American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 208 Spears and the Hunting Plan (Multiple Images, Must Read)

Inside the shelter, Lin Yu'an finally breathed a sigh of relief after securing the entrance with a bolt from the inside.

The cold winds and potential threats from the outside world were completely shut out by this simple but sturdy barrier.

But that lone wolf was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, completely extinguishing his desire to give up.

Lin Yu'an threw the only giant lake trout he had brought back, which was already hardening, onto the ground with a muffled "clang".

Then he quickly walked to the fireplace and rekindled the almost extinguished flames. The flickering flames brought warmth back to the small space, and most importantly, a sense of security.

"The existence of that lone wolf means that my shelter is no longer safe, and all my actions now must prioritize risk control."

“I must immediately begin upgrading my defense systems and weapons, as it could come back to test me at any moment tonight.”

"When facing a lone, fully grown wolf, my bow needs to be adjusted to its optimal state, allowing no mistakes! My arrows need to have even more lethal arrowheads."

A sense of crisis compelled him to make the most of every minute before nightfall. He sat by the fire and began to maintain and upgrade his recurve bow and arrows.

He carefully drew two hunting arrows from his quiver, arrows that were quite different from the others.

The arrows were fitted with broadheaded arrows with three sharp blades made of high-carbon steel at their tips.

This is his secret weapon, specially prepared for hunting large animals. He used this brand at Lake Chirko and hunted a black bear with it, so its quality is trustworthy.

He held a hunting arrow in front of the camera, focusing the lens on the gleaming metallic tip. "I need to make this weapon sharper and more lethal."

Then he took out the double-sided natural whetstone from his toolbox and soaked it with snow water.

Then, he grasped the arrow shaft, pressed one of the blade blades firmly against the surface of the whetstone at a fixed angle, and began to push and polish it forward steadily and powerfully.

"Hiss—rip—"

A delicate, lingering friction sound echoed in the quiet sanctuary, mingling with the crackling of the fireplace.

After doing all this, he tightly tied a wire tripwire to the base of the broadhead arrow's wing, then wound it several times in a spiral along the shaft, finally tying a knot in front of the fletching.

“This is called the ‘blood groove’ wrapping method.” He said to the camera, showing the modified arrow.

"When a high-poundage bow shoots an arrow and it hits a large animal, the muscle contraction and compression will cause the wound to close quickly, greatly reducing blood loss."

"The wrapping of these several layers of tough steel wire not only keeps the wound open and prevents it from closing, but also causes continuous tearing as the arrow penetrates deeper. This is an ancient and deadly technique."

After he had meticulously polished and modified the two hunting arrows, the giant lake trout had finally thawed to a manageable state, its skin softening but its core remaining a hard ice core.

Lin Yu'an then temporarily put down his weapon and began to prepare dinner to replenish his energy.

The fish was placed on a clean piece of birch bark. This time, instead of gutting it, a more efficient method was chosen that was more suitable for handling large fish in a semi-frozen state.

"Alright, guys, now I'm going to show you a different way of doing it."

Lin Yu-an faced the camera, picked up a sharp hunting knife, and said, "This is a technique I learned from an old Inuit fisherman in Alaska. They call it 'slicing meat close to the bone.'"

"When dealing with large fish like these, especially when they are semi-frozen, this method is far more efficient and cleaner than the traditional method of gutting them."

"While the fish's body still retains a certain degree of firmness, its muscle tissue provides excellent support, making it easier to cut."

“It would be difficult to gut the fish directly, and it would easily make a mess. So, I will first slice off the most valuable part of the fish.”

His knife skills were precise and confident. The first cut was made vertically from behind the fish's pectoral fin until the tip of the knife touched the hard spine.

Then, rotate the blade ninety degrees, keeping the blade close to the spine, and begin to slice horizontally from head to tail with a steady and firm force.

"Hiss—rip—"

The sound of the blade slicing through semi-frozen fish was deeper and more textured than when cutting fresh fish. He could clearly feel the tip of the blade gliding along the edges of each rib.

