Horrified golfers watch as hungry bald eagle drags fawn across Michigan course
Dozens of golfers expecting a relaxing afternoon on the course instead witnessed a grisly display this month, when a hungry bald eagle began dragging a young deer across the fairway in Menominee, Michigan.
It happened June 3 at the 8-hole Riverside Golf Club, and photos on Facebook show the large bird was seen standing atop the fawn near hole No. 4. It’s unclear if the deer was dead or unconscious at that point.
Club General Manager Lisa Froehlich, who was among the witnesses, says the scene was made even more surreal because the eagle needed to take multiple breaks to catch its breath.
“Holy cow, it was actually panting,” Froehlich told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “I think the fawn was too heavy and it was struggling. The whole thing stopped a lot of people on the course, all of them taking pictures and watching. Not something you see every day.”
The size of the bird alone was attention grabbing. Bald eagles are among the largest birds of prey on the continent, weighing up to 14 pounds with a 7.5 foot wing span, according to the National Eagle Center.
Club member Fred Reidell told Woods-N-Water News he was on the driving range when the eagle landed on the green with the fawn.
“I didn’t see the eagle kill the fawn. I think the eagle ate some of the fawn before landing on the green, where I photographed it,” he told the outdoor magazine. “A lot of people who have seen the photo I took think it’s fake, but it’s not. I can verify that.”
Froehlich told McClatchy News she isn’t sure where the killing took place. She first spotted it atop the club house, where it sat with the fawn in its talons. From there, it flew with the carcass to a tree, she said.
The eagle’s destination was a nest on a nearby island (Blueberry Island) in the Menominee River, which separates Michigan from Wisconsin, she said. Eagles from the island are a common sight on the course, which also has a herd of deer roaming the grounds, she said.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Horrified golfers watch as hungry bald eagle drags fawn across Michigan course."