American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 224 This is really tricky (Seeking monthly votes!)

"Hurrah! Look what we've found!"

Lin Yu'an strode over and used the end of the birch spear shaft to clear away the loose snow in that area. As the snow was cleared away, more "evidence" was revealed.

There were several things of varying lengths, black and white like sharp spikes, scattered on the snow.

He carefully picked up the longest one and brought it close to his eyes for a closer look. It was a hollow, keratinized thorn about ten centimeters long and of exceptionally hard texture.

The base of the thorn is milky white, while the tip is jet black. The surface is smooth, but in sunlight, you can see a structure that resembles the barbs of a fishhook.

"North American porcupine!" Lin Yu'an finally confirmed his target and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"These are the thorns it rubbed off while it was moving around in the trees or rubbing against the bushes. It seems I'm really lucky today."

He pointed the quill at the GoPro camera and gave a detailed explanation: "This thing is the most famous and deadliest defensive weapon of the North American porcupine."

"Many people have a misconception that it can 'launch' its barbs like an arrow to attack enemies."

"That's actually wrong. Its defense mechanism is a passive but extremely efficient physical trap."

"First of all, these needles are actually specialized hairs, and their roots are very loosely connected to the skin."

"When it encounters a threat, it contracts the muscles in its skin, causing all the needles to stand up completely, turning into a ball of spikes. The real danger lies in contact."

"When a predator attacks a porcupine with its mouth or claws, these quills will immediately detach from the porcupine with the slightest touch and embed firmly into the attacker's skin."

"At the same time, it will also attack on its own initiative. Its main attack is to turn around and use its spiky, extremely muscular tail to lash out violently."

"This action is extremely fast. When the tail hits the enemy, a large number of needles will instantly pierce into the opponent's body."

"It is precisely because of this rapid whipping motion that many people mistakenly believe that the needles are being 'launched'."

He used his gloved fingers to carefully pinch the base of the thorn and pointed the tip at the camera.

"Now let's look at why this thing is so deadly. The key lies in its pointed structure. To the naked eye, it looks like just an ordinary blackened tip."

"But under a microscope, this tip is covered with hundreds of tiny barbs pointing backward, just like a fishhook."

"This structure, which is easy to insert but difficult to remove, makes it extremely difficult to pull out. As the victim's muscles contract and move normally, these barbs cause the needle to penetrate even deeper into the body."

"But that's not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is that this thing can 'go' on its own."

"Imagine such a barb embedded in the leg muscle of a predator. When this muscle contracts normally, the powerful muscle force will squeeze the barb in all directions."

"Because of these barbs, the thorn cannot slide outwards. Therefore, the only direction that the force of muscle contraction can push the thorn is deeper into the body."

“Every breath, every step, every tiny muscle twitch acts like a one-way ratchet, pushing the thorn in a little bit more.”

"It never goes backward, it only goes forward. This is called 'needle migration,' so a thorn that initially just pierces the skin and flesh of the leg can spread over weeks or months."

"It could be propelled into the abdominal cavity by the continuous movement of muscles, eventually piercing the intestines, liver, or other vital organs, leading to fatal internal bleeding and infection."

"If a predator is unfortunately stabbed in the mouth or face, it may be unable to eat due to severe pain and infection, and eventually starve to death in despair."

He concluded, "Therefore, the porcupine is a true master of defense; it doesn't need to waste energy on proactive attacks, it just needs to wait for its enemy to make a mistake."

"Once you come into contact with it, its deadly armor will automatically do all the rest of the work."

After explaining the facts, Lin Yu'an carefully put the thorn away. He knew he was about to face an opponent who couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

But at the same time, his heart began to race uncontrollably. Porcupines are slow-moving, with strong defenses but weak aggression.

More importantly, in order to survive the winter, it accumulates a thick layer of extremely valuable fat under its skin and around its internal organs!

This is exactly what he has been dreaming of: "energy gold" that can reverse his body's energy deficit!
"Now that we have confirmed the suspect's identity, the next step is to find his hideout."

Lin Yu'an immediately began his most skilled and enjoyable activity—a thorough, meticulous tracking—centered around the tree where the thorns were found.

