American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 148 Deer Migration (Six chapters today, please vote!)
Two small boats, one after the other, headed towards the unknown hunting grounds.

On Lin Yu'an's support boat, Xiao Ying sat at the bow, holding binoculars, his sharp eyes scanning every tree line and mudflat on both sides of the riverbank, filled with the anticipation of a young hunter.

However, the reality of hunting was far more brutal and tedious than planned.

On the first day, they found nothing except a few female deer drinking water on the shore.

Back at the temporary camp in the evening, the little eagle was still excitedly discussing the doe's size and fur with Lin Yu'an.

The next day, they went upstream and ventured into a tributary that was not marked on the map.

Based on his experience, Patton spotted some willow branches that moose had gnawed on. He got off the boat, broke off a branch, and showed Lin Yu'an and Xiao Ying the jagged break.

"Look, these are the tracks left by moose. They don't have upper incisors, so it was a tearing rather than a cutting. The color of the cut has already started to oxidize and darken, indicating that they passed through here at least a day or two ago."

Day three, day four...

As time went by, their patience and confidence were gradually eroded by this vast and stingy wilderness.

Every morning, they set off full of hope, and in the evening, they dragged their tired bodies back to their temporary camp by the river.

The atmosphere gradually shifted from initial optimism to a somewhat somber one.

The lighthearted laughter and chatter around the campfire had ceased. Little Eagle's mood had clearly soured, and he looked at the unchanging riverside scenery with a face full of frustration.

"Dad, can't we find them?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

As Patton maintained his hunting knife with a whetstone, he reassured his son in a steady voice: "Hunting, most of the time, is about waiting and searching."

"What you see is the unchanging scenery, but what I see is the changing wind direction, the traces of flowing water, and the omens of birds flying in the sky."

"You have to learn to read the language of this land, not just look at it with your eyes. Be patient with it, and it will always reward you unexpectedly."

Stan remained silent, intently whittling a piece of birch wood with a small knife, as if creating a work of art.

But he would occasionally teach the eaglet some tracking techniques.

He pointed to a piece of dried feces and pried it apart with a stick: "Look inside, it's mainly woody plant fiber, which means its recent food source was tree branches, not aquatic plants."

"Therefore, we should focus our search on forest areas further away from the riverbank where willows and birches are more densely packed."

David faithfully documented everything, writing in his shooting log: "This is the real Alaskan hunt. It's not a thrilling shooting game, but a long ordeal that tests patience, skill, and luck."

"Six days have passed, and we have gained nothing. The team's morale is being tested. The composure of the three adult hunters stands in stark contrast to the impatience of the young man."

On the afternoon of the sixth day, just when everyone was about to lose hope and prepare to return to rest, an unexpected surprise appeared!

Their small boat was drifting silently past a river bend when Lin Yu'an's little eagle suddenly lowered its body and pointed to a wide open riverbank ahead in an extremely excited but also suppressed voice: "Dad! Look there!"

Everyone immediately looked in the direction he was pointing.

About two hundred meters ahead on the riverbank, a huge male moose with an extremely perfect physique was drinking water without any suspicion.

Its body is as strong as an ox, with high-rising shoulder muscles, and the large, symmetrical antlers on its head gleam with a bony sheen in the setting sun. It is a top-tier trophy that any hunter would dream of!
The eaglet's breathing quickened instantly; this was the first time in his life that he had seen such a magnificent beast up close in the wild.

A surge of adrenaline and an urge to prove himself made him instinctively raise his .270 Winchester rifle.

He quickly placed the crosshairs behind the moose's shoulder blade, lowered his voice, and excitedly told Lin Yu'an behind him and his father on the walkie-talkie, "Perfect distance! I can hit it! I can take it down with one shot!"

However, Patton's response was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing his enthusiasm.

"Put down your gun, Hawk! Now!" Patton's voice came through the walkie-talkie, not loud, but full of unquestionable authority.

