Posted on 07/03/2016 8:42:50 AM PDT by This_far
RUSH CITY, Minn. (WCCO) — It’s the Fourth of July weekend, so it’s fitting to hear a story about an eagle rescued by a veteran.
Earlier this week, Jason Galvin and his neighbors noticed an eagle dangling from a tree near Rush City. Its leg was caught in a piece of rope that was wrapped around a branch, about 70 feet off the ground.
“I thought it was dead at the time,” Jason said. “I took a closer look with binoculars and saw that the head was moving, and I knew it was very much alive.”
Jason and his wife Jackie called the police, the fire department and the DNR.
“Everyone had the same answer,” Jackie said. “They had known about the eagle there for 2 1/2 days and they couldn’t do anything. Safety measures were compromised. It was a liability issue.”
Jackie says he thought the story might end there, but it didn’t.
“I said, we’re probably just going to have to let it be there,” she said. “He just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” said Jason.
Jackie begged her husband — an army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan — to shoot the four inches of rope that were holding the eagle.
“At a certain point I was like, ‘You know what? It’s going to die. I’ve got to get that thing out,'” Jason said.
After getting the go-ahead from the DNR, Jason grabbed his .22 long rifle, bellied up to the back of his truck, and went to work using his own eagle eye to attempt an unlikely rescue.
“It was weird shooting in the direction of a bald eagle,” Jason said. “I was very nervous. I didn’t want to hit that bird.”
Battling leaves, branches, the wind and a mid-afternoon sun, Jason took shot after shot trying to break through the branch and the rope. He never thought he’d use his military training for something like this. His persistence paid off as the branch, the rope and the eagle all came free.
“It took an hour and a half and 150 shots. I had to bust down and expose the rope and chip away,” Jason said.
“We watched it fall into the branches. It was a perfect fall,” Jackie said.
A neighbor and a conservation officer helped wrap the eagle in a blanket, and it was taken to the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. It’s expected to survive.
“The neighbors nicknamed it Freedom. It was up to us to free it. It’s Fourth of July weekend, so Freedom’s the name,” Jason said.
The DNR officer on scene said Jason was so good that he basically hit the same spot every time.
If the eagle recovers in the next few weeks it will go back to where it was found. If it takes longer, it will go to a nature center first where older eagles can teach it how to hunt.
I remember when the libs used to say... if it saves one (whatever)
That’s awesome!
I hope the feds don’t find an obscure regulation by which they can nail him to the wall. Shooting in the general direction of a bald eagle may carry a mandatory sentence of 20 years or something. Unless you’re a Muslim. Or homosexual. Or an illegal immigrant. Or a Democrat.
I saw this story on our local news last night. Cool story. But I wondered last night, “Doesn’t this guy have a high powered rifle that he could have used to chip away at the larger branches?” Apparently he used the .22 like a surgical tool, which is also pretty amazing.
Never Tie Up Freedom
Yes, it was a 22 (probably Long).
Can’t find the local story online/report which reported he shot over a 100 rounds.
(thus my comment to Cuomo... how many buwetts)
A couple of earlier threads if anyone would care to read the comments..
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3445690/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3445655/posts
Gun control is a steady hand and a beady eye
It’s not wise to shoot into a tree with a high-powered rifle if you have neighbors nearby. .22 LR is bad enough.
A couple weeks ago, I freed a bird that had gotten its head stuck in some plastic mesh that was protruding out of the ground. It was hard trying to find the right place to cut with the bird flapping and flopping. While I was doing so, I looked up and there was a fox about 15 feet away, apparently attracted by the bird’s squawking. I think the bird may have been some sort of woodpecker.
Shooting a .22 into the air is dangerous down range, but not nearly the range or danger of high powered rounds...he did real good!!!!!!
It takes awhile to chew away wood with a .22
We have used saplings as targets to see how long it takes to take one down. Longer than you would think.
One story said he used 150 rounds to cut the branch.
He was using a scoped Ruger 10/22
That’s actual a really good point. I suppose if you miss with a 30-06 shooting into the sky, that bullet would still have a lot of go juice a couple miles down range.
What a great story for the fourth, thank you!
In the video that I saw, his wife picks up the ‘branch’ that he shot down. You can easily see the lead marks from the “clip and magazine’ things.
We at least have two days until Rosie O’Donnu’s evaluation.
(I’d actually look forward to the kid that was on Cosby...
IT doesn’t say that it was a bald eagle just an eagle.
Imagine a preemie human baby that could be saved only by similar action.
They wouldn't even let you climb a tree let alone fire shots into the innocent sky.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3445655/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3445690/posts
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