Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

With Xiao Wu's inner conflict resolved, Yue Feng's tense nerves relaxed considerably.

Although he was only a year or two older than Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu called him brother, and as the older brother, he had to take on responsibilities.

Now, even if Yue Feng were to go back and face Grandpa Wu, he could confidently say that he had done everything he was supposed to do.

After quickly calming themselves down and getting everyone busy for half the night, we arranged the night watch team and returned to our tents to rest.

Nothing happened that night. The prisoners tied to the trees outside tried their best to untie the ropes and escape, but it was not so easy to get away from being tied up by professionals. They worked until almost dawn but still couldn't untie the knots.

……

The next morning, Yue Feng got up early to cook for everyone.

The roe deer that had been slaughtered had been eaten more than halfway, and Yue Feng simply dissected the remaining meat and added it all to the pot.

With so many people in the camp, the daily food rations alone are a considerable sum. Fortunately, the three roe deer we hunted, along with the supplies we carried up the mountain, are enough to keep us going for now.

After breakfast, Yue Feng, along with Xiao Tao and No. 1, went to check the area near the mountain pass from the previous night again.

The sheep has disappeared from the mountain valley. It must have been frightened by the firecrackers yesterday and fled, and never returned.

Next, Yue Feng went to the two salt pits and inspected them one by one.

Just like yesterday, there was still no trace of it being licked by the ram.

All of this was basically in line with Yue Feng's expectations. Last night, Xuan Yang was so scared that he had no mind to look for rock salt to eat, but the next two or three days were different.

Assuming the cliffs in the southern area were the former territory of the ibex foraging, after being unexpectedly driven away by humans, it would most likely abandon them and move north instead.

As long as the sheep moves north, finding these two salt deposits shouldn't be a problem.

In addition, the salt pits have been set up for two days now, which is a good time to disperse the odors and traces left by people on the salt pits to some extent.

In the morning, Yue Feng and his two companions took a long walk and returned to the camp around 9:30.

Yue Feng and his men had also explored the terrain surrounding the cliffs further north, and the topographical map in their hands was now basically complete.

Although Yue Feng could not reach the legendary mountain-viewing skills of the older generation of hunters, he could still be about 60-70% confident through drawing and scientific analysis.

The rest of the time could only be spent waiting, and being cooped up in the camp was inevitably a bit boring.

After lunch, Yue Feng held a short meeting with everyone.

The campsite should remain in place for now, but Yue Feng plans to take advantage of the waiting time to explore the surrounding area.

Even if we don't care about anything else, just hunting a few roe deer or wild boars to increase the camp's meat reserves is better than waiting idly in the camp.

In the eyes of the soldiers, this plan was basically safe and was quickly approved by all votes.

Xiao Wu also planned to go, but Yue Feng kept him behind under the pretext of taking care of the wounded.

Juntian and Number Two are both injured in the camp now, so it's good that they stay behind to guard the camp.

After making up their minds and having lunch, Yue Feng, along with Xiao Tao, Number One, Number Three, a total of four people, plus a dog and two eagles, temporarily left the camp and headed towards the dense forest area to the east, away from the cliffs.

After the four men and their dogs left, a person lying on a branch of a tall white pine tree far outside the camp put down their binoculars and slowly stretched their arms.

The guy hiding in the shadows was dressed in tattered clothes. It was a high-quality fleece-lined autumn teddy bear coat, but he had deliberately cut the outer fabric into strips with a knife.

If Yue Feng saw his outfit, he would definitely exclaim, "This is the original ghillie suit!"

This spy had been staking out the area for several days; the camp had just moved, and he arrived right afterward.

This guy was wearing a black mask, only revealing two eyes that clearly showed East Asian features.

Last night, the camp was disturbed by a bear observer, who fired shots and chased the bear, all of which the bear witnessed.

But this guy was very patient. Despite the lively atmosphere of the camp, he refused to show himself and even spent the night hiding in one of the thick branches of a tree trunk, using his belt to tie the branch to his waist to catch up on sleep.

Now that he saw the dogs in the camp leave, the voyeur finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, human sensory abilities are limited. Even top-tier soldiers are far inferior to some animals in terms of vision, hearing, or smell.

