Hunting with dogs has proven to be very productive for humans. In addition to dogs, however, humans have domesticated other animals for the purpose of hunting, to include the birds of prey. The Kyrgyz borzoi, taigan, as one of the strengths of its breed, is highly capable of hunting with domesticated birds. For example, in the case of fox hunts, the taigan and the golden eagle make perfect partners. In Kyrgyzstan the taigan is often paired with eagles, golden eagles, falcons, hawks, and gyrfalcons.

For the joint hunt of taigan and hunting bird, it is necessary to first accustom the two animals to each other, and then to jointly train them. This process is very long and difficult, but way of life of Kyrgyz hunter is suitable for it. The taigan and hunting bird are natural companions, once they concur in food. Such quality is weak in dogs, by way of selection, but hunting birds have highly developed instinct. During training it is necessary to take this into consideration.

Let’s consider the process of training the golden eagle. The eagle either is taken out of the nest when it is young, or an adult bird is caught and domesticated. The first is simpler, especially for the purpose of accustoming to the taigan. If the young eagle is habituated with the taigan, the bird grows not be afraid of the dog. The key is to have the dog present during the feeding of the bird. In the case that the eagle was caught as an adult, then it is first necessary to accustom the bird to humans, and then to the dog. The bird must see that the taigan will not take way its food. Only then, can dog and bird proceed to further training.

People train the golden eagle using stuffed animals, or with the hide of fox, or a hare tied to a long cord. In the process of training, the stuffed animals are drawn on the ground and the eagle is allowed to swoop. After the stuffed animal is caught, the person must act as if freeing the mock animal and hide it, carefully position the bird on his arm guarded by a mitten, and feed the bird meat. During the feeding, the taigan must be in the sight, to show that it is not a threat. The hunter must reinforce this reflex many times. It is necessary that the eagle be trained not to rush to the dog. Initially the dog must be accompanied by a human.

When the eagle successfully completes this first part of the training, now the taigan can be incorporated in to the training. A stuffed animal is hidden in natural cover, such as brush or among rocks. The taigan is allowed to search for this bait and catch it. While the taigan is occupied with its new find, simultaneously another stuffed animal is pulled out of concealment and the eagle is allowed to swoop down. As before, the hunter again frees mock prey and feeds the eagle meat. The meaning of this maneuver is to accustom the eagle to hunt the same game, which the dog drove out.

The next phase of the training is to repeat this method using live game, usually a hare. The taigan is allowed to search an area in which the hunter is positioned to release the hare, and the eagle is allowed to have its victory. For the first time, it is essential to watch the taigan and the eagle, to ensure that they do not injure each other during the excitement of the hunt. Once hunting bonds between the two animals have been nurtured through the pursuit of hares, the pair can gradually begin hunting other games such as foxes and wolfs. The training of falcons and hawks use the same methods.

I especially miss many nuances of taming and training hunting birds, because this is a very difficult process, which requires experienced mentor. In a short article, it is impossible to share all of my experiences.

The objects of joint hunts between taigan and eagles are hares, foxes, wolfs, jackals, sometimes roe dee. For the pair of taigan and hawk, people hunt for hares and also pheasants. With the gyrfalcon people hunt for hares, pheasant and duck.

The hunter who wants to train a taigan with hunting bird must understand that this partnership will last for many years. If the hunter is not sure how long he wants to hunt in this manner, then such training is unnecessary and should not be undertaken. In such case, it will be better and simpler to hunt with either dog or hunting bird alone. And generally these types of hunts, by themselves, are exceptionally fascinating. Hunting with the taigan alone, by horseback. Or the golden eagle and the hunt for the fox. But especially the hunt for fox by horse with taigan and eagle.