EXETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A federally protected red-tailed hawk was shot with an arrow and now wildlife officials in Berks County are trying to save the injured bird.

The bird has been getting a lot of attention around the Reading Golf Course. Efforts to catch the hawk are on hold right now because it is a young bird that is still being fed by its parents, so it is not going after any bait.

The quest to save the hawk is the talk of the course -- even much more than a birdie or eagle.

"It's a sad thing to see a hawk with an arrow in it," said Randy Thibault, of Portland, Maine, a golfer.

"At least he's still alive; that's good," said another golfer.

The 3-month-old red tailed hawk has been living at the Reading Country Club with a target arrow pierced through its leg for the past month. Wildlife experts said that it appears the arrow is piercing only through the skin, not bone or muscle.

For weeks, experts have been trying to capture the young bird so they can remove the weapon, but that has been proving tougher than hitting a hole in one.

"They were out here with twigs, live bait traps -- nothing seemed to work," said the golf course's general manager, Bob Stohecker.

Strohecker said he had been getting 10 calls a day from people asking about the bird.

"You can see golfers looking up in the trees, trying to get a glimpse of it. No one has ever seen anything quite like it," Strohecker said.

While the hawk seemed healthy, experts worry that as it matures, the arrow could make it hard for the bird to hunt or find a mate.

Animal control officers are now waiting for the bird to start feeding on its own before they attempt to catch it again. If they are successful, they will remove the arrow, treat the wound and return the hawk to the golf course, where it would become the official mascot.

"There's a whole family here, a total of five, including this one, so we want to keep it here," Strohecker said.

Employees of the golf course found two similar arrows on the ground and believe the hawk was shot intentionally. Police are investigating because shooting a red-tailed hawk is a federal crime. If the person who shot the arrow is caught, he or she could face serious charges.