American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 199 One Arrow Kills! (Multiple Images! Requesting Monthly Tickets!)

As you enter the edge of the forest, the light is immediately dimmed by the tall spruce trees.

The air was filled with a unique scent of pine needles mixed with snow.

The snow underfoot was also quite different from the hard-shelled snow in the open areas of the river. Under the shelter of the tree canopy, the snow here was much looser and deeper.

He had to rely on snowshoes to avoid sinking into the snow with every step, thus avoiding unnecessary waste of energy.

Lin Yu'an didn't wander aimlessly through the forest like a headless fly. His hunting plan began with deciphering the "pale book" of the snowfield.

He first came to a low-lying depression that he had marked earlier, where a dense thicket of willow and birch bushes grew, an area where snowshoe hares might come to forage.

He crouched down, gently brushing away the surface snow with his gloved fingers, and began a thorough search. His eyes meticulously searched the snow for any trace of life.

Soon, he discovered a set of footprints, but Lin Yu'an's brows furrowed slightly.

The footprints were blurred at the edges, their outlines worn smooth by the wind and sublimation. There was a thin layer of ice crystals in the snow pit, which shattered when he touched them lightly with his finger. These were traces from at least two days ago, long since beyond the point of tracking.

Lin Yu'an was not discouraged, but systematically expanded the scope of the search.

However, in the next half hour, all he found were either a series of small, jumping footprints left by red squirrels or snow pits created by branches broken by the wind.

They also found some black, pill-like particles scattered on the snow, which were snowshoe hare droppings.

He poked at it with a twig; the droppings were dry and hard, their outer shells frosted over in the cold and crumbled at the slightest touch.

It was clearly a product from a few days ago, which further confirmed his judgment that the canteen had been abandoned.

Lin Yu'an muttered to himself, "It seems they've changed their feeding grounds. Animals periodically change their foraging spots for safety and food sustainability, avoiding leaving too much scent in one place and attracting predators."

He changed direction and headed towards a slightly higher hillside that would receive more afternoon sunlight, where the snow would be thinner and the tender branches and bark of the plants would be more exposed.

After a long journey and search, his spirits finally lifted!
Under a huge spruce tree, he found a row of clear footprints, like plum blossoms. The edges of the snow prints were sharp, and even the fine texture left by the downy hair on the soles of the feet could be seen. It was clear that they had been left recently.

Instead of immediately following the tracks, he first crouched down to "read" them. The back footprints of this series of footprints were "large and long" and landed in front of the front footprints, which were "small and round." This was a typical trace left by a snowshoe hare that hopped forward.

Snowshoe hares have large feet and long strides between their footprints, exceeding one meter, indicating that they were moving quickly, possibly running towards a foraging area rather than leisurely foraging.

This discovery is crucial because it means he was on a “commuting route” rather than at a random point of activity.

Lin Yu'an followed the hard-won trail cautiously, constantly paying attention to his surroundings, as other predators, especially lynxes, would also use these existing animal trails.

Labradors are one of the most important habitats for the Canadian lynx, and a large number of lynxes inhabit this area.

Not long after, Lin Yu'an passed through a dense forest, where the tracks became more concentrated, and multiple parallel marks appeared on the ground.

Finally, he stopped in front of a snow-covered but clearly wider "corridor"! The sight before him relaxed his tense nerves.

This "corridor" is covered with numerous tracks, hardened by repeated trampling! The snow surface has sunk, forming a clear groove about thirty centimeters wide.

In some places, the snow has become smooth and hard, turning a pale yellow color, due to repeated trampling and soaking in urine before refreezing.

This is clearly the highway that all the snowshoe hares in the vicinity use to travel between new foraging grounds and habitats—a perfect "rabbit trail."

"Finally found it!"

Lin Yu'an took out the lasso traps made of annealed steel wire and wooden parts from his backpack.

Instead of stepping directly onto the rabbit trail, I put on gloves and walked several dozen meters along a parallel route next to the rabbit trail to carefully survey the terrain.

He walked very slowly, trying not to touch any branches or leave any scent that did not belong to this forest.

He was looking for not only the "bottleneck" that the rabbits had to overcome, but also a perfect location that simultaneously possessed the natural conditions required for a "power source," a "trigger mechanism," and a "fixed structure."

On the hard frozen ground, any attempt to dig or add extra objects will leave unnatural smells and traces, enough to alarm any cautious rabbit.

Therefore, he had to make the trap look like it was part of the forest itself.

Lin Yu'an quickly selected the first position.

Here stands a huge, fallen dead tree. The rabbit trail passes right through a naturally formed low hole beneath this dead tree, and rabbits, seeking cover, will almost certainly choose to pass through here.