Instead of conducting a large-scale spiral search as before, the search area is narrowed down, and a more detailed fan-shaped area search is started, using this tree as a base.

His body language also changed, with each step landing on the soft snow core where it was least likely to make a sound, and he always avoided stepping on dry branches that might make a "crack" sound.

His knees remained slightly bent, and his center of gravity was extremely low, allowing him to seamlessly switch between moving forward and standing still at any time.

He was like a lynx slithering through the snow, his eyes no longer looking into the distance, but scanning the ground inch by inch like a scanner, not missing any clue.

He gave a live demonstration using a very low whisper, pointing to the GoPro on his chest: "When tracking an animal like a porcupine, you can't just look at its footprints."

“Their footprints are sometimes erased by their own fur or sluggish bodies. What you need to look for is a system of traces.”

His gaze swept across a patch of snow, then suddenly stopped. He extended his gloved fingers, pointing to a detail that was almost imperceptible.

"look here."

The camera zooms in, revealing a small clump of black particles, like crushed wood chips, scattered on the pristine white snow.

"This is its droppings, fresh, not completely frozen yet. This means we are very close to it."

“And there, traces of urine. The smell is still very strong.” He pointed to another spot. Beside a low shrub, there was a small, yellowish stain in the snow.

Based on these recurring physiological traces, Lin Yu'an quickly constructed in his mind the general movement path and direction of this porcupine.

He's playing a game of "connecting the dots to form a line," and the final destination of that line is inevitably his lair.

He quickly found the decisive evidence he was looking for.

On a flat patch of snow swept by the wind, he found a trail of footprints. They were peculiar, dragging, trailing footprints.

"The footprints are deep, indicating that this creature is quite heavy. Its gait is unsteady, and the landing points of its forefoot and hindfoot are almost in a straight line, which is a typical walking characteristic of rodents to conserve energy."

What's most special is that there are parallel drag marks on both sides of the footprints.

Lin Yu'an squatted down and analyzed softly, "These are the marks left by its long thorns when it dragged itself through the deep snow."

“Look, the drag marks are very continuous and uninterrupted, which means that when it passed through here, it was walking slowly at a fixed speed, rather than running or jumping.”

"This confirms my judgment once again. It is not afraid, and is even a bit arrogant and proud, because it is on its own territory."

He gently touched the edge of the footprint with his finger, feeling the texture of the snow.

"The footprints are fresh; the snow at the edges hasn't crystallized or hardened yet, and no new snow has been blown in by the breeze. I estimate it passed through here in no more than an hour."

He stood up, his gaze like a sharp arrow, following the clear chain of footprints into the depths of the forest.

The trail of footprints, like a silent guiding line, led straight to a huge pile of granite.

He wasn't blinded by excitement and followed immediately. Instead, he stopped all movement, first slowly wetting his palms to feel the direction of the wind.

The wind was blowing slowly toward him from the direction of the pile of stones.

"The perfect downwind position," he thought to himself.

This means he can get as close as possible without worrying that his scent will announce his arrival like a loudspeaker.

He did not follow the footprints any further. For any experienced prey, the tracks it leaves behind are the most natural warning signs.

He chose to circle around a huge semicircle, approaching the pile of stones silently from the flank, completely against the wind, using the undulating terrain and the cover of trees.

When he was about ten meters away from the pile of stones, he stopped and squatted down behind a large spruce tree.

This is a perfect vantage point, offering a clear view of the entire pile of stones while allowing you to completely hide yourself.

He slowly removed the windproof mask from his face, closed his eyes, and focused all his senses on his sense of smell.

The wind blew from the direction of the pile of stones, bringing with it a great deal of olfactory information.

It was a strong, complex odor, starting with a damp, basement-like smell of earth and rock. Beneath these smells, however, lurked a pungent, ammonia-like stench.

"finally found you!"

Lin Yu'an knew that the pursuit had entered its final and most dangerous stage.

He didn't rush into action; the thrill of the hunt is always built upon absolute patience. The first rule of any hunt is to deliver a fatal blow to the prey while ensuring one's own safety.