The bear's captives were tied to a tree. From last night until noon today, they were only given a little water, but the spy showed no intention of taking any further action to rescue them.

He was greedy; he coveted the $500,000 bounty on the head, not his nominal teammates.

……

Meanwhile, Yue Feng and his four companions, armed with guns, left the camp and entered the mountains with their hunting partners.

The altitude here is slightly higher than the mountains and forests where we used to hunt, so the species of trees and animals in the mountains are also slightly different.

For example, broad-leaved forests are rare; they are mostly pine or spruce trees that can withstand low temperatures.

Moreover, the vegetation in the forest is much sparser than in lower altitude areas. In hunters' terms, the forest here is much brighter.

In addition, you can occasionally see grouse, a delicacy, in the mountains and forests. This kind of thing is not very common in low-altitude mountain forests.

A group of people ventured into the old forest, but before they had gone far, a plump black-billed grouse took flight and fled.

When Number One spotted his prey, he immediately raised his gun to fire, but Yue Feng stopped him.

"Do not fight!"

Number One lowered his gun and cast a curious glance at him.

Yue Feng called out, "Azure Dragon, after them!"

The next second, a whistle blew.

The dog immediately began to frolic in the woods, while the big black eagle and the little white spear that had been following overhead swooped down from above.

Many people have never seen the black-billed grouse of Changbai Mountain and think it is about the same size as an ordinary pheasant.

But the reality is different. These things are quite large. Adult male grouse can grow to about six or seven pounds, and occasionally even larger ones, possibly eight or nine pounds.

Black-billed grouse are not very good at flying. In terms of flying ability alone, they are about the same as ordinary pheasants, or even slightly inferior.

The azure dragon swiftly weaved through the forest, taking off and gliding for hundreds of meters. The black-billed grouse, which was about to land, clearly hesitated for a second.

Just then, a dark shadow swooped down from mid-air and kicked the black-billed grouse in the back.

The black eagle's full-force strike was enough to overwhelm even a small roe deer, let alone a grouse. The grouse, struck by the kick, spun and plummeted from the sky.

Before it even landed, the little white spear, which was a beat too slow, swooped down and delivered another kick.

The two eagles worked together to kick Songzi to death in mid-air.

The Azure Dragon was very clever. When it saw the Eagle Boss working, it immediately scurried over to him.

Seeing that the two eagles showed no sign of landing, Canglong lowered its head, snatched its prey, and turned back towards Yue Feng and the others.

Upon witnessing this, Number One couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap! You're an amazing eagle! You can catch grouse like that?!"

Yue Feng grinned but didn't say anything. Xiao Tao curled his lip and said in a tone that said, "Brother Bing, what do you think my family's eagles are for? You've seen roe deer and deer with your own eyes."

Catching birds is an even better remedy; let alone a grouse, even a smaller, more agile sable or a large black eagle can be caught alive!

As they were talking, the Azure Dragon returned with the grouse in its beak. The jay that had been kicked to death was not completely dead yet, but its neck was bent at an odd angle, so it was definitely not going to survive.

Yue Feng took the grouse that Gouzi had brought back, and with a wave of his hand, the two eagles quickly folded their wings and landed.

"Our eagle only ate half a meal this morning, and it just so happens that eagles love to eat things like grouse innards! Let's bleed it, clean it up, and bring it back to camp to make chicken soup!"

While they were talking, Yue Feng took out his leg spike and severed the grouse's carotid artery. He squatted down and quickly removed the entrails to feed the eagle, then stuffed the first prey into his backpack.

Number One looked at Yue Feng's two eagles with envy, then asked, "Boss, where did you get these two falcons? They're amazing! What else can they catch?"

Yue Feng stroked the eagle's breast and back, then said, "What it can catch depends on the terrain!"

The forest here is relatively sparse, so it's alright. But if it were the dense forest near our forward base, those two wouldn't be effective! They wouldn't be able to spread their wings and wouldn't be able to do much!

Upon hearing this answer, Number One continued, "What if there's no obstruction?"

Yue Feng grinned: "No cover? Last spring in Tiger City, when we captured the mutated black tiger alive, my eagle was also involved!"

"They even dare to catch tigers?" Number One gasped in shock.

