THE EAGLE HUNTING OF CENTRAL ASIA

Central Asia is the birthplace of the ancient tradition of eagle hunting. The nomads who roamed the Central Asian steppes began to tame these birds of prey thousands of years ago and this tradition is still passed on from generation to generation. It was fundamental for the acquisition of food and furs in the harsh winter months.
Nowadays, this form of hunting isn’t essential anymore in the survival of the people and the tradition of eagle hunting is now slowly disappearing. Kyrgyzstan(I took this pic in Bokonbaevo, on the Issyk-Kol Lake) is one of the few countries that still follow some traditions of the nomadic civilization and there are a handful of expert hunters left to this day who are determined to keep this ancient practice alive.
Falconry is often associated with hawks and falcons. The Kyrgyz hunters consider these birds to be for amateurs. Instead, they train golden eagles. They call this eagle the bird of God and prefer to hunt with them as they are the most intelligent, powerful and lethal hunters on the planet and can kill hares, foxes, lynxes and even wolves. 
The golden eagle is called berkut in Kyrgyz and is named after the golden feathers at the back of its head. The hunters are called befrkutchi and are seen as the guardians of the nomadic hunting traditions. They’ve always been highly respected in the Kyrgyz society and the hunting was an indispensable part of the nomadic life as it provided enough food and fur for a whole village during the harsh winters.