He glanced at the position of the sun; the white disc had begun to slant noticeably westward, and the color of the sunlight had changed from the bright white of midday to a slightly warm, pale gold.

Time was running out; he had at most an hour and a half left before he had to end the battle and begin his return journey.

Bow and arrow, or spear? He rapidly mentally rehearsed the tactics.

With a bow and arrow, he could launch an attack from dozens of meters away at an absolutely safe distance.

However, the risk is that most of the porcupine's body is covered by hard quills, leaving it with very little effective shooting window.

If the arrow misses, it will bounce off the thorns, which will surely startle the prey and cause it to escape back to its burrow and never come out again.

Using a spear is riskier, requiring him to risk his life and enter the porcupine's attack range.

But the rewards are equally enormous. Once he successfully closes in, he has absolute confidence in his strength and skill, and can use his spear to deliver the most direct penetrating damage to the target, ensuring a fatal blow.

"High risk, high reward. Use spears for a quick victory."

He gripped the sturdy yet flexible birch spear tightly in his right hand, the flint at the tip reflecting a cold light in the sunlight.

He devised a plan to lure his prey out of their den!
He circled around to the side of the pile of stones, remaining downwind. Instead of approaching the main entrance he had already identified, he began to carefully observe the structure of the entire pile of stones.

“The nests of large rodents like these usually don’t have just one entrance.”

"To cope with emergencies, they often dig at least one backup escape route. My job is to find it."

Like a fox searching for a crevice, he moved silently through the bottom of the pile of stones. Finally, under a clump of gnarled shrub roots, he discovered a small opening that was almost completely covered.

"found it!"

His plan was simple: create enough commotion at the main entrance to force the frightened porcupines to escape through the exit he had already anticipated.

Meanwhile, he waited patiently at the exit, ready to deliver a fatal blow!
He found a few moderately sized stones and put them in his pocket. Then he moved to a position about ten meters to the side and in front of the escape exit.

There is a sturdy spruce tree here, which is the perfect ambush point and cover.

He completely hid his body behind the tree trunk, only peeking out half of his head, his gaze fixed on the inconspicuous hole.

Once he was ready, he picked up a stone from his pocket and, with all his might, threw it toward the main cave entrance on the other side of the pile of stones!
The stone traced an arc in the air and landed precisely on the rock above the main cave entrance with a "bang," producing a crisp sound and bringing down a small patch of snow.

A commotion immediately arose from the depths of the cave! Then, a clicking sound came from inside!

That was the warning sound a porcupine makes when it feels extremely threatened, by rapidly grinding its molars together! The sound was dense and loud, as if saying, "Intruder, leave immediately!"

Lin Yu'an immediately threw out a second and a third stone, creating a continuous illusion that an intruder was trying to break into the main cave entrance.

The sounds from inside the cave grew even more agitated and uneasy.

Suddenly, the bushes at the escape exit that Lin Yu'an's gaze had been fixed on jerked violently from the inside out!
A dark, round head cautiously peeked out from the hole.

It first twitched its nose warily, greedily inhaling the fresh air outside the cave, its two small, black bean-like eyes scanning its surroundings cautiously, as if checking if the environment was safe.

It was a huge North American porcupine, even larger than he had expected, weighing at least fifteen kilograms.

Its body was covered in black and white armor, and its long thorns gleamed menacingly in the slanting afternoon sunlight, making it stand out conspicuously in the snow.

Lin Yu'an almost stopped breathing. This was the walking fat he had been searching for!
After confirming there was no danger, it slowly crawled out completely, instinctively trying to escape into the depths of the forest!

The moment it completely squeezed its body out of the hole, exposing its vulnerable side to Lin Yu'an, Lin Yu'an moved!

"It's now!"

He suddenly leaped up from behind the tree! His snowshoes unleashed a powerful grip, and in just a few large steps, he crossed that final, life-or-death distance!
The porcupine had just escaped its burrow and hadn't even had time to figure out which way to go when it heard a loud thud behind it as the snow was being trampled. It turned around in alarm.

But it was all too late when it turned its head and saw Lin Yu'an's figure, which looked like a god descending to earth.