"That's the key."

As he demonstrated, he continued to explain: "You must always feel the bone in the blade so that you don't waste any fish meat."

Soon, with the final cut through the fish skin, a huge, thick, and perfectly preserved fillet, complete with its skin, was perfectly separated from the fish. Only a thin layer of red meat remained on the skeleton, with almost nothing was wasted.

He used the same method to process the other side. In the end, he got two complete fish fillets, while the fish head, bones, and all the internal organs remained intact.

Place a fish fillet skin-side down on birch bark, then use a knife at an angle to slice the snow-white fish meat off the skin completely, leaving only an empty fish skin.

The remaining part, a complete skeleton from head to tail, still connected to all the internal organs, was carefully placed in a corner of the shelter, near the fireplace, to continue to thaw slowly.

He pointed to the fish skeleton, which resembled some kind of prehistoric creature's skeletal specimen, and said, "Look, guys, this is another benefit of 'meat close to the bone.' All the internal organs are completely preserved in the abdominal cavity, and now it's like a 'natural food storage box.'"

“I don’t need to deal with them immediately. I can wait until I finish eating before proceeding with the next step of ‘organ harvesting’ and decomposition.”

He tapped the fish's head, producing a dull sound, like striking a stone.

"Judging from the sound, its core is still very firmly frozen. I estimate it will take at least another hour for it to thaw completely to a usable state. And that's just enough time for me to treat myself."

Lin Yu'an cut off several strips from the thick, fatty fish skin that had just been separated and threw them into the already heated iron pot.

The fish skin curls up rapidly under high temperature, and the remaining fat layer under the skin begins to melt, making a "sizzling" sound.

A richer, more caramelized aroma of fish oil than simply fried fat began to permeate the shelter.

"Using fish skin to render oil is one of the most efficient methods. Fish skin itself can prevent the fat from burning quickly at high temperatures, and the rendered oil is also clearer. Moreover, the leftover crispy fried fish skin is itself a kind of snack."

While waiting for the oil to be refined, he didn't devise a defensive trap, but instead put the several sharpened hunting arrows back into the quiver.

"Alright, the ranged weapons are ready." He said to the camera, his expression calm and serious.

Then he went to the pile of tools and picked out a sturdy birch pole, which he had collected earlier to use as building material.

"When facing an opponent like a wolf, you must be prepared for close combat. Bows and arrows are very effective at long range, but you also need a weapon that allows you to maintain a safe distance and fight it off."

From a tool bag wrapped in birch bark, he carefully took out a half-finished product: a flint dagger that had already been polished to its basic shape.

“Flint.” He showed the stone to the camera; the cross-section of the stone reflected a glass-like, oily luster in the firelight.

"I found this on the riverbed. It is extremely hard and its internal structure is like glass. It was originally intended to be a dagger."

"But now we need to change the plan and upgrade it to the tip of a spear, which will give me a crucial safe distance when fighting wolves."

He sat cross-legged on the ground, placed the thick deerskin on his left palm, found a flint, and then carefully held the flint in his hand.

With his right hand gripping the smooth flint, he suddenly exerted force with his wrist, striking the edge of the flint quickly and powerfully at a precise angle!

"clang!"

A crisp sound, like the cracking of ceramic, rang out! A thin, palm-sized piece of stone peeled off the flint matrix.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

With each precise strike, more stone flakes were peeled off. Lin Yu'an's movements were full of foresight; the position, force, and angle of each strike were precisely calculated.

He wasn't just smashing things randomly; he was using controlled violence to "carve" this stubborn stone.

Soon, the originally irregular flint was transformed in his hand into a roughly symmetrical, spearhead-like rhomboid shape.

Lin Yu-an held the prototype up to the camera, saying, "Now, its rough processing is complete, and it has a basic shape, but it's not sharp enough or regular enough. Next, we'll do more refined work: pressure peeling."

He put down Thresh and picked up another of the most precious treasures in his toolbox: a piece of deer antler.

