My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 334 Nighttime Hunt
"what happened?"

"Why are there only a few chicken feet left on this cover?"

When Liang Yuemin and his son saw the situation on the rope while shining flashlights, they were completely dumbfounded.

Chen Ling squatted down, picked up the noose, and examined the broken chicken foot on it. "Something's not right."

"Although in the past, when pheasants were being snatched, there were indeed cases where the pheasants would struggle violently and escape, leaving only their feet in the snare."

But that was because a long time had passed and they hadn't checked the condoms.

It should take at least a day, but this set hasn't been on for very long yet.

Pheasants are less resilient in winter, so it's unlikely that all of them caught in the trap will escape.

The current situation puzzled Chen Ling.

"This... Fugui, what you're saying is true. In normal times, when pheasants are caught in a snare, they sometimes manage to break free, leaving only their feet intact?"

Qin Rong asked first.

"Of course. Pheasants aren't inanimate objects; once they're caught, they'll definitely struggle. If they struggle too hard, they'll break their legs."

Chen Ling's words puzzled Liang Yuemin and his son. They picked up the chicken feet from the trap with their flashlights and examined them closely: "I really can't believe it. These chicken feet are part of the chicken's body. How could they be torn off? They're all made of flesh. How could they be so flimsy?"

"Yes, pheasants have thinner and more brittle legs. If the rope is too tight and they struggle for a long time, their legs will often break off and they can escape..."

Chen Ling said to Qin Rongxian, "Uncle Qin, when I taught you how to make condoms, didn't I tell you that once this thing is set up in a certain place, you need to go and check it regularly?"

If you don't check on them regularly, all sorts of unexpected things might happen.

These traps and snares don't just snag the prey's feet.

Limbs, legs, wings, anything is possible.

Once trapped, they may cause them pain for several hours.

Regular checks are essential.

Otherwise, it would not only prolong the prey's suffering but also increase the likelihood of it being eaten by other carnivores.

Many times, after a long and painful struggle, small prey will bite off their wings or legs based on their instincts.

Or, like a pheasant, they might use self-mutilation methods, tearing off their trapped feet to escape.

"I see, so the current situation is..."

"It's probably because something tore off its chicken leg and carried it away."

Chen Ling shone his flashlight around the area but did not see any unusual traces in the snow.

The snowfall was too light; the snow in the wheat fields was too thin.

So he turned around and whistled towards the farm, calling the two dogs over.

Heiwa and Xiaojin moved at the sound.

Unexpectedly, a group of puppies wagged their tails, jostling and bumping into each other, and followed along, hopping and skipping around the two big dogs.

I took them out for a walk the day before yesterday, and they've become much bolder. They seize every opportunity to run outside, not even afraid of the cold.

"Come on, you two, take a look at what this thing did. How dare it steal things right under our noses."

Chen Ling shone a flashlight on the rope snare and let them sniff it.

Actually, with Xiao Jin's nose, there was no need to smell the scent left on the rope. He simply raised his nose high, sniffed the air, and got a general idea of ​​what was going on.

It wagged its tail at Chen Ling as a signal, then turned and ran southwest towards the wheat field.

Heiwa led a group of little furballs and jogged after them.

The terrain gradually rises in that direction, leading to a grassy slope in the fields.

There are two steep slopes outside Chenwangzhuang Village, and this is one of them.

Crops are also planted on the gentler parts of the slopes.

The higher areas are covered with weeds, and villagers often graze sheep on the slopes.

Where the large earthen slope meets Chen Ling's wheat field, there is a crooked ditch, about a meter deep and half a meter wide. In summer, there is water flowing in it, but the water is very shallow.

Chen Ling and the other two followed the dog to the edge of the ditch, where they saw the dog barking around a dark hole in the tall grass. At the bottom of the ditch, there were many messy feathers and a crushed pheasant head.

Chen Ling suddenly understood everything.

"Ah, so it was this big thieving cat that was causing trouble."

"What's inside this cave, Fugui?"