Right next to the entrance to the tree hole, there was a small birch tree, about the thickness of a wrist, growing straight as it sought sunlight, and a sturdy dead branch hanging from the dead tree.

It was perhaps the fall of this dead tree that tore a window in the woodland, allowing sunlight to penetrate the dense canopy and reach the ground.

This sapling, which came later, seized this precious opportunity and grew upwards with all its might, which is why it stands tall and straight today.

"This is it." This location provides all the natural "components" needed to build the trap.

He first pulled down the flexible little birch tree next to him, feeling its powerful elasticity. Then he temporarily tied a rope to the drooping dead branch, which became the "power core" of the trap.

Then, they began to build the main body and trigger of the trap.

He took out the Y-shaped support stick, but instead of inserting it into the ground, he pressed the main stem of the Y-shaped stick tightly against the trunk of the small birch tree, which was about the thickness of a wrist, with the opening of the Y facing the rabbit trail.

Next, take out a spare piece of wire and use a short piece of rope or thin wire to firmly tie the supporting wooden stick to the trunk of the small birch tree, locking them together into an inseparable whole.

A sturdy support structure, made entirely of natural objects and leaving almost no trace of human intervention, was thus completed.

Next, we come to the most ingenious core of the entire trap: the "trigger" mechanism.

Carefully set up the shorter, thinner "trigger" stick, with one end resting on the pre-carved groove on the Y-shaped support post, and the other end connected to the taut rope of the bent sapling.

Finally, they found a very thin but resilient twig, just long enough to span the entire rabbit trail.

This is the "trigger lever." With extremely light force, one end of this "trigger lever" is wedged into the Y-shaped support post, the horizontal trigger stick, and the fragile balance point between the two.

This process requires the feel of a watchmaker, and it was adjusted several times until the slender trigger rod was perfectly positioned across the rabbit trail, a few centimeters above the snow, with almost no force applied.

It looks like an inconspicuous, ordinary branch that grew naturally from the nearby bushes or was broken off by the wind and happened to fall here.

Finally, the steel wire lasso, gleaming with a cold metallic light, was unfolded and suspended vertically, positioned exactly about a fist's distance behind the horizontal trigger lever.

He began his camouflage, carefully gathering some dry snow powder from a nearby branch and gently covering the base of the Y-shaped support stake. He then tore off a few strands of bark and moss from the dead tree, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment, and casually sprinkled them on top.

He stepped back, crouched down, and, from the perspective of a predator, examined his newly completed masterpiece once more. The deadly trap had become completely integrated with the surrounding dead wood, saplings, and shadows.

After doing all this, he slowly straightened up. It had taken him nearly half an hour just to set up the first trap.

For a rabbit that is used to passing through here every day, it will only see a familiar passage, partially blocked by an inconspicuous twig.

“Now, I’ll demonstrate to you how this mechanism works.” He lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing a non-existent prey.

He picked up a dead branch about half a meter long from the side and said, “Imagine this is our target, a snow hare running along the rabbit trail.”

Lin Yu'an aimed the end of the branch at the trigger lever that was blocking the rabbit path.

"When the rabbit runs here, its chest or head will inevitably collide with this seemingly harmless trigger lever that is lying across the middle of the road."

As he spoke, he gently pushed the horizontal trigger lever forward with the branch in his hand.

"Click!"

A very faint, yet clearly audible, mechanical sound rang out in the silent forest! It was the crisp snapping sound of wood snapping together as it lost its balance!
In the blink of an eye, a chain reaction occurred!

The trigger lever, which served as the final point of equilibrium, was pushed forward by only a few centimeters, and the entire trigger mechanism collapsed instantly! The rope connecting the trigger, which had been pulled by the bent sapling, was released in an instant!
"Whoosh—! Snap!"

With a shrill whistling sound as if the air was being torn apart and a sharp cracking sound as a branch snapped back violently, the steel wire lasso that had been hanging quietly behind the trigger rod suddenly shot up to the side at a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye!
The lasso tightened instantly, swinging violently back and forth in the air!

If a real rabbit were caught in the snare, its neck would be tightened and lifted off the ground instantly, and it would die within seconds from suffocation or a broken neck.

The entire process, from triggering to completion, is lightning fast and clean, giving the prey no chance to react or escape.

"See that?" Lin Yu'an walked to the lasso that was still swaying slightly and began to reset the trap.

With the same meticulous, and even more skillful, technique, he reset the trap to a state of perfect readiness to trigger.

He carefully noted the location of the trap before turning around and continuing his next plan, actively pursuing the prey.

He took the recurve bow from his back; its sturdy body exuded a cold, icy feel in the chill.

It was nocked with a hunting arrow, the arrowhead of which was specially designed to kill small prey such as birds, so as to preserve the meat as much as possible.

