American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 209 Lin Hai Chases the Wolf!

The dawn of the thirtieth day arrived in a frozen silence.

Lin Yu'an woke up in the cold morning light, even earlier than a few days ago.

He didn't get up immediately, but listened intently to the sounds outside the shelter. There was nothing but the sound of the wind.

He slowly removed the bolt blocking the door, and the first thing he did was to check the patch of snow outside that he had carefully smoothed out.

"Everything is normal, there are no new footprints, but that doesn't mean it's safe."

Back at the shelter, while preparing breakfast, he spoke to the camera with a serious expression.

"The wolf's visit yesterday was not a chance encounter, but a very deliberate reconnaissance mission."

"It successfully confirmed two key pieces of information: first, there might be food here; and second, it encountered no threats during the entire reconnaissance process and left safely."

"For highly intelligent predators like wolves, a successful, risk-free reconnaissance mission is almost equivalent to an invitation."

"It will definitely come back again, and take even more aggressive steps to get food."

Lin Yu-an pan-fried a piece of lake trout fillet and a pinch of fish roe in fish oil rendered yesterday. He enjoyed a luxurious pre-battle breakfast consisting entirely of high protein and high fat.

After finishing breakfast, he began to arm himself.

He put on clothes that wouldn't make any friction noise, and carefully inserted the two broad-headed arrows, which he had polished to perfection, into the most convenient spot in the quiver.

Then, he picked up the newly crafted flint spear, which gleamed with a primitive aura, and walked out of the shelter.

The primary task this morning is not to directly track down that huge lone wolf. Without new clues, doing so would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, only a futile waste of energy.

"Alright, guys, a new day has begun." He faced the biting cold wind, his tone calm but his goal clear.

"Before I find any new traces of that wolf, I'll check my trap lines first. Let's see if there were any other visitors last night besides that big guy."

Patrolling the trap lines was his daily routine, not only for food, but more importantly, to provide him with the most up-to-date intelligence on the activities of all the animals in the area.

Wearing snowshoes, I walked steadily along the familiar route towards the first trap point.

From afar, he could see that the snowfield there was a mess, which contrasted sharply with the smooth snow surface around it.

He stopped, his pupils contracted slightly, and his right hand instinctively gripped the handle of the logging axe hanging at his waist.

His heart sank, and he immediately quickened his pace. Upon closer inspection, a scene instantly turned his expression cold, and an uncontrollable rage began to burn in his eyes.

The "guide fence" he had painstakingly constructed with a large number of sharpened branches has now been violently destroyed.

Several thick tree branches were snapped in half and lay scattered on the snow, revealing the trampled snow underneath.

At the only gap he had left to guide his prey through, the snare made of multiple strands of steel wire twisted together was not empty as he had expected.

The lasso was taut, but it wasn't locking the fox's neck; instead, it was locking a fox's forepaw, which was already mangled and severed at the root!

The entire paw, along with a small section of fur, was deeply embedded in the flesh by the steel wire, and you could even see the white, broken bone.

This proves that an extremely fierce struggle for survival once took place here.

The snow was covered with splattered and dragged dark red bloodstains, which looked shocking against the pure white snow.

Large amounts of red fox fur were mixed with bloodstains, and there were even a few small pieces of torn internal organs that had frozen into dark red ice blocks, creating a gruesome scene of a massacre.

Amidst this bloody chaos, a series of huge and deep wolf footprints were clearly imprinted.

These footprints brazenly trampled over the traces of the fox's struggle, even showing signs of prolonged lingering in the bloodiest areas.

Lin Yu'an squatted down, put on gloves, and instead of touching the broken paw, picked up a tuft of red fox fur from the snow with his fingers.

He analyzed the situation on camera, saying, "It's the stiff fur on its neck and back, which indicates that the fox put up a fierce resistance when attacked, with the attack mainly concentrated on its neck and back."

Then he touched the severed claw with his finger. It was frozen solid, but the blood at the break had not yet completely congealed into ice crystals.

"Judging from the degree of blood clotting and the traces at the scene, the incident occurred between four and five o'clock this morning."

"My trap design is to lasso the neck and use the prey's forward momentum to lock it instantly, causing suffocation, but now, it's the front paws that are lassoed."

"The fox was likely triggered accidentally when it smelled something and tried to paw at the lasso."

"It was trapped, and its cries and the smell of blood attracted the lone wolf that had been lurking nearby."

Lin Yu'an stood up, pointed to the marks on the snow, and continued to explain to the camera.

“Look here, the wolf’s footprints are deep, but there are almost no signs of a struggle by the foxes around, only signs of a one-sided struggle.”

"This shows that it killed the fox that was trapped in the trap with almost no effort."

"Then, instead of immediately dragging its prey away intact, it devoured most of the flesh and blood on the spot, even biting off the skull, leaving only some scattered bone fragments."