"A civet cat. The day before yesterday, I brought these puppies out to play, and it scratched one of them. I ignored it at the time, but I never expected it to start stealing our prey from our traps now..."

There have always been a lot of civets near the farm.

Before Chen Ling's family built their farm here, this large area adjacent to the steep slope was a cemetery.

The cemetery is blocked by a steep slope and is located next to the North Mountain. It is a secluded place and a paradise for wild cats.

The cemetery was filled with earthen burrows made by civets.

Every night, the mountain weasels in the graveyard come out to forage. If you sweep them with a flashlight, you'll see green eyes everywhere in the lush grass, which is very creepy.

Although there are many civets here, the farm is always guarded by dogs, and they will not harm the chickens and ducks. They just look for birds, frogs and fish to eat in the orchard.

So I don't really care about them.

Upon hearing what Chen Ling said, Liang Yuemin and his son went down into the ditch and shone their flashlights inside.

Following the beam of the flashlight, they indeed saw three pheasants missing their feet in the cave: one male, two females, and one that had been mostly eaten.

The cave was blocked by these pheasants, and it was impossible to see whether the mountain weasel was inside.

Liang Yuemin said angrily, "That mountain weasel is really greedy. We caught four of them, and it stole them all and dragged them into its den. We didn't leave a single one behind."

Qin Rongxian said, "It must be because it's snowing and it's hard to find food, so it must be starving."

Chen Ling nodded: "They were starving, but since they dared to steal our dinner, we have to teach them a lesson."

As he spoke, he reached into the burrow and pulled out the outermost pheasant.

Just as I was about to take out the second one.

Suddenly, Heiwa Xiaojin pricked up its ears, barked loudly, and rushed up the slope.

Just as the two dogs rushed out, a shrill meow came from the hillside, startling the three of them. They quickly shone their flashlights in the direction of the sound.

Under the cover of night, the withered grass on the slope was faintly tinged with snow. A large, fat, straw-yellow cat darted about, tail held high, and disappeared in a few moments.

It is impossible for the average person to detect with the naked eye.

Chen Ling, however, could see clearly that while Heiwa and Xiaojin were still some distance away, the mountain weasel escaped to the top of the slope with lightning speed, and cleverly shook off the two dogs by using the trees on the slope.

"So the big thieving cat wasn't in its den after all..."

As Chen Ling spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly. He saw Heiwa and Xiaojin return from the slope, each carrying something back. "Good heavens, I knew it! So this cave was inhabited by a nest of mountain weasels."

The two dogs failed to catch the cunning civet that had escaped to the tree, but they caught two other civets on the slope.

They must have gone out to find food together.

Soon, the two dogs returned, each carrying a wildcat. A group of chubby puppies surrounded them, their heads tilted back, barking loudly as if they couldn't wait to enjoy their prey, regardless of whether it was edible.

Qin Rongxian said, "Aren't there enough pheasants in the cave for them to eat for many days? Why is this mountain weasel running out instead of staying in the cave to watch over the food?"

Chen Ling shook his head: "I don't know, maybe they're afraid of going hungry after eating and not finding any more food, so they want to go out and find some more?"

Then they picked up the two civets that the two dogs had put down, and examined them by their legs and tails. They were two male civets, much smaller than the big fat cat, and must have been young civets that had just grown up this year.

After being caught by the two dogs, they were bleeding from their necks and panting heavily, clearly on the verge of death.

However, the leopard stripes on its body are very obvious, making it look more like a leopard cat than a typical straw-yellow mountain cat.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling's heart stirred, and he opened his mouth but said nothing.

He tossed it to the two dogs and let them carry it back to the farm.

The two dogs understood his meaning and would spare the lives of the two kittens.

Then he and Liang Yuemin and his son took the pheasants out of the civet's den.

They didn't even leave the half-eaten chicken behind.

I took it out and threw it to the puppies so they could share it.

It was dark, but it wasn't even seven o'clock yet, so everyone had already eaten dinner.

Chen Ling found an opportunity to take the two special mountain foxes into his cave, sparing their lives.

I'm wondering if it can be used as seed for pet cats in the future.