“This is a treasure I found in the forest a few weeks ago.” He showed the camera the hard antler. “It must have fallen off naturally from a reindeer. The hardness and toughness of the antler make it the most perfect soft hammer and pressure flaker in nature, able to concentrate pressure perfectly on the edge of the stone tool.”

Then, press the edge of the spearhead firmly onto the palm padded with thick leather, and then use the sharp antler to press down hard on the edge of the spearhead with concentrated downward pressure.

"Boom!"

With an extremely faint sound, a tiny, crescent-shaped stone chip, about the size of a fingernail, was precisely pressed down.

He adjusted his position and applied pressure again.

"Bo! Bo! Bo!"

Lin Yu'an, like a top-notch diamond cutter, used this primitive yet exquisite method to refine the outline of the spearhead bit by bit, making its edges present a regular, serrated, sharp edge.

This process was extremely mentally taxing. His eyes were fixed on every point where the spear tip touched the antlers, and every application of pressure required all his attention and control of his strength.

Finally, after the last flake was removed, a perfect, willow-leaf shaped flint spearhead was born in his hands.

It is about ten centimeters long and covered with beautiful shell-shaped ripples. The blades on both sides gleam with a dangerous and cold light in the firelight. They are sharp enough to easily cut through the toughest animal hides.

"All done." Lin Yu'an examined his masterpiece with satisfaction, and then began the final assembly.

He picked up the birchwood pole that he had prepared beforehand, and with the tip of his hunting knife, carefully cut a groove about five centimeters deep at the front end of the pole.

Then, he precisely inserted the flint spearhead into the groove, confirming that the angle and position were perfect. He then removed a small piece of black, resin-like substance.

"This is a natural glue made from a mixture of spruce resin and charcoal powder." He softened the glue by the fire, then applied it evenly to the joint between the spearhead and the wooden shaft, filling all the gaps.

Finally, he took out a steel wire tripwire and, with all his might, tied the spearhead and the wooden shaft together in a crisscross pattern.

Once the steel wire and resin glue had completely solidified, he created a flint spear about two meters long, with a perfect center of gravity that shone with a primitive aura!

A very clear and aggressive plan had already taken shape in his mind.

“Passive defense will only exhaust you in endless waiting and anxiety. That wolf has already revealed its presence; it knows I have food here. Rather than waiting for it to choose its moment to attack, I should choose the battlefield and the timing.”

"At daybreak tomorrow, I will take my bow and arrows and this newly completed spear and go after it."

"I need to establish absolute dominance in this territory! Any potential threat must be eliminated!"

This proactive decision was as natural as eating and drinking; it was no longer a defense against fear, but a clearing operation of territory and resources!

At this point, the fish skin in the pot had turned golden brown and curled up, and a thick layer of golden fish oil had accumulated at the bottom of the pot.

He picked out the crispy fish skin and set it aside to cool.

Lin Yu'an glanced at the snow-white lake trout fillet that he had sliced ​​off completely. It was still semi-frozen, and the middle part felt as hard as a rock.

He explained to the camera, "You can't just fry such a thick 'ice block' directly. The outside will burn while the inside will still be raw, so I need to process it first."

He then stood the huge, semi-frozen fish fillet upright on the birch bark, and with a sharp hunting knife, like a Japanese chef slicing tuna, he sliced ​​the fish fillet horizontally off the fillet piece by piece.

Because the fish meat is still firm, he can easily cut each slice to a uniform thickness, about half a centimeter thick.

The snow-white fish fillets, covered with ice crystals, shimmered with a beautiful luster.

“Look, in this state, slicing is actually easier.” He showed the thin slices of fish in his hand.

"Now, each of them is of uniform thickness, and the heating area has been greatly increased, allowing them to cook instantly."

Then, he slid the thinly sliced ​​fish into the boiling fish oil, one slice at a time.

"Sizzle—"

As soon as the fish fillets came into contact with the hot oil, their edges immediately curled up due to the high temperature, making a loud sizzling sound, and white steam instantly rose up.

