Eagles Scavenge: Affordable Calf Carts

Particularly this time of year, it's a bad week if I don't see three or four bald eagles.  Once you know what to look for, (a "golf ball" in a tree) they seem to be ubiquitous.  In the right spots.  Water helps. A tall tree away from other trees or along the edge of a woods helps. But find a roadkill in a spot like that and your odds go way up. We think of eagles as majestic killing machines -and they are- but more often, they let a Toyota Corolla do the hunting and simply scavenge. It's a more reliable source of food. 

So it goes with calf carts. When you need one, you need one. By the time you build one, you no longer need one. The solution is simple: build a cart well in advance of the need. While you're at it, tell the eagle: "You're a hunter. Spend your time hunting. you might succeed. Eschew that fresh meat on the roadside."

Yeah, right.

A good calf cart is one you've got access to. With some scavenged parts. Those small, metal garden carts are quite common in the aftermarket for just a small price. Or borrow one, like I did (I think I hauled one away, lent it to my dad, then borrowed it back).  Then make a tongue. 

Or scavenge one. In this case, the tongue had been up in the rafters of the corn crib for years before I bought my farm, then years since. Lying face down, the bottom had rotted badly, but 2 inches of good material remained on top.  A couple of minutes with the bandsaw and a jack plane narrowed it to fit in the existing U-shaped tongue of the cart.  A 1/2" bolt through the hitch and the wood makes a sturdy rear hitch point and one more 1/2" bolt will keep things secure.

Will keep things secure. For the maiden voyages, a wood-clamp holds things tight while we prototype the fit. So far, so good.

Next time: How to keep the cart in the same county when introducing it to a team.