After all, these two guys have pretty nice fur.

After that, they called Liang Yuemin's family, and Wang Susu followed along with her child.

A group of people wandered aimlessly through the wheat field under the cover of night, carrying large hand lanterns.

This large hand lamp was bought by Chen Ling when she got married. Its light beam is much larger than that of a regular flashlight, and it shines brightly and far.

"Uncle, can I go see that fox den?"

After walking with the adults for a while, the chubby boy suddenly spoke up.

"What's so interesting about the Mountain Civet Cave? It's not as interesting as the hunting trip your uncle took you out to. There's nothing in that cave."

Chen Ling said he was taking them out hunting to have some fun, but in reality, he was just bringing the dogs out to scavenge for scraps.

After it snows, various small wild animals usually come out to look for food on the second night.

Shining a lantern back and forth across the wheat field, once you spot your prey, unleash your dogs to chase it, and you're almost guaranteed a kill.

If it snows heavily, there's no need to go out; there will often be plenty of produce right in front of or behind the house.

This is especially true for households located closer to the edge of the village.

At this moment, Liang Hongyu saw through her eldest grandson's thoughts: "Hmph, he doesn't really want to see the Mountain Fox Cave. He's clearly itching to go see it after hearing you mention the Wolf Cave."

"Hehe, Grandma is right."

The chubby boy, bundled up in thick clothes, wearing a cotton hat and gloves, hopped and skipped as he said, "Grandma is like a tapeworm in my stomach; she can guess everything I'm thinking."

"Pah, where did you pick up that phrase from? Is that even a proper saying?"

Liang Hongyu slapped him.

Seeing this, the little one in Wang Susu's arms also joined in the fun, making "hmm, hmm~" noises and stretching out its little hand, wanting to pat the chubby boy as well.

Wang Susu was both angry and amused: "You're just like your aunt, always wanting to join in on every little thing."

"Haha, look at what you're saying, Susu, Rui Rui is such a smart kid..."

Liang Hongyu smiled and said, "Xiaoming, come here quickly and give your little brother a pat."

The chubby boy quickly ran over, grinning foolishly as he waited for Rui Rui to pat him on the shoulder.

They were laughing and making a ruckus.

At that moment, Chen Ling swept the light in his hand and discovered a sneaky shadow wriggling in the wheat field in the distance.

Upon noticing the light, its two long ears perked up and made eye contact with Chen Ling.

What else is there to say? Upon seeing this, the two dogs leaped out, followed closely by a group of fluffy little fat dogs.

They caught the rabbit in no time.

Chen Ling didn't plan to take it back; he distributed it to the puppies on the spot.

Everyone loved watching these little creatures eat meat. After the big dog tore open the skin, they scrambled around the rabbit, tearing at it as they ate, looking adorably fierce.

The more enthusiastically they ate, the happier everyone watched.

After they finished sharing a rabbit, Chen Ling noticed that their bellies weren't bulging yet. It was probably because the rabbit wasn't fat; they had only eaten until they were half full.

So he waved and continued on his way.

In the farmland, beneath the sparse grass at the lower edge of the field, there are small ditches where streams have flowed out.

It's the rabbit's favorite place.

It has a similar feature to the previous location of the Mountain Fox Cave.

In such a place, slow down and observe carefully. The light from the handheld lamp is mainly used to find the rabbit's two ears. Once you find them, the rabbit jumps up, and that's the process of it being exposed to the light.

Once it's exposed to light, the rabbit won't be able to escape.

After walking around the wheat field for a long time...

The group of them took turns lighting lanterns and wandering around the wheat field looking for rabbits.

Whenever they find something, they shout with joy, send the dog to chase it, and run after it themselves.

Get it back and feed it to the puppy.

Everyone was in high spirits and having a great time.

The puppies ate their fill after sharing two rabbits, and they still had seven or eight rabbits left.

When Liang Yuemin and his family drove away, Chen Ling gave them half of the money.

I peeled two of them when I got home and started smoking them that night.

I can eat hot smoked rabbit meat when I wake up tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)