This is no longer a slow and leisurely pan-frying process, but a high-temperature, rapid cooking process similar to stir-frying!

The color of the fish meat changed visibly from translucent snow white to opaque milky white, while the edges were fried to an enticing golden yellow.

The entire process didn't even require flipping the fish; the first batch of fillets was cooked through in less than thirty seconds. He quickly scooped them out of the pot with a wooden fork and placed them on birch bark.

Lin Yu'an didn't eat immediately. Instead, he continued to slide the remaining fish slices into the oil in batches for quick cooking. Soon, a large pile of golden-brown, crispy fish slices formed a small mountain in front of him.

He first picked up the piece of fish skin that had been taken out earlier, which had cooled down and become as crispy as a potato chip, and put it in his mouth.

"Crunch!" A crisp chewing sound rang out, making him squint his eyes in satisfaction.

Then, I turned my attention to the pile of steaming hot fish slices and picked up a piping hot one. The outer layer of the fish slice had formed a thin, crispy crust due to the high temperature of frying, while the inside remained extremely tender.

He put the fish slice into his mouth, the slight sound of the crispy outer shell followed by the tender fish meat inside that melted in his mouth like fine tofu, requiring almost no chewing.

Warm, energizing food slid into my stomach, and a powerful warm current instantly spread throughout my body.

One slice after another, at an almost greedy pace, these delicious high-protein, high-fat foods were delivered into the body.

After eating about a third of the fish slices, he forced himself to stop and let out a long sigh of relief.

The warmth emanating from his stomach revitalized his brain, which had been somewhat sluggish due to prolonged energy depletion.

He glanced at the fish skeleton and entrails in the corner, which had completely thawed and were beginning to emit a faint fishy smell, and immediately stood up.

"During the after-dinner entertainment time, before I rest, these things must be cleaned up. If they are not cleaned up in time, the whole shelter will be filled with a nauseating fishy smell tomorrow, which will be a kind of mental torture."

Lin Yu'an laid the fish skeleton, now reduced to a thin layer of red flesh, back onto the birch bark. It was now completely softened and ready for the most delicate decomposition.

Carefully slice open the softened peritoneum with the tip of a knife, revealing a complete set of intact, brightly colored internal organs.

Then, the internal organs were completely removed and sorted on another clean piece of birch bark, a process reminiscent of an experienced surgeon organizing surgical instruments.

"Now, let's see what we've gained."

He pointed with the tip of his knife, “First, this is lake trout liver, a top-notch vitamin supplement. I’ll slice it thinly and fry it briefly in the remaining fish oil; it helps combat fatigue and boost immunity.”

"Then there's this, fish roe, pure protein and phospholipids. I'll mash them in a wooden bowl, mix in a little water and salt to make the most basic 'energy sauce' that can replenish my energy anytime."

"As for the rest, the inedible internal organs will become my 'welcome gift' for that lone wolf."

"I'll put them in a container and freeze them outside the shelter. Tomorrow, I'll set some traps. Since it's interested in my food, I'll welcome it back with food!"

Then, all the sorted fish fillets, livers, roe, bait entrails, and skeletons were neatly stacked in different corners of the shelter and carefully wrapped tightly with birch bark to prevent the smell from escaping.

Only after he had done all this did he finally feel a little tired.

Lin Yu'an walked to the fireplace and carefully poured the remaining golden fish oil from the pot into a container he had previously made from birch bark.

"These oils will be my most important source of cooking and calories for the foreseeable future."

Now, we have food in our stomachs, supplies around us, upgraded weapons, and a plan to launch a proactive attack has taken shape.

He added firewood to the fireplace and watched quietly as the flames rose higher; tonight, he needed to gather all his strength.

Because tomorrow will be a war that will decide the fate of this land.

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.

(Just finished typing; I spent an hour looking for images.)
(There are 3 days left until the draw. If you don't like the 2 yuan phone, you can get cash instead. Other prizes can also be redeemed for cash.)
(However, I still recommend trying the canned bear meat; you don't have to pay for it.)
(End of this chapter)