Army vet rescues bald eagle dangling upside down from a rope tree by mowing down branches w rifle

[Liberal_in_LA]

Army veteran rescues bald eagle dangling upside down from a rope in 75-foot tree by 'mowing down the branches' with his rifle

Army veteran Jason Galvin rescued helpless bald eagle dangling from tree

Eagle had been hanging from the rope in the tree for more than two days

Galvin spent 90 minutes firing 150 shots into tree branches to free bird

The eagle, now named Freedom, is recovering at a rehabilitation center


Neighbors called the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Rush City police and fire departments, but were told there was nothing the agencies could do because of how high the eagle was in the tree.

At one point Galvin joked that he might have to shoot the eagle down and his wife responded by telling him 'that's what you're going to do', according to KARE 11.
Galvin then spent 90 minutes taking nearly 150 shots from a .22 caliber rifle 'while mowing down three branches, and finally the rope, holding up the eagle'.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3671801/Army-veteran-rescues-bald-eagle-dangling-upside-rope-75-foot-tree.html#ixzz4DKUQDtKa
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[linuxman]

1. Fuck yeah.

[tblue37]

2. Poor traumatized creature. I know the man did what he had to to save the eagle,

and I am very glad he rescued it, but can you imagine how the sound of 150 shots would have stressed the already suffering bird?

[Nailzberg]

4. Must have been a traumatizing experiance for the bird. But the end result was rescue.

He'd been up there a couple days, certainly exhausted, tired, hungry, and then there's branches splintering nearby and loud cracks from the rifle down below. But that's one lucky bird.

[JonathanRackham]

5. I have some wildlife rescue friends.

At 25 yards the .22 long rifle cartridge is not that loud. No more annoying than a bad car muffler. They said the stress of the rope entanglement for 48 hours far exceeded the noise.

The good news is eagles and hawks are tough dominant creatures and if it didn't get hurt permanant physically it'll probably be just fine to release.

Personally they'd of called a local tree surgeon or climber to cut down the branch.

Hats off to the vet for doing something most would just stare at.

[Fla_Democrat]

7. My guess is that it was less stressful for the bird

than it is on some people reading about it.

[Nailzberg]

3. This is the most America you can fit into a single news story. I love it.

Its a giant flag-waving frosted cake and I know its just the sugar talking, but I love it.

[underpants]

6. Hell yeah!

[PersonNumber503602]

10. hehee

[Hoyt]

8. Finally, laudable use of a gun. Good work.

[pintobean]

9. That's impossible.

A gun's only purpose is to kill. I keep reading that here, so it has to be true.

[Orrex]

13. Yes, this anecdote cancels out 30,000 annual gun deaths.

[pintobean]

16. Yeah, that was my point.

[Orrex]

18. I know.

[cherokeeprogressive]

36. I wonder if the gun fit CA's new definition of "assault rifle"

Semi with a detachable mag. My .22 semi does and so will require registration as an "assault rifle" and I'm sure; fees.

[PersonNumber503602]

11. What about the pain the tree suffered? I doubt it enjoyed being shot

Just kidding.


Glad the birdie was saved.

[JonathanRackham]

53. Rooting for the tree?

What a sap.

[underahedgerow]

12. They didn't think to call any of the at least half dozen tree trimmers in the Rush City,

and instead.... got to shoot their gun for a couple hours.

I would have called the tree trimmers. Arborists love doing this sort of thing. Not to difficult to don the gear and spikes, shimmy up the tree, secure the cutting end of the branch with a rope, cut the branch and lower the branch and bird to the ground.

Shooting a gun is WAY more fun though.

[Just reading posts]

14. From the story:

Neighbors called the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Rush City police and fire departments, but were told there was nothing the agencies could do because of how high the eagle was in the tree.

[underahedgerow]

17. Yes, and? Like I said they, nor anyone else, thought to call proper tree trimmers

or arborists.

People just not thinking things through I guess. I tend to be very resourceful.

I worked for a major sound studio in Hollywood many years ago, doing administrative stuff. I also spent many years touring with the huge rock and roll shows as a stagehand and electrician. One day, the entire power grid in Hollywood went out, the entire neighborhood was blacked out, and was predicted to be out for several days due to a major fault. I was just a secretary, but no one else but me thought to call in one of the giant power trucks that road shows use to power up outdoor and arena shows. They're generators the size of an 18 wheeler. The building engineer was THRILLED. Within 2 hours that bad boy (Show Power) backed up to the studio and ran those big ass cables to the panel and we were back online, while all the other studios and businesses on the street sat dark, losing millions of bucks.

I literally saved the company a small fortune, and kept many shows on track that week. I was the heeee row!

I just would have called all the tree trimmers I could find and begged them to come help until one said yes. I'm sure someone would have been thrilled to step up and make the news! Great publicity for a tree company, that's for sure! Instead of some guy with a gun.

[MH1]

23. Yeah, that was my first thought, too.

I just don't get why someone didn't think of that.

