Out in the wilds of Mongolia, along the Altai mountain range, there is a group of Kazakh nomads known by many as the “qusbegi”—literally translated, this means “lord of birds.” It’s an apt name, considering these are the 400 or so peoples who have kept the tradition of eagle falconry alive.

In other words, these amazing nomads capture, train, and hunt with golden eagles… and yes, that’s exactly as hardcore as it sounds.

Passing the storied tradition down from generation to generation, they catch foxes and hares using the massive eagles on their arm. Then, once a year, they congregate for a two-day Golden Eagle festival. That’s where 500px comes in.

Over the years, a few fortunate 500px photographers have made it out to this festival (or simply visited the region) and captured some truly amazing photos of the hunters in action. The 23 images below are some of the best shots they returned with:

To see more eagle hunting action, click here , scroll, and get ready to book a trip to Mongolia. And if you happen to be one of the lucky few who have actually photographed these hunters, upload your shots to 500px and share a link in the comments!