"After it finished eating, it deliberately used its claws to dig open the guide fence, eventually tearing off the fox's leg and leaving with the remaining carcass."

Lin Yu'an's voice was icy cold. "This is tearing down my home and destroying my tools. This is the highest level of provocation."

"It's telling me in this way that this is its territory, and any traps I set are just providing it with food."

At this moment, the wolf was no longer just a threat to be guarded against in his mind, but a competitor that had to be eliminated!

It not only threatens his life, but also constantly threatens his traps, directly challenging his status as the top predator in the area!

"Alright, guys, there's no point in patrolling anymore. Now, there's only one thing left."

"Hunt down that damned lone wolf!"

He transformed his immense anger into an extreme calmness and focus.

He stood up, crushed a patch of bloody snow beneath his heel, and stared intently in the direction where the giant wolf footprints had disappeared.

Following the clear tracks left by the wolf, I began to track it, like a most experienced crime scene investigator, not only looking at the footprints, but also interpreting all the information between them.

“Look here.” He pointed to two sets of footprints in the snow that were going in opposite directions but partially overlapping.

"These are the footprints it left last night when it came to spy. The footprints are shallow and the gait is hesitant, indicating that it was testing the waters."

"And this too." The camera zooms in, and you can see that on the snow, besides the wolf's footprints, there is also a very shallow drag mark.

"The drag mark left by the fox carcass is very light, which means that it only took away part of the fox carcass, not the whole fox."

Without the slightest hesitation, they immediately began tracking the clear tracks left by the wolf, quickly reading all the information on the snow.

He passed a thicket and saw not only wolf footprints on the snow, but also a pool of icy urine.

“Male, adult, marking territory.” He made his judgment with just three words.

Lin Yu'an continued forward and came to a relatively open area, where he discovered two sets of footprints that were going in opposite directions but partially overlapping.

I crouched down and gently brushed away the snow from the edges of the newer footprints with my gloved fingers, revealing the older, slightly blurred footprints underneath.

Their gaze no longer lingered on the footprints on the ground, but began to observe the surrounding environment—the wind direction, the direction of the ridge, and the density of the vegetation.

Lin Yu'an stopped and faced the camera, saying in an extremely confident tone, "Alright, guys, I have enough information."

"It's smart. Now that it has had a good meal here, it will definitely find a sheltered place with a good view overlooking the area to rest and digest its food."

He stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction where the footprints disappeared—a hillside covered with huge rocks and dense spruce trees.

"See that? This trail didn't go directly into the flat heart of the forest, but instead chose to climb upwards, eventually disappearing into the dense forest and rocks on that hillside." "That's one of the highest areas around here, offering the best view. At the same time, the dense vegetation and rocks provide perfect concealment."

"Visibility and concealment—key elements for top predators to choose temporary resting spots, and this place has them all. Footprints are the most direct evidence."

“My tactics were very clear from the beginning. After confirming the prey’s destination, I would use the terrain to approach it from an unexpected and advantageous direction.”

“But now, the plan needs to be adjusted.” He spoke to the camera, his tone regaining absolute calm and professionalism.

“My initial idea was to intercept them by taking a detour, but the risk was too high in this environment and terrain, so I decided to go back to the most traditional tracking method.”

"Now that the wolf is full, its alertness will decrease, and its movement speed will slow down. It won't go too far; it will definitely find a safe place to rest nearby."

"What I need to do is follow it like a real ghost, find its nap spot, and then wait for the best time to attack."

Lin Yu'an adjusted the bow and arrow on his back and the spear in his hand, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.

Having said that, he offered no further explanation, turned around, and instead of choosing the flank route, returned to the clear trail of wolf footprints.

They began to follow the wolf's tracks, tracking it at a leisurely pace.

His tracking was highly skillful; he would never step directly on the wolf's footprints, but would always maintain a parallel distance of a few meters from the tracks.

Then, make good use of trees and terrain as cover, always hide your figure, and move forward silently like a shadow.

He was extremely careful with every step he took, his gaze constantly shifting between the distant hillside and the tracks on the ground.

You must always anticipate where the wolf might be hiding to avoid accidentally walking into its warning range.

After tracking for about twenty minutes, he noticed that the wolf's footprints were becoming somewhat disordered, and there were signs of circling and sniffing.

“It’s looking for a place to rest.” Lin Yu’an immediately stopped and squatted behind a rock, lowering his voice.

"Before choosing a resting place, wolves will repeatedly check the surrounding environment to ensure there are no threats. This means that its den or temporary resting spot is within a hundred meters of this area!"

He dared not advance rashly. To do so would be tantamount to gambling, and a true hunter never gambles.

Keeping his body low to the ground and using a rock for cover, he crawled forward extremely slowly for more than ten meters until he reached another bush with a better view.

