American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 27 The Choice of Arrow Shaft
Lin Yu'an carefully put away the tanned beaver pelt. Looking at the relatively abundant food recently, his confidence increased greatly!

This gave him more time and energy to focus on improving his archery skills, preparing him for exploring and hunting in more distant places.

While practicing archery some time ago, Lin Yu'an keenly sensed that his spatial cheat after his rebirth was not just about storing things; it seemed to have also enhanced his physical abilities to a certain extent.

After this period of adaptation and deliberate experience, he can confirm that his body has indeed become stronger!

Physical strength recovers faster, endurance is longer, and eyesight becomes sharper, especially in low-light environments, with a much greater ability to capture subtle movements than before.

Furthermore, the perception of distance has become increasingly precise, and archery has reached the point where it can hit any target within twenty meters.

Even at crucial moments, his inexplicable "sixth sense" has helped him accurately determine the location of the fish on several occasions!
These physical changes must be adapted to and controlled through extensive practice.

Archery is an excellent way to test and improve this comprehensive perception and coordination ability.

He spent some time making a thick straw target out of thatch and placed it in an open area near the camp.

He made archery practice at least two hours every day a must-do.

He selected three arrows from the ten original arrows specifically for daily shooting training.

That afternoon, when Lin Yu'an was practicing long-range shooting at about forty meters, his angle was slightly off. After grazing the edge of the grass target, the shot hit a hard, dead tree behind him!

"Snap!" A heartbreakingly soft cracking sound came from the arrow shaft.

Lin Yu'an stepped forward and forcefully pulled out the arrow. He saw a clear crack on the shaft near the point where the arrowhead was attached. With a gentle twist of his hand, the shaft broke off.

"Sigh, of the three arrows I was prepared to use for attrition, one has already gone bad, much faster than I expected."

"We must put the production of a batch of practice arrows on the agenda."

When the weather was clear, Lin Yu-an took his logging axe and multi-tool and went into the birch forest near the shelter.

He decided to use the bones left over from when he captured a beaver to make arrowheads, and the shafts were made from birch, the most common wood in the area.

"Birch wood is light and flexible, making it one of the best materials for making arrow shafts. However, there are some things to consider when choosing the right birch branches."

Lin Yu-an walked through the forest, his eyes scanning the tall birch trees as he explained things to the camera.

"What we are looking for are branches or the top of the main trunk that grow in open environments, are about one to two centimeters in diameter, and are as straight as possible."

"This type of wood usually has a more even distribution of wood fibers and is easier to process."

After finding a suitable target, he first used the blade of his multi-tool to cut a groove about half a centimeter deep around the selected branch.

"This is done to damage the phloem of the bark, making subsequent felling easier and reducing wood splitting."

Then, using a logging axe, aim below the trench and cleanly and neatly cut it off.

Back at camp, he began processing the fresh birch poles.

"The first step is to peel off the bark. Fresh birch bark is relatively easy to peel off. I want to peel off the smooth white bark completely to expose the pale yellow wood underneath." Using the blade of a multi-tool, he carefully and evenly peeled off the bark, starting from one end of the birch trunk.

“These protruding knots and uneven parts are flaws that need to be smoothed out to make the whole thing as round and straight as possible, which is related to the stability of the arrow’s flight.”

Lin Yu'an started a small fire, and after the flames stabilized, he picked up a birch pole that had been partially processed.

Place it about ten centimeters above the flame, hold both ends with your hands, and slowly and evenly rotate it to bake.

"Fire straightening uses heat to soften the wood fibers, and then uses external force to deform and shape them."

"When baking, you must be careful not to leave the wood in one spot for too long, otherwise it is easy to burn or crack the wood."

Gradually, you can clearly smell the unique woody fragrance emitted by the wood under the heat.

When you feel the wood is slightly hot from the heat and its internal fibers have become relatively soft, quickly remove the wood from the flame.

"The golden time for straightening is very short. Once the wood cools down, it will quickly regain its hardness, so you have to be quick."

Lin Yu'an immediately gripped the heated birch pole tightly in his hands.

The thumb is usually pressed on the most prominent bulge, while the other four fingers are hooked on the other side of the indentation, forming a counter-lever.

Their eyes, like the most precise instruments, carefully examined the curvature and direction of the wooden pole.

Then, he exerted force with both arms, applying a kneading pressure in the opposite direction of the bend.

"Squeak... squeak..."

The fibers inside the wooden pole make a subtle but clear sound under the force of the arm, which is proof that the fiber structure is being rearranged and stretched.

"To straighten the arrow shaft, you can't use brute force to bend it, as that can easily damage the wood's fiber structure or even break it completely."

"What's needed is a skillful approach, using kneading, pressing, rubbing, and combining techniques to guide the wood fibers to extend and take shape in the desired direction."

For some particularly subtle adjustments, he would bring the wooden stick close to his eyes and squint one eye.

Like a gunman aiming at a target through the crosshairs, carefully observe along the longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft, then press and adjust.

Lin Yu'an patiently baked, pressed, observed, baked again, and pressed again... constantly raising the arrow shaft to his eyes, rotating it to examine it from various angles, until it presented a nearly perfect straight line.

Once an arrow shaft has been initially straightened, place it aside in a cool, well-ventilated area to cool slowly.

"The cooling and shaping process is also very important; the wood fibers must be allowed to cool down naturally and stably."

He took turns working on the birch poles, and only after the last arrow shaft had been repeatedly straightened and quietly cooled and shaped did Lin Yu'an breathe a sigh of relief and show a satisfied expression on his face.

Good morning, shareholders! Here comes the first chapter!
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(End of this chapter)