That said, while I'm no fan of the NRA and their mouthpieces, the guy came up with a creative solution and I'm glad he did. Yeah the gunshots must have been traumatizing for the eagle but no more than the position it was already in, and certainly a lot less bad than a protracted and agonizing death in that position.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. So true.

Last edited Sun Jul 3, 2016, 02:35 PM - Edit history (1)

We had a major storm knock down a tree infront of our house and managed to finally pulled in a tree trimming service. It was a family business and they had hot-shot young hires. After they were done with our tree, the other neighbors kept them busy all morning, paying for them to clean up their trees, including tree limbs that were dangling more than forty feet in the air. That morning I saw some amazing acrobatics as these young men climbed trees and worked without safety ropes.

Didn't even know this wasn't their usual way of doing business until I talked to the wife of the business owner, but, it just goes to show you that, assuming they were near a populated area, they could have pulled in a tree trimmer to do the job.

[XemaSab]

19. Tree trimmers kick ass

I watched a tree being limbed a few months ago, and since the tree was over power lines, they couldn't just drop the branches.

They were able to send the branches down slantways along a rope.

It was impressive.

[pintobean]

24. The gun worked.

Whine about it all you want, but the guy got the job done successfully.

[druidity33]

39. Where'd those bullets land? nt.

[pintobean]

40. For any that didn't stick in the wood

I would guess earth, given the laws of gravity. More specifically, either the woods, or the lake. Not knowing the area, or the trajectory, I don't have any idea which. Since the DNR was there, and approved the operation, I assume it was deemed to be safe.

[druidity33]

43. Well shoot...

I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether any of those bullets happened to have hit some innocent person half a mile away. 150 rounds? If even half of them lodged in the tree that's still 75 points of death raining randomly down onto the earth. Maybe some other bird is now injured because this eagle needed saving (or family dog, cat, livestock)...

[Straw Man]

48. In the tree.

Where'd those bullets land?

At 25 yards with a scoped rifle, there's no reason he shouldn't have hit the branch with every shot. Even ones that didn't lodge directly in the wood would have expended most of their velocity after striking. He is an army veteran with firearms experience, and he mentioned that he had to account for the wind, as a trained shooter would.

The reason it would have required so many shots is the relatively low power of the .22 round. Each hit would have taken out only a small chunk of wood. He mentioned three separate branches; it's possible that some of the branches didn't break clean, so he had to try others.

[druidity33]

49. That's pure speculation.

We may never know if he injured anybody. That's what happens when bullets fall from the sky "randomly". Hard to identify a shooter from a quarter mile away. Who'd of thought bullets fired into the air would land somewhere? Your "nothing but treewood" theory is ridiculous.

[rickford66]

58. Bullets return to Earth with almost their same initial velocity

I don't believe every shot hit a branch either. It's good that he save the Eagle, but as the others here have said, WTF? Not one tree specialist within driving distance who would step up to this challenge?

[Straw Man]

61. Have a lot of experience shooting a .22 rifle, do you?

I do. I stand by what I said.

It's eminently do-able, especially if he positioned himself to use the trunk of the tree itself as a backstop.

[LongtimeAZDem]

26. The bird had been up there for two days, people had contacted agencies to no avail,

and so a guy took the time to rescue an eagle by unconventional means.

But, some people just have to criticize.

[Marengo]

59. It's because a gun was involved, otherwise it's likely no vapors.

[Brickbat]

28. I'd guess that if asked, some said no because they saw it as a wildlife mitigation issue, not a

tree-trimming issue.

[REP]

29. Maybe he didn't have a spare $1K to pay an arborist?

I'm guessing $1K because that's how much I paid for work on a tree that's not as tall as that one. Getting up and out on that limb is not a simple job; bringing down the limb without hurting the eagle is even more complex. The rescuer had a solution on hand that worked anod the eagle was safely recovered.

[underahedgerow]

30. Cutting one limb off a tree out in the woods wouldn't run 1000 bucks. A couple hundred

at most, if the guy didn't volunteer to just do it because it's a nice thing to do.

Would have taken about an hour.

And no glory for gun humpers.

I'm not impressed it took him 150 bullets either. Not such a great shot, apparently.

At least it wasn't an AK47.

[REP]

31. Obviously, you've never hired an arborist

'Nuff said.

[EL34x4]

41. Doesn't matter how much it would've cost

We've been assured by others on this thread that arborists work for free if you call enough of them and beg.

[underahedgerow]

57. Yeah ok,

I managed an urban forest of some 10,000 trees for more than 10 years in California, and continue to practice and consult occasionally on landscaping and tree restoration/planting projects around the world, mostly in Europe these days. Not often, but once in a while.

I was responsible for developing the first computerized database for use by municipalities to inventory their street and park/open space trees by size, height, diameter, species, planting date, trimming schedule, etc. The specifications we developed are now in use as common practice across the USA.

I kind of know from trees a little bit.

[Brother Buzz]

33. 150 22 LR bullets cost less than ten bucks

I like the dude's thriftiness and patience.

[pintobean]

34. How many shots would it have taken you?

[underahedgerow]

44. Just one.

I hate guns, and one shot would have been enough for me to put the gun down and use modern technology.