His target was not limited to a single species, but rather to all living things in this transitional zone between coniferous forest and tundra that could provide him with valuable fat and red meat.

"This seemingly desolate snow forest is actually full of hidden vitality." The white mist he exhaled quickly dissipated in the air.

“In winter, most mammals reduce their activity to conserve energy.” He moved with a stealthy gait that made almost no sound, while mentally listing the most realistic prey for the day.

"Therefore, the targets of active hunting must be those few species that are most cold-resistant and relatively active."

“First, birds.” He lowered his voice, his pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze began to scan carefully between the treetops and the snow.

"There are two main species of grouse in this forest."

"The Rock Ptarmigan and its close relative, the Willow Ptarmigan, have already changed into pure white winter plumage, with only a few black spots remaining at the corners of their eyes and the tips of their tail feathers. They use the snow to create perfect camouflage, making them extremely difficult to spot."

"They prefer to be on the ground, looking for tender plant shoots exposed under the snow blown away by the wind. Finding them is almost entirely a matter of luck and their footprints in the snow."

"And the second type," his gaze began to focus intently on the lower and middle layers of the spruce tree, on the branches where the light was dimmer.

"And that's my main target today, the spruce grouse. They are completely different; they are among the few grouse that don't molt for winter, still maintaining their mottled, dark feathers that resemble tree bark and moss."

"They spend most of their time perched on the branches of spruce trees, feeding on spruce needles which have very low nutritional value. This has led them to develop a habit of being very inactive, making them resident birds that are extremely good at static camouflage."

"Finding them requires the purest eyesight and unparalleled patience."

"Secondly, the only mammal that is still active on the snow, the snowshoe hare."

"They do not hibernate, and their fur has turned white, but they are extremely alert. Their huge ears are constantly turning like radar, and their hearing is very sharp. It is almost impossible to shoot a snow hare running in the forest with a bow and arrow."

"The only possibility is that they ambushed it while it was still gnawing on the bark of willow or birch trees."

"Finally, there is an even more cunning opportunist—the red fox."

"They don't hibernate either. They rely on their excellent hearing to catch lemmings that are active under the snow layer that is tens of centimeters thick. Their signature hunting method, which is to leap high and plunge headfirst into the snow, is when they are most focused, but also most vulnerable."

"If I happen to encounter a fox that is hunting, I might have a chance to successfully shoot it!"

After Lin Yu'an completed the winter hunting scene in his mind, consisting of "grouse in the trees, snow hares and ptarmigans on the ground, and red foxes moving around," his senses were heightened to the extreme.

He no longer just stared intently at a single point; his gaze became broad and fluid.

He carefully discerned any unusual protrusions and outlines on the tree trunk with his central vision, while simultaneously using his peripheral vision to capture any movement on the snow that differed from the dynamics of the snowflakes blown by the wind.

At the same time, I focused more attention on my hearing, deliberately slowed my breathing, calmed my heartbeat, and listened carefully to every sound in the forest besides the sound of the wind.

What he had to do was to distinguish the "noise" produced by any prey activity within this monotonous sound composed of natural notes.

For example, the "crunching" sound made when a snowshoe hare gnaws on tree bark, or the rustling sound of spruce branches when a grouse moves among the branches.

It was an extremely tedious and mentally taxing process. The forest was deathly silent, with only his own breathing and the occasional rustling of the wind through the treetops.

Countless times, Lin Yu'an mistook a strangely shaped tree burl for his target.

Suddenly, about thirty meters to his right, a slightly rounded, dark shadow on an old spruce tree, with a texture subtly different from its surroundings, caught his full attention.

The dark figure crouched silently on a thick branch covered in snow, almost blending into the trunk.

If it weren't for his unusually sensitive sixth sense, anyone would have just mistaken it for an ordinary broken branch or tree shadow.

Lin Yu'an immediately took a deep breath, slowly moved his body, leaned against the trunk of a tree in front of him, and used the trunk as cover to raise the recurve bow in his hand.

Pulling the bar open slightly, muscle memory instantly finds the most familiar and stable cheek contact point as the aiming reference.

The sharp arrow pointed steadily at the small, almost invisible black figure.

Just as he was about to let go, the dark figure seemed to sense something, moved slightly, and poked out a small head!

This was a golden opportunity, the last window of opportunity! Lin Yu'an dared not wait any longer, and his fingers instantly loosened!

"Boom!"

The bowstring gave a dull thud! The hunting arrow, like a black lightning bolt, precisely tore through a distance of twenty or thirty meters!

Time seemed to slow down at that moment, and the black arrow drew an almost invisible straight line in the air, striking the blurry outline with precision.