"Why? Dad! It's right there!" the eaglet retorted, puzzled. He felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I told you to put down your gun!” Patton’s tone became even harsher.

"Turn on your GPS! Look at the coordinates of that river bend in front of you! Then compare them to the protected area marked with a red line on our map!"

Little Eagle frantically pulled out his GPS, glanced at the flashing coordinates on the screen, then compared them to the professional map covered in markings on his knee, and his expression instantly changed.

On the map, a clear red line runs right along the river bend in front of them.

The riverbank where the moose was standing was clearly located on the other side of the red line, within the no-hunting zone!
Through binoculars, Lin Yu-an also spotted a faded red warning sign, almost completely buried by weeds, at the edge of the woods further behind the moose.

David watched with trepidation, and whispered to Stan, "In such a remote place, are game reserves really determined solely by signs and maps?"

Stan shook his head and explained in a low voice, "It's not just about that. For professional hunters, GPS coordinates are the only legal basis."

“Every year, the hunting manual uses extremely precise latitude and longitude to delineate the boundaries of the no-hunting zone, such as ‘from the mouth of a certain river to the ridgeline of a certain mountain.’”

"The sign is just an auxiliary reminder. Even without a sign, it is illegal to fire a gun if you cross the coordinate line."

"But...but the patrol officers from the Fish and Hunting Bureau would never come to such a godforsaken place!" Little Eagle was still unwilling to give up. He felt that as long as he fired the gun and dragged the deer away, no one would know.

Stan said to the eaglet in a serious tone, "Son, listen to your father. When we hunt, we must follow the rules and take what nature gives us. The rifle in your hand is not a tool for you to use for opportunism; it is your honor."

Barton's voice rang out again, this time with a fatherly tenderness in his tone.

“Little Eagle, this is your first hunt, and I need to teach you an important lesson: why you can’t fire that shot.”

“In Alaska, illegal hunting is a felony. If caught, a fine of tens of thousands of dollars is the least of your worries. Your gun will be confiscated, and more importantly, your hunting license will be suspended for at least five years, or even banned from hunting for life.”

"Do you want your life to be stained with the mark of a poacher from today onwards?"

"Don't think the patrol officers can't find us. Their planes are flying every day. If they see us handling a deer in a protected area from the air, they can land and arrest us directly." "Moreover, any hunter who discovers that we are breaking the law has the right to report it to the Bureau of Fish and Game and can even receive a large reward. In the wilderness, you not only have to be wary of wild animals, but also of humans."

Lin Yu'an gently pressed down on the gun barrel that Xiao Ying was still holding, and whispered to him, "Xiao Ying, Patton and Stan are right. Laws and rules are the only guarantee that we can hunt here in a long time and with respect."

“We have seven legitimate labels, which means we have seven opportunities to challenge them openly and honestly. We don’t need to resort to such underhanded methods to obtain a dishonorable trophy.”

"Trust us, and trust yourself. We will definitely be able to hunt something even better in the right way."

Under the joint guidance of the three elders from three levels—values, community rules, and the cold law—the impulsiveness and resentment on Xiao Ying's face gradually turned into understanding, fear, and shame.

He slowly lowered his gun, watched the male moose leisurely finish drinking the water, and then turned and disappeared into the woods of the game reserve.

Although he missed out on a perfect prey, Barton looked at Lin Yu'an with eyes full of praise and approval.

This little incident not only taught the eagle a valuable lesson about "hunting ethics," but also confirmed for Patton that Lin Yu-an, this outsider, was a truly trustworthy partner who shared the same values.

On the morning of the seventh day, a thin layer of river mist filled the air, and everyone's mood was somewhat low.

Just as they were preparing to make one last routine patrol and then return to camp, a turning point finally arrived.

Lin Yu-an observed through binoculars that he found several very fresh moose footprints on an inconspicuous mudflat.

