Hunters Kill Eagle In Michigan, Wildlife Officials Say

MICHIGAN — Two men shot and killed an eagle in Michigan over the weekend, and now they could face criminal charges for it, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The 2-year-old female eagle was shot by the waterfowl hunters Saturday in Manistee, authorities said.

Conservation Officers Steve Converse and Joseph Myers found the eagle after it had been shot and transported it to Wings of Wonder, a raptor education, rehabilitation and research facility in Leelanau County. Staff there evaluated the bird, determined it would not be able to survive surgery, and euthanized it Monday afternoon.

“The pellets caused multiple fractures in both of her wings, some of which had completely shattered some of the bones,” said Rebecca Lessard, Wings of Wonder executive director. “There was just too much damage.”

Local fishing guides witnessed the incident, officials said. The two waterfowl hunters from New Boston, ages 53 and 24, confessed to shooting the eagle in a wooded area near the Bear Creek access site on the Manistee River in Brown Township, officials said. The guides who saw it immediately reported the incident to the state anti-poaching hotline around 8:40 a.m. Saturday.

The two guides said they saw the eagle flying, heard a gunshot and then saw the eagle fall from the sky. The guides reported seeing the two men who shot the eagle, about 100 yards away, picking up decoys from the ground. One of the guides approached one of the men and was able to get his identification. The man reportedly said they knew they had “messed up,” state officials said.

Converse received the call from the anti-poaching hotline dispatcher and requested assistance from Myers and the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office. Myers and sheriff’s deputies were the first to arrive at the access site and were able to contact the two men as they were attempting to leave.

“I commend the tipsters who reported this crime immediately,” said Chief Gary Hagler of the Department of Natural Resources' Law Enforcement Division. “They did the right thing.”

Converse and Myers said the men confessed to shooting the eagle.

“They said they saw the bird coming across the sun and thought it was a goose,” Converse said. “After they shot it, they realized it wasn’t a goose. When they walked away, they knew it was still alive but claimed they had no phone service so they couldn’t call to report the eagle.”

One of the river guides escorted Converse and Myers about 1-1/2 miles downriver from the access site to where the guides believed the eagle went down. The officers hiked about 150 yards up a hill and found the eagle crawling on the ground just east of the intersection of Kettner and River roads. One of the sheriff’s deputies provided a dog crate to transport the eagle to Wings of Wonder.

The Manistee County prosecutor’s office now will determine if the men will be charged.

If you witness or suspect a natural resource violation, call or text the Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800.