 150! They are very protective of their herd 🙂 but also very sweet towards humans. My boy reminds me of a horse when he runs too, I pick up his paws to trim his nails the same way I would a horse, lol.
We had some neighbor kids that would ride a 4-wheeler up and down the fence line and taunt them when they were puppies. I asked them to stop, they didn’t, and then I talked to their parents... still went on. We ended up installing a privacy fence along that line. I was worried the pups would scale the fence and a kid would get hurt, and also that the taunting would make the dogs mean. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. My other neighbor has very sweet kids who bring them treats so they like kids now
Thanx, I did not know that.
There are eagles in the woods. For some people, the eagles are easy to see. Others don’t see them at all. Some people say the eagles are tame. Others say they’re vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who’s right, isn’t it smart to be as strong as the eagles? If there are eagles?
I wonder if putting spiked collars on the sheep would work?
Birds share the taste sensory with mammals, but lack the pain receptor for Capsaicin in peppers. Parrots often have hot peppers in their mix of dry snack foods.
Eagles lack an interest in what a parrot finds tasty, but probably will not be deterred by the Carolina Reeper, leastwise the initial talon attack.
Properly sized small-ring chain mail should be proof against talons. That was one of the first armor developed against slashing weapons. With cloth or leather underlayment, it decreased impact injuries also.
On the river we fish on when we are near the eagles nest we will throw out any dead fish we have up stream from the nest… the eagle will launch from the nest and have a look at the morsel and then make a run on it with its talons outstretched and snatch the fish and return to its nest. Quite awesome to watch and record a video of the action.
My dad had an old crank telephone he used for lots of things from fishing to breaking the neighbors dog from peeing on his tires.
Wish I could use it on the chickens/cats around here :P
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