Bald Eagle Shot, Hurt Along Snake River

An endangered bald eagle was shot and wounded along the Snake River in Canyon County last weekend.

The incident brings the total number of eagles shot to four last year in southwest Idaho.

“It’s pretty hard to mistake a mature bald eagle,” said Paul Weyland, special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“It sure doesn’t look like a goose.”

The eagle was hit in the wing with two shotgun pellets. It was found wounded about an eighth of a mile from the Snake River and taken to a veterinarian.

Weyland said the eagle is expected to fly again but will need flight training.

He does not suspect legitimate duck and goose hunters.

“These people are not hunters, just shooters who go around and indiscriminately shoot at anything that moves,” he said.

A bald eagle is an endangered species, and the penalty for shooting one is a $250,000 fine and a year in jail.

The last eagle-shooting incident in Southwest Idaho was Nov. 16. It involved a golden eagle, which had to be euthanized because of the severity of its wounds.

Southwest Idaho is a wintering area for bald and golden eagles. They are frequently seen in December, January and February.