I would have called the tree guy.

[pintobean]

45. In other words

you're not qualified to question his marksmanship. The DNR officer was impressed.

[underahedgerow]

47. What else could he say? 'He was a lousy shot but eventually he got lucky!'

Nah, he was being diplomatic.

And no, I've never found the need to make 'marksmanship' part of my skill set since I don't have any irrational paranoia, I know how to grow and shop for food instead of killing it, and I don't find shooting guns at bottles in the desert to be a genuine 'sport' or qualification for anything useful. But that doesn't mean I can't judge his.

And that ammo of his cost about 100 bucks. Would have rather given it to a tree trimmer to climb the tree.

[pintobean]

55. You didn't watch the video, did you?

It appears that you are so offended by this story that you need to manufacture your own facts to support what you want to be. You can't change reality.

[Straw Man]

62. Diplomacy.

What else could he say? 'He was a lousy shot but eventually he got lucky!'

Nah, he was being diplomatic.

And you know this how?

And no, I've never found the need to make 'marksmanship' part of my skill set since I don't have any irrational paranoia, I know how to grow and shop for food instead of killing it, and I don't find shooting guns at bottles in the desert to be a genuine 'sport' or qualification for anything useful. But that doesn't mean I can't judge his.

In other words, you have no idea what you're talking about, but you're more than willing to pass judgement anyway.

And that ammo of his cost about 100 bucks. Would have rather given it to a tree trimmer to climb the tree.

You're off by about a factor of 10. I doubt you'd have gotten an arborist out there for $10.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

37. It would have been at least $1000.

It was very high and risky tree. Think about it for a moment. A person with spikes couldn't climb up high enough to reach the bird in the thin top most branches. Even if person did and they cut the limb they'd need a rope attached around the branch so it wouldn't crash to the ground killing the bird. With a rope, as soon as the branch was cut it would swing into something probably damaging the bird. Or it could swing into the poor bugger with the spikey boots and the chain saw.

In the world of reality there are good guys with guns. I have a gun and I'm a good guy.

WELL DONE MAN WITH GUN!

The only thing that would have worked, beside the gun, would have been a telehandler and we don't know if there was even enough room for one of those and then you have the issue with $$$$ again.

[underahedgerow]

46. Sorry but I just have to say you're wrong. I've been a certified arborist since the early 1990's

when I managed an urban forest of over 10,000 trees for about 12 years.

I don't know a single climber that would have refused to find a couple hours to rescue an eagle, and he'd do it for free. 100 feet up is nothing for a guy with some cajones, a small chain saw and some rope.

It's just not that difficult. I tend to work smart instead of hard. It's easier to pick up a phone and say please. And promise some free publicity. Look at all the publicity the gun humpers are getting! It would have been more beneficial for a tree company than the NRA.

Just to be clear, I fiercely advocate the banning of all guns except for agricultural purposes in which case they are highly regulated.

[druidity33]

50. Thank you and i agree!

My arborist friend said "Hell yeah" when i asked him if he or his business partner would've done it for free. He was also curious as to how this eagle got stuck up there... anyone know? As for guns, i can appreciate people who hunt responsibly, but otherwise, they are nothing but trouble.

[JonathanRackham]

51. Weekend = overtime

[NutmegYankee]

56. He was probably an excellent shot.

The .22 LR just lacks the power to smash the branch, so it had to be "sawed" away with many shots.

[Marengo]

64. Ah, so you are familiar with the pricing of every tree trimming service in the USA?

Must take an exceptional amount of time and effort to keep that knowledge current.

[Brickbat]

20. I can't decide which I like better...

...this story, or watching people go to pieces over it.

[JonathanRackham]

54. There's people that do and people who talk.

The world is full of Monday morning quarterbacks.

It's like listening to my inlaws on Thanksgiving.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

21. This is the definition of a good guy with a gun

Gun humpers take note.

[sarisataka]

32. He had a gun

Therefore he is a gun humper. (see #30)

[JonathanRackham]

52. Apparently the definition has expanded.

[XRubicon]

22. Wrong tool for the job.

[underahedgerow]

25. OH WOW, Holy Crap, I LOVE THIS!

Just the opening 10 seconds had me going!

That could really change the whole industry actually!

[ansible]

65. Not anytime soon, those drones are thousands of dollars

[Odin2005]

27. AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

35. Good job.

Though I do wonder where the 150 rounds landed. Is it safe to fire that many rounds in the air?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

38. Am I the only person who wants to know how the eagle and the rope got there in the first place?

Was the eagle practising for an escapology act? Are police hunting an extremely tall man on animal cruelty charges?

[JanMichael]

42. Rock flag eagle...

https://m.

[Rex]

60. A young bald eagle at that!

I am glad he got the bird out of the tree without any other woodland creatures dying. Bravo.

However, I would not call it 'mowing down tree branches' if it took 90 minutes. That was some good shooting.

[jack_krass]

63. Awesome! Thanks for this OP. It made my day!