American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 11 North American Jerusalem artichoke
The first rays of dawn over Lake Chirko, carrying a slight chill, pierced through the cracks of the makeshift shelter, waking Lin Yu'an from his sleep.

He opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the thick sleeping bag beneath him, and the cold air outside.

Fortunately, no large wild animals visited last night, only some faint rustling sounds, probably from some curious little creatures.

"Good morning, guys." Lin Yu'an gave the camera a slightly tired but still gentle smile.

"This is Lin Yu'an's second day at Lake Chirko. He slept relatively well last night. Although the shelter is simple, at least it can keep out the wind."

"Today's top priority is to conduct a comprehensive survey of the surrounding environment, find a stable food source, and begin selecting a site for building a permanent shelter."

He crawled out of his sleeping bag, quickly put on his coat and pants, stretched his stiff limbs, then rekindled the firewood left over from last night and boiled a pot of water in a stainless steel pot.

The scalding hot water dispelled the morning chill and fully woke him up. He didn't rush to eat anything.

Instead, they first carefully inspected the few small warning devices that had been simply set up around the shelter the night before—a few taut, thin branches connected to bells.

If anything approached, it would make a slight sound; the mechanism was intact, which reassured him somewhat. After hiding the bell again in the space, he continued his exploration mission for the day.

Lin Yu-an addressed the camera again, his tone more relaxed, "Guys, let's go out and see what surprises this land has in store for our breakfast."

He carried a multi-tool on his waist, a water bottle on his back, a camera, and an American hunting bow and quiver on his back. Although he might not use them today, they would give him a sense of security.

He decided to explore upstream along the stream he had discovered the day before.

As he walked, he explained his judgment to the camera: "Generally speaking, the ecosystem is richer near the source of a stream, and there are more traces of animal activity."

"Furthermore, I need to find a more ideal location to build a permanent shelter, preferably in a higher and drier area, while not too far from water and firewood resources."

The air in the primeval forest at dawn is so fresh and invigorating.

But it was also fraught with unknown dangers. Lin Yu'an was very careful with every step he took, his eyes scanning his surroundings sharply and his ears alertly picking up any subtle sounds.

He discovered that although the stream eventually flows into a lake, there are very few suitable fishing spots around the lake, and one has to walk a bit further to find a good fishing spot.

He frowned at the camera: "It seems that direct fishing is more difficult than I imagined."

"However, I found some fresh animal droppings by the creek, which looked like they were left by deer or some kind of small antelope, which at least indicates that there are traces of them in the vicinity."

He carefully parted the dense ferns and examined the ground closely. Soon, he found a series of clear, plum blossom-shaped footprints on a relatively flat patch of muddy ground by the stream.

"look here!"

He spoke into the camera in a low voice, “These are the footprints of a white-tailed deer. Judging from the size and depth of the footprints, it should be an adult female deer, possibly with her fawn. They came here to drink water last night or this morning.”

This discovery greatly encouraged Lin Yu-an. White-tailed deer are an excellent source of protein, and if he could hunt one, it would be enough to sustain his food supply for a long time.

But he didn't start tracking immediately. He knew that with his current equipment and familiarity with the area, it would be too risky and the success rate would be low to rashly track large prey.

He shook his head and continued, "But it's not the right time yet. I need to familiarize myself with this area first, understand their general range and habits, and then develop a detailed hunting plan."

"Today's goal is still to hunt small game and edible plants, while also finding a suitable location to set up a permanent camp."

He continued upstream along the stream, carefully observing the surrounding vegetation as he went. He spotted some familiar berries, such as brightly colored blueberries and honeysuckle berries, which are natural foods that can replenish vitamins.

While eating berries in front of the camera, Lin Yu-an showed a happy expression: "Guys, it looks like today's surprise breakfast is these berries!"

In addition, he found some plants that looked like Jerusalem artichokes, and after digging them up, they did indeed have tubers.

But he didn't pick it immediately. Instead, he carefully dug out a small piece with the scabbard, examined it closely, and tasted it with the tip of his tongue before confidently marking its location on a homemade bark map with charcoal.

“These tubers are indeed Jerusalem artichokes, rich in starch, with a crisp and slightly sweet taste, providing a good amount of sugar. Let them grow for a while longer, and then harvest them after the shelter is built. They can be roasted or used in soup.” After the stream bends, a relatively open clearing in the woods appears in front of Lin Yu’an.

The open space is flat, backed by a hillside covered with tall fir trees, and to the south by a sparse birch forest, where it receives plenty of sunshine.

Most importantly, the location is at a convenient distance from the stream, making it easy to obtain water, and there are plenty of dead branches and trees nearby, providing abundant firewood resources.

"This place... is absolutely perfect!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked to the center of the open space, carefully examining it with his camera.

"The terrain is flat and dry, with many trees that can block most of the cold wind. It is close to a water source and has a relatively open view, making it easy to observe the surroundings. I think, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be the permanent shelter!"

He excitedly announced his decision to the camera!

After determining the location of the permanent camp, Lin Yu'an began to address the immediate food problem. Instead of chasing after the elusive deer, he turned his attention to smaller prey that were easier to obtain.

He recalled several simple and efficient trap-making methods that old John had taught him.

Find a few flexible, thin branches, sharpen them with a multi-tool, and then cleverly set up several flexible wire snare traps in bushes and along paths where rabbits or squirrels often appear.

As he set things up, he explained each step in detail to the camera.

"The key to this trap lies in its disguise and the sensitivity of its triggering."

"The lasso should be covered with fine grass and soil, leaving only a loop just big enough for a small animal to squeeze through. The branch used to trigger it should be just the right amount of elasticity."

"It must be able to spring up and tighten the lasso quickly when the prey touches it, but it must not be too sensitive to avoid being accidentally triggered by the slightest movement."

Although he could find some flat stones and hard branches, he made several simple stone slab traps, targeting rodents or smaller birds that move on the ground.

However, like most Chinese people, Lin Yu-an is averse to eating rats.

After setting the traps, it was already late, so Lin Yu'an did not explore any further and returned to the temporary shelter.

His harvest today was meager, consisting of only some berries and a few ripe Jerusalem artichokes, which he steamed and cooked for dinner.

Night falls again.

The temperature was a bit lower than last night, so Lin Yu'an made the fire burn even brighter before crawling into his sleeping bag.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was constantly conceiving the design of a permanent shelter. He wanted to build a sturdy semi-underground stone house and a small smokehouse.

He hoped his traps would yield some results, but he also understood that the traps required patience and might yield nothing. In wilderness survival, luck and skill are equally important.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a faint, unusual sound, different from the wind, suddenly came from the bushes not far from the shelter!
Lin Yu'an's eyes snapped open, instantly becoming alert!
He held his breath and listened intently.

The sound was intermittent, clearly the sound of a struggle accompanied by the swaying of surrounding branches! But it didn't sound like something a large animal could make.

Could it be that... the trap has been successful?
Lin Yu'an's heart skipped a beat. He quickly attached the bear spray to his waist and quietly went to investigate with his camera and logging axe.

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(End of this chapter)