American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 47 Tracking the Prey
In addition to the buoyancy device, Lin Yu-an also made preparations for the possibility of spending the night on the island.

"The situation on that island is completely unknown, and I'm not sure if I can get back safely today, so I have to bring some necessary overnight gear."

"No matter what, you must keep a fire source with you, and you must bring tinder and magnesium rods. If you are trapped on the island, your chances of survival will be greatly increased."

He also checked that the bear spray was working properly, and then slung the newly made hand saw, along with the bow and arrows and quiver, over his body with a nylon rope.

After a tense but orderly preparation, Lin Yu'an put on his rain pants again and went to the lakeside. He shouldered his canoe and headed towards the shore closest to the island.

He pushed the "Pioneer" back into the icy lake, then nimbly jumped onto the small boat, shouting, "Damn! Fuck!"

Pick up the two simple oars made of spruce wood, and struggle against the wind and waves to row towards the small island!

The Pioneer struggled to rise and fall in the waves, creaking with each wave, but thankfully it was still quite sturdy.

Lin Yu'an gritted his teeth, his arm muscles tensed, and he used all his strength to control the rhythm and direction of his paddling.

The icy lake water was constantly being whipped up by the wind, turning into fine droplets that pelted him head-on.

But he had no time to worry about that; all his attention was focused on battling the wind and waves and controlling the direction of the island.

"The situation is worse than I anticipated!"

"The crosswinds were so strong that they kept pushing my boat to the side! I had to constantly correct my course, otherwise it would be easy to drift off course!"

Lin Yu'an's voice sounded somewhat intermittent amidst the howling wind as he struggled to adjust the canoe's direction.

He could clearly feel that the bow of the canoe was lifted high each time it faced a wave, and then slammed down heavily, splashing up large sprays of water.

Lin Yu'an's heart tightened. "No! I have to speed things up!"

He no longer held back his energy, and the frequency of his arm strokes suddenly increased, each stroke deep and powerful, trying to cross this treacherous waterway in the shortest possible time.

His gaze was fixed on the small island in the wind and waves ahead, which he identified as his target for the final sprint!

This short 200-meter waterway now seemed incredibly long.

Finally, after a hard struggle of more than ten minutes, and when a shallow layer of water had accumulated in the cabin, Lin Yu'an managed to paddle the canoe to the shore of the small island, albeit with some difficulty.

He chose to land on a sheltered, shallow beach covered with pebbles and low shrubs.

When his feet touched solid ground again, he almost collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Phew, we're finally here!"

Lin Yu'an wiped the water droplets from his face and said to the camera, "This is definitely the most exciting boat ride I've ever had in my life!"

He found some large stones and placed them under the gunwale, then forcefully flipped the canoe over so that its bottom was facing up.

They then used the nylon ropes they had brought to securely tie the bow and stern of the boat to two thick tree trunks, ensuring that it would not be blown away by the strong winds.

After doing all this, Lin Yu'an finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he leaned against a tree trunk, recovering his strength.

He stood up shortly afterward, rearranged his equipment, and adjusted his bow and arrows to the most comfortable position. He also checked the safety of his bear spray.

"Now, I'm going to start looking for the deer on this island."

"But you know what, although this island is densely wooded, it's a great spot for ice fishing when the river freezes over in winter."

"Moreover, although the island doesn't look particularly large, the vegetation is very dense and the terrain is somewhat undulating. After the deer comes ashore, it will likely find a secluded place to rest or continue foraging."

He first went to the shallow waters closest to where the footprints had been found and began to search carefully.

Soon, the familiar hoofprints were spotted again! They stretched clearly from the water's edge towards the center of the island.

"Great! It really did come ashore from here!" Lin Yu'an's spirits lifted!
Following the hoofprints, he began to explore deeper into the island, where the environment was more primitive and complex than he had anticipated. Tall conifers and dense shrubs intertwined, forming natural barriers.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and humus, and in many places, slippery moss and low-lying ferns grew, so one had to be extra careful when walking.

Lin Yu-an carefully parted the branches and leaves blocking his way while explaining to the camera in a low voice.

“Tracking in this environment is extremely difficult. I not only have to keep an eye on the hoof prints on the ground, but also pay attention to any traces that may be left on the surrounding vegetation.”

"For example, broken twigs, gnawed leaves, or even hair stuck to the trunk."

His sharp eyes scanned every detail, his steps were light and rhythmic, and he tried his best to avoid making any unnecessary noise.

After tracking for about a hundred meters, the hoofprints began to become less clear.

The hard rocks and thick layer of conifers on the ground make it difficult for hoof prints to leave complete traces.

“In this situation, I need to observe the ‘road signs’ more carefully.”

Lin Yu'an squatted down and pointed to a low shrub branch that had been broken off and whose cut was still fresh.

"The branch was broken upwards, and the break shows signs of tearing, which is usually caused by a deer rubbing its body or antlers while crossing."

He then pointed to the bark of a small tree next to him, where there were several faint, parallel, light-colored scratches.

"And here, these might be marks left by it scratching itself or marking its territory. These marks can tell us the approximate direction of its prey's movement and some of its behavioral habits."

The tracking process was arduous and uncertain. Lin Yu'an needed to maintain a high level of focus at all times, as any slackening could lead to losing track of the target.

Finally, he discovered that the hoofprints seemed to lead to a thicket of Saskatoon strawberries, with a few dried, dark purple berries hanging from the branches. These berries were a favorite food of many animals, including deer.

He carefully parted the strawberry bushes, which were more than half a person tall, and found some leftover scraps and a few fresh deer droppings scattered on the ground.

"Looks like it had a good meal here!" Lin Yu'an's eyes lit up.

This discovery greatly boosted his confidence; he knew he was on the right track and was getting closer to his goal.

He continued to follow the clues provided by the gnawed berry bushes and deer droppings, trudging through the dense forest with difficulty.

The tracking gradually became more difficult, and the terrain became more complex, with many steep slopes and ravines filled with rocks appearing.

"The more difficult the environment, the more it tests a hunter's patience and skills. This is the first lesson I learned from an old hunter in my life."

"Don't be impatient. When tracking, you must think like the prey, anticipate its thoughts, and then analyze its possible movements."

Lin Yu'an knew that deer usually chose these relatively effortless paths when they were not frightened.

Therefore, he would also choose relatively wide paths for tracking.

After nearly an hour of arduous tracking, Lin Yu'an had penetrated deep into the heart of the island.

The forests here are more pristine, and the air is filled with a unique aroma of spruce trees mixed with the cool air.

Just when he was about to feel exhausted from the combined physical and mental exertion, his "sixth sense" sent him another strong throbbing!

He suddenly stopped and looked ahead at a clearing surrounded by several huge ancient spruce trees.

There seems to be some unusual activity going on there!

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(P.S.: Things will get better soon! To reiterate, this book's attitude towards "golden fingers" is that even if you've already been admitted to Peking University, you still insist on taking the college entrance exam to challenge your limits. It's like having a backup plan, looking at the process with the outcome in mind.)
This chapter teaches tracking techniques from a Yukon documentary, where hunter Joey explains in detail what to pay attention to when tracking deer.

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(End of this chapter)