"puff--"

A dull thud, like the sound of a leather bag filled with sand, could be clearly heard in the silent forest!

The spruce grouse didn't even have time to utter a cry before it was blasted off the branch by the enormous impact, tumbling through the air before crashing heavily into the deep snow below.

It left only a small dent and a few scattered feathers on the snow, and then fell silent.

This distance allows Lin Yu'an to easily kill with a single arrow!
Lin Yu'an's tense nerves finally relaxed. He let out a long breath, then quickly stepped forward and picked up the still warm prey from the snow pit.

This is an adult male spruce grouse, covered in thick, mottled dark brown feathers like camouflage. The hunting arrow struck its chest precisely.

Instead of immediately hanging the prey on his waist, he immediately began processing it on the spot. For any qualified hunter, quick bleeding is the key first step in ensuring the meat is fresh and removing the fishy smell.

He drew his hunting knife from his waist and deftly made a small incision in the grouse's carotid artery.

Then, he took out the waterproof nylon storage bag from his backpack, which had served him well for carrying his sleeping bag and also served as an excellent liquid container when necessary.

He held the grouse upside down, pointing the wound on its neck at the opening of the storage bag. Warm, dark red blood immediately flowed out from the cut, drop by drop, line by line, into the bag.

As he watched the blood accumulate in the bag, he thought to himself, "This blood is top-quality bait. It can be made into blood bait blocks for ice fishing, which might have unexpected benefits."

Until the last drop of blood was drained, a thin layer of precious blood had accumulated in the storage bag. The bag was tied in a knot and carefully put back into the backpack.

Then, he hung the grouse on his waist. Having made his harvest, he did not venture any further.

A wise hunter knows when to stop. On the way back, he checked the trap again.

After carefully checking whether the location of the wire snare was still concealed and whether there were any new animal tracks on the ground, everything was intact and showed no signs of being triggered.

Lin Yu'an was not disappointed. After all, only a few hours had passed. The allure of a trap lies in the patience to set it up in exchange for an unknown surprise.

When we finally emerged from the forest and returned to the open glacier, it was already afternoon.

Back at the shelter, the warm air instantly relaxed his tense muscles. He placed the precious grouse on a clean piece of birch bark, without immediately processing it.

After sitting by the fireplace and warming myself for a while, I began to process the grouse.

Instead of gutting it like a fish, he used a more delicate skinning technique than hunters use for small birds, carefully tearing a small opening in the grouse's breastbone.

Then he inserted his fingers between the skin and flesh and peeled off the entire hairy skin.

This method of processing maximizes the cleanliness of the meat and prevents tiny feathers from sticking together. He cut off the two most prized pieces of breast meat and two legs.

The meat was a deep pink, much redder than domestic chicken, and glistened with an enticing sheen under the firelight. However, it still showed the characteristic white texture of poultry, lacking the deep, dark red of mammals that could awaken the most primal human appetite.

"It's better than nothing." Lin Yu'an chuckled self-deprecatingly, weighing the rather heavy chicken leg in his hand. This was already a gift he was grateful for.

"Although it's not the 'red meat' I crave most, this rich gamey flavor is enough to satisfy my long-protesting taste buds."

He skewered a chicken breast on a sharpened wooden stick and slowly grilled it over the fire. The aroma was so real and intense, completely different from the smell of seafood, that it invigorated him.

He took a deep breath of the long-lost aroma and leaned against the wall contentedly. In this secluded sanctuary, this small success and the delicious taste he was about to taste gave him a brief, almost delusional feeling of possessing the whole world.

However, it was precisely this intense sense of satisfaction that inevitably made him think of the other contestants who had been thrown into this wilderness with him.

"I wonder how the other players are doing?" This thought popped up out of nowhere.

Lin Yu'an took a bite of the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside roasted chicken, chewing it slowly, but his gaze was fixed on the dark distance.

"It's the twenty-eighth day now. Nearly a month of food shortages, physical exhaustion, and mental breakdowns should have eliminated a large number of people by now."

"But there will always be a few truly tough ones. If someone lands in the more resource-rich inland areas, could they have already hunted down a real big one?"

"A deer? A wild boar? Or even a bear?"

This thought made Lin Yu'an's brows furrow involuntarily. A deer meant hundreds of pounds of red meat and a huge deer hide, while a bear represented top-quality fat reserves and unparalleled survival advantages.

If a competitor truly reaches that level, the gap between them is something that a grouse dinner cannot bridge.

"I hope not."

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these chaotic thoughts. There was no point in thinking about it anymore; survival was not just about physical strength, but also mental fortitude.

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(I think I've discovered my strength: illustrations! Chapters with illustrations always get tons of monthly votes!)
(End of this chapter)