"It's not grabbing, it's kicking!"
Falcons are birds of prey that attack prey in a way that many people think is different. They don't rely on the strength of their talons alone, but rather on their flight speed, combined with the pads on their hind paws!

This spot, in our trade jargon, is called the "tiger's paw." You can touch it!

Yue Feng casually lifted the black eagle's left claw, revealing a clearly visible fleshy pad-like structure beneath its feet.

Number One glanced down and looked at it a few times, then mustered up his courage and reached out to touch it.

The big black eagle felt the touch of someone and quickly withdrew its claws. It looked up at Yue Feng and cawed in dissatisfaction.

That was like saying, "Don't let him touch me!"
"Okay, okay, I won't touch it anymore!" Yue Feng quickly reassured him, and the irises of the big black eagle's eyes narrowed rapidly.

"Tsk tsk, your eagle is really intelligent! It even recognizes people!" Number One exclaimed repeatedly.

"Haha, that's quite a favor. When I first brought him home, my dad touched him and bit his fingertip so hard it almost went through!"

"Great!"

……

After chatting for a few minutes, Yue Feng handed the cleaned grouse to Xiao Tao, who put it in his bag. The eagle took to the air again, and the group set off once more.

Because no human habitation has been seen in this woodland for a long time, the density of wild animals is obviously quite high.

After walking less than a mile further, the Azure Dragon spotted the fresh scent of wild animals and barked at its master.

"The Azure Dragon has spoken! Let's go take a look and see if it has spotted any prey!"

Yue Feng gave a shout, and everyone gathered at the dog's location.

When they got closer, a huge wild boar den built in the pine forest came into view.

"Damn, this wild boar's den is huge!" Xiao Tao couldn't help but exclaim.

Yue Feng looked around and saw that the traces of the wild boar's den were fresh, indicating that it had returned not long ago.

It's already autumn, and although there's no snow yet, the temperature at night has already dropped below zero. Wild boar herds in high-altitude areas have already started building their burrows, and the burrow in front of us is a product of this situation.

After observing the area, Yue Feng used his index finger to pry open a few broken branches, revealing a rather large wild boar footprint underneath.

"Judging from the footprints, the sow in this group must be quite heavy. Look!"

Everyone looked down and saw that the huge footprint was a size larger than the other marks.

"How do you know these are sow footprints? Could they possibly be cannonball eggs?" Number Three asked curiously.

After hearing this answer, Yue Feng grinned and shook his head: "Real 'big cannon eggs' don't live in groups except during their annual mating season!"

This cannon egg has its own territory, with different herds of pigs in its territory! When the time comes, it will go to its own herd to mate, and after having its turn with a group of sows, it will go off on its own again!

It's not the right season yet.

In most cases, the herd consists of an old sow leading a young pig, plus the young yellow piglets from that year, making up a three-generation pig group!

These tracks are still fresh! Let's follow them. If we can catch a couple of pigs, we won't have to worry about food for a while!

"We only brought one dog. Can we really chase away a herd of wild boars? This thing is quite clever, but the leaves are rustling in the mountains right now. It won't be able to get close." Number One cast a doubtful glance at us again.

Asking this question shows that Number One has some understanding of traditional dog pack hunting. A typical dog pack consists of at least four or five dogs working together, while a single dog going up the mountain can only hunt in a scramble.

However, when chasing and encircling, the rustling leaves don't effectively conceal the footsteps. Unless an ambush is planned in advance, the wild boars would have already scattered upon hearing the noise during a chase.

Yue Feng grinned: "Other people's dogs definitely won't work, but ours will! Canglong can work with the eagle to trap the wild boar! As long as we can keep up, we'll have a chance to fire!"

"There's no danger, right? Those black wild boars are really fierce!"

"There's no danger. Let alone ordinary wild boars, even a wild boar king weighing over a thousand pounds can't do anything to my Azure Dragon! Azure Dragon, chase after it!"

At a command, the Azure Dragon, which had been poised to pounce, immediately let out a cry, then lowered its head and followed the scent, chasing after the direction the pigs had left in.

The dog chases the pig in front, the person chases the dog behind, and the eagle in the sky chases the person in the air.

The entire hunting team system quickly began operating like a sophisticated instrument. (End of Chapter)