Then he stopped and used his hawk-like eyes to conduct a thorough visual search of the most suspicious hillside ahead.

Lin Yu'an divided the hillside into countless small squares in his mind, and then checked them one by one, repeatedly.

He was looking for any discordant details, unnatural outlines, color blocks that differed slightly from the surrounding colors, or any shadows that shouldn't be there.

This was an extremely mentally and visually demanding process. The cold wind made his eyes a little dry, but he even deliberately slowed down the frequency of his blinking.

After failing to find anything in the first sector, he would continue to sneak forward for another ten meters or so to reach the next observation point and repeat the search process.

Finally, on his third shift of observation point, looking down from a higher angle, he caught a glimpse of an anomaly that was barely perceptible!

It was in a sheltered depression cleverly concealed by several boulders and a fallen tree.

On the surface of the snow there, there seemed to be a tiny, extremely faint wisp of white mist, like steam, rising and dissipating very slowly and rhythmically.

"Breathe..." He immediately held his breath and fixed his gaze on that area.

In a sheltered spot where there is no wind, the breath of any warm-blooded animal will condense into visible white mist in the frigid air!
He looked down from the source of the white mist. The snow there was not a perfect pure white, but rather had a very faint, slightly grayish-white outline.

It's like a small pile of snowflakes blown by the wind, almost blending into its surroundings.

If it weren't for the regularly appearing warm breath, anyone would just think of it as an ordinary snowdrift.

He remained absolutely still, his eyes fixed on the silhouette without blinking.

A few seconds later, he saw that crucial piece of evidence, the tip of the outline, twitch slightly! It was like a dream!

"Found it." He barely moved his lips, making no sound, but his voice carried an barely suppressed excitement.

Lin Yu'an quickly scanned the surrounding terrain, planning the best stealth route and shooting position.

He discovered a huge, protruding rock about fifty meters above his current location.

From there, you can get a perfect, commanding shooting angle, and there are just enough bushes and rocks along the path to provide cover.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately lowered his body and began the most technically demanding part of his entire hunt: stealthily approaching a resting predator!

When he finally reached the rocky platform silently and cautiously poked his head out, the sight below made his breath catch in his throat.

The lone wolf was about thirty meters below on a sheltered, flat area. It wasn't moving; instead, it was curled up under a pine tree, fast asleep.

It curled its body into a ball, burying its nose in its tail for warmth, its gray and white winter fur blending perfectly into the snowy background.

It is clearly very confident in its own safety and camouflage, believing that nothing can threaten it.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but also an extremely dangerous situation.

He spoke in a very low voice to the action camera: "Found it! Thirty meters is a perfect range for my bow, enough to guarantee the arrow's penetrating power."

"But its posture was terrible, curled up, protecting all its vital organs."

“If I shoot now, the arrow will likely be deflected by its thick back muscles and shoulder blades, and will not cause a fatal wound.”

Lin Yu'an continued his calm analysis: "I have two choices. Either wait for a perfect opportunity for it to stand up and expose its vital organs."

"But this could take several hours, or even until dark, during which any gust of wind could give away my position."

"Either..."

He remained silent for a few seconds, his brain rapidly assessing the risks.

"Either abandon the idea of ​​killing with one blow and instead pursue an additional damage effect with a success rate close to 100%."

A more aggressive decision took shape in his mind! He adjusted his breathing, and his eyes became unusually firm.

"My primary goal now is to make sure that this arrow hits its body, anywhere will do."

"As long as the broadheaded arrow can pierce its body, even if it is just a scratch, it will leave an indelible bloodstain on the snow."

“As long as it bleeds, its strength will continue to decline, and its whereabouts will be completely exposed. Then, the initiative in this hunt will be completely transferred to my hands.”

“I will no longer be a lurking assassin, but a hunting death! I can slowly, bit by bit, wear it down.”

"Of course, this plan also carries a significant risk."

As he spoke, he very slowly moved the flint spear lying in the snow beside him toward himself, placing it in the easiest position to grab with his right hand.

"That is, after being injured, this wolf may go berserk due to the intense pain and rage. It may launch a counterattack in my direction without regard for anything else."

"Thirty meters is a distance that a wolf fighting desperately can cross in just a few seconds."

"Therefore, I must be prepared for close combat. Once the arrow is shot, whether it hits or not, I must be ready for close combat!"

Lin Yu'an no longer hesitated and slowly drew back the bowstring. His target was no longer the tightly protected heart area.

Instead, it was the exposed, largest area of ​​the hind legs and buttocks.

Although the location is not fatal, the muscles are thick enough that an arrow could penetrate deeply, causing massive trauma and continuous bleeding, and severely affecting its mobility.

He held his breath, and the instant he finished aiming, he gently released his finger!
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.

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(End of this chapter)