Via Helena IR:
When Deputy Jay Groskreutz spotted an eagle on the side of the road while patrolling Wednesday, he told Deputy Steven Horn to turn around. Something seemed off about the bird.
The Cascade County deputies turned around to help the distressed bird. About an hour later the immature bald eagle was on its way to a rehab center in Helena with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The eagle appeared to be snacking on a nearby deer carcass when it got stuck and wasn’t able to fly away, Groskreutz said. It didn’t seem hurt, but something wasn’t right, he said.
Groskreutz got a blanket from his car and threw it over the eagle. He pinned the wings and picked it up without much trouble, or injury to him or the bird, he said.
Carrying it seemed more dangerous, so he decided to put the eagle in the back of the patrol car.
“They’re spooky,” he said. “They can turn their head all the way around. The size of their beak is very intimidating, but not as scary as their talons.”
They called FWP, who quickly responded. The eagle was taken from the back of Groskreutz’s car and put in a dog kennel.[…]
Groskreutz has taken to calling the eagle Walt, after the TV character Walt Longmire — “he just looked like a Walt,” he said.