He immediately whispered into the walkie-talkie, "Patton! Fresh tracks on the mudflats across the river at three o'clock!"

Patton immediately and silently moved the boat closer. He jumped onto the mudflat, squatted down, picked up a bit with his fingers, and his expression instantly became extremely serious and focused, his eyes flashing with the excitement of a hunter spotting his prey!

"No more than an hour! It's a huge herd of deer! They're nearby! They're preparing to cross the river!"

One sentence instantly ignited the team's morale, which had been dormant for six days! The dejection on Xiao Ying's face vanished, replaced by extreme excitement.

They immediately returned to the boat, turned off the engine, and like two withered leaves blending into their surroundings, drifted silently with the current toward the S-shaped crossing point that Patton had identified.

They reached the crossing point and hid the two small boats in the dense reeds on both sides of the river.

What follows is an even more arduous wait than the previous six days.

More than an hour later, movement finally came from the woods on the opposite bank!
A large herd of twenty or thirty moose slowly emerged from the forest and gathered on the riverbank.

Led by the most magnificent stag, the entire herd began to wade through the water! Their massive bodies waded into the icy river, creating huge ripples.

Soon, the water was deep enough to cover their bellies, and they began to swim forward with great effort, heads held high!
In that instant, the entire wide river surface seemed to be occupied by these moving, enormous heads and antlers!

They cut through the water, spewing white vapor from their nostrils, creating a magnificent and vibrant picture of migration!
"The time has come."

Patton's voice came through the walkie-talkie, calm and authoritative: "Ready to take your positions, await my orders."

David then asked Lin Yu'an a question in a very low voice: "Lin, is it legal in Alaska to shoot at an animal that is swimming on a boat?"

Lin Yu'an's gaze never left the scope, but he said in the same deep voice, "In Alaska, hunting moose that have crossed rivers is legal, but there are extremely strict legal regulations behind it."

"First and foremost, the most important law."

"You must never use motorboats to chase, harass, drive, or pen deer herds, forcing them into your firing range."

“Our vessels can passively intercept downstream. Any active ‘hunting’ is a felony, punishable by hefty fines and long prison sentences.”

"Secondly, the law clearly stipulates that it is strictly forbidden to fire on any vessel that is 'powered on', and our outboard motors must be completely shut off."

He pointed to his boat: "For example, I am currently completely moored, which is a perfectly legal firing platform."

He continued, "Finally, and this is the biggest test for hunters, the law stipulates that once prey falls into the water, hunters must do everything possible to retrieve it, and must not allow prey to be wasted because it is washed away by the water."

"If the patrol officers find that you have shot down your prey but are unable to retrieve it, you will also face severe penalties. So this hunt tests not only your marksmanship, but also your retrieval ability."

This short but hardcore science video allowed David and Mike to record the footage they wanted.

At that moment, Patton gave his orders: "Stan, you're in charge of the largest point on the left wing! I'll take charge of the most symmetrical corner on the right wing!"

"Lin, that enormous one following at the very back is your target! That's your non-resident tag!"

"Little Eagle, you are in charge of observation and learning. You are absolutely not allowed to fire without my order!"

When the deer herd swam to the center of the river, their massive bodies slowed in the water, their perfect profiles fully exposed, Patton gave the order.

Barton suddenly gave an order that made David and Mike's hearts skip a beat!

"Stan! Lynn! Start the engine! Let's close in!"

David immediately exclaimed in a low voice, "Barton! Wait! The law doesn't prohibit it..."

"The law prohibits hunting!" Patton's voice was firm and resolute.

"Look carefully! The deer herd has voluntarily entered the river channel; their migration route is already set! We are not driving them now, but moving parallel to their established route to find the best firing window! This is a perfectly legal tactical approach!"

At his command, the outboard motors of the two small boats were instantly activated, emitting a suppressed growl!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(There will be three more rounds tonight!)

(End of this chapter)