A Fierce Hunter.

WHO NEEDS A SHOTGUN? EAGLES RARELY MISS.

BOKONBAYEVA, KYRGYZSTAN

The fiercest and most successful hunter in these parts, heir to a tradition that stretches back many centuries, does not use a rifle or a bow and arrow. His weapon is a magnificent golden eagle who is also his intimate friend.

"We've been together more than 30 years," the hunter, Sulaymanbekov Kutuldu, says as he gently strokes the eagle's breast. "He loves me, and he knows I love him. We understand each other perfectly."

Eagles are used for hunting nowhere in the world except in Kyrgyzstan and in some parts of neighboring Kazakhstan. Altogether, about 100 men still hunt with what they call the "god of birds." Kutuldu, 65, is one of a handful of acknowledged masters. During a normal four-month hunting season, he and his eagle bag 50 or 60 foxes, a dozen badgers, a couple of lynx, and 4 or 5 wolves.

"Wolves are very smart, very hard to Catch," he says. "But eagles are superstrong and aggressive. Eagles aren't afraid of anything. They'll fight a fox, a wolf, even a man."

Most of the birds, which have a life span of about 40 years, are caught when very young. Once captured, the eagle is deprived of food and placed in a cage with a perch that sways constantly, so the bird cannot rest. Finally, the hunter begins to feed and stroke it, and the weakened creature comes to rely on its master. Eagles who take to the training display intense loyalty, and always return after killing their prey.

On hunting days, Kutuldu rises before dawn for a breakfast of yak meat and fermented mare's milk. Then they set out together, Kutuldu on his horse, wearing an ankle-length velvet cloak to protect him against the winds that sweep down from nearby mountains. The eagle, nearly four feet tall, perches on his leather-gloved arm.

When Kutuldu spots a fox, he shouts a command, and the eagle takes off. Eagles rarely fail to catch their prey. They usually kill it quickly by breaking its neck with their powerful claws. The only game animal in the region that they cannot overpower is the ibex, a large mountain sheep. But Kutuldu's eagle has killed several by pushing them off mountain ledges.

"There are secrets to understanding an eagle's mentality," he says. "But I don't give them away." He says he might teach them to his eldest son, who is now 20, but not anytime soon. For now, the son hunts only with falcons, something Kutuldu would never lower himself to do.

"Out of the question," he says. "I'm too much of a hunter to use a puny little falcon."