The spear in Lin Yu'an's hand, carrying his entire weight and the enormous momentum of his forward charge, drew a deadly arc and thrust out fiercely!

"puff--!"

A sharp sound like a flint spear piercing flesh and bone. The spearhead, with perfect precision, pierced deep into the porcupine's chest cavity at the vital point where its neck connects to its forelegs!

The intense pain and impact caused the porcupine's entire body to tremble violently, and it let out an extremely shrill and piercing scream: "Eee-ya!"

The scream, filled with pain and fear, shattered the silence of the forest.

The moment it was stabbed, its previously slightly fluffy "armor" seemed to have been triggered by some mechanism, and it suddenly "exploded"! The muscles all over its body contracted violently!
Thousands of black and white thorns instantly stood up, turning its originally round body into a larger, spiky ball full of deadly sharp angles!

At the same time, it has an extremely muscular tail covered with the thickest and longest thorns.

As if by reflex, stimulated by the excruciating pain, it frantically and aimlessly lashes behind it, making a "whooshing" sound as it tries to strike the enemy that has inflicted fatal damage.

But all this is in vain.

Lin Yu'an's movements were calm, precise, and full of absolute control over distance. The 1.8-meter-long birch spear provided him with a perfect safety boundary.

After successfully striking and feeling the solid sensation of the spear tip cutting through flesh, he did not hesitate or be greedy for more, nor did he even take a step back.

He simply released his grip on the spear shaft, leaving the deadly weapon inside his prey.

The body, which had been lowered by the forward thrust, straightened up naturally, and the snowshoes on its feet firmly planted themselves in the snow, like trees with roots firmly planted.

The deadly thorny tail swept futilely a meter in front of him, the force of which even blew the snow off his trousers.

But he was still a long way off from being able to truly harm her.

He watched with an almost cold gaze as the beast before him fought its last desperate battle. To struggle against a wounded porcupine is the most foolish and deadly act a hunter can undertake.

With each twitch and roll before its death, it could cause the loosely connected thorns to detach and fly out like bullets.

Getting close to it is like stepping into a storm of barbed needles that could explode at any moment; once you're pricked by those barbed thorns, the consequences are unimaginable.

The spear was deeply embedded in the porcupine's body, like a deadly wedge. Pierced through its vital chest cavity, its nervous system suffered a devastating blow, instantly losing all coordination.

It didn't run a single step, but instead collapsed to one side like a rag doll with all its bones removed!
Lin Yu'an pulled out the spear, and blood gushed out rapidly from the wound on its neck, staining the pristine snow a shocking deep red. It even emitted wisps of steam.

Its body convulsed violently in the snow, its limbs kicking and pawing weakly and instinctively, kicking up snowflakes.

This is not an escape, but merely the last neural reflex that is not under the control of the brain before life ends.

With each convulsion, several thorns broke off from its body and scattered around the pool of blood.

Eventually, its movements became smaller and smaller, until only a slight tremor remained, and finally it stopped moving completely.

Those small, black bean-like eyes lost all their sparkle and became dull and lifeless.

Lin Yu'an did not step forward immediately.

He remained upright, holding his spear, at a safe distance, like a frozen statue, calmly observing for a full minute.

He carefully examined the porcupine's chest and abdomen, confirming that there was no longer any rise and fall of its breath.

At the same time, he listened carefully to the sounds around him, making sure that no other dangerous animals attracted by the smell of blood and screams were approaching.

After confirming that everything had settled down, he exhaled a long breath of white air, relaxing his muscles that had been tense to the extreme due to the surge of adrenaline.

A slight tremor after the battle, mixed with the immense joy of a successful hunt, instantly filled his entire body.

He walked up to the giant porcupine and silently thanked it.

Then, he straightened up, faced the camera, and said in a voice that was calm despite his suppressed excitement, "Success. A perfect surprise attack!"

"This porcupine will provide me with high-energy fat for at least two weeks. My food crisis is temporarily over!"

He glanced at the sky; the sun was almost touching the distant mountain ridge. He had to hurry and begin the next challenging task.

How to handle this "thorny treasure" safely and efficiently.

(End of this chapter)