in2ebook Chapter 17: Eight-Pronged Attack! The sika deer's movement was predicted, resulting in a direct
Chapter 17: Eight-Pronged Attack! The sika deer's movement was predicted, resulting in a direct
Li Ju'an went into the mountains again, and a blizzard came with overwhelming force, growing stronger and stronger.
He hugged the big pine tree tightly and looked up. The sky, mountains and fields were all covered in white. The snowflakes rolled and swirled with strange noises. The power of the firecrackers was terrifying.
In this terrible weather, it's impossible to even take a step, let alone hunt.
He hid in the snow shelter in the artificial alkali field area for a while to avoid the wind and snow. He noticed cigarette butts and animal blood next to the earthen houses in the alkali field, which made him think and raise his eyebrows.
Littering cigarette butts or leaving animal blood on the alkali field is forbidden; this is a rule for hunters in the alkali field. He squatted down and rubbed the cigarette butt, finding that it wasn't buried very deep, indicating that it had only fallen that morning. Some hunters had already come to ambush him, but fearing the severe blizzard weather, that group had come down the mountain and left.
The northwest wind subsided slightly, and he stepped out of the snow shelter to observe the artificial alkali field.
Artificial salt flats are created specifically by hunters. They split poplar logs, about half a foot in diameter and three feet long, into four pieces, fill them with salt, and bury them in pits. The salt evaporates to the ground due to the moisture in the poplar logs, forming a salt flat. The purpose is to attract roe deer, deer, and elk into the salt flats, where hunters can then ambush and hunt them.
If there is no time to build an alkali field, one can ambush the wild animals drinking at places where deer frequently go, or hide in a birch bark boat, quietly approach them to drink and graze, and shoot them.
Li Ju'an was overjoyed to have secured a favorable position at the artificial alkali field.
I had incredibly good luck today; I stumbled upon a perfect hunting opportunity in an ideal location.
He used a knife to cut a piece of bark from a large pine tree beside the alkali field, rolled it up, and stuck it into a tree by the roadside. He then looked down for a marker. Since there were no flowers in winter, he could only use withered leaves instead. He inserted a rolled-up withered leaf.
This is called "barking the trees." The hunter who arrives at a hunting ground first will "bark the trees," which means marking the path he usually takes with wildflowers and leaves to indicate the direction. This serves two purposes: firstly, it's a "guide stick" for setting up ambushes, and secondly, it shows respect for who arrived first.
Local hunters don't just randomly hunt; they know roughly what kind of prey is likely to be found in each area. But who gets to hunt first? It's not fair if everyone comes here and then comes here, competing for the prey. It might seem fair, but it's actually the easiest way to create enemies. Plus, everyone in the village has weapons, and they're all from the same village. If they fall out and fight, they'll inevitably run into each other again, which is awkward.
So he chipped a piece of bark, meaning he was here first.
The northwest wind paused briefly, and he patiently lay in ambush behind the dead trees in the alkali field, peeking out his head, which was covered by a cotton hat. The cotton hat wasn't very stylish, but in this season, warmth was the most important thing, and its color blended well with the dead trees, making it very easy to hide.
A rustling sound came from the pine forest ahead.
Li Ju'an became alert, listening to the sounds to pinpoint the location; a large herd of prey was approaching. Judging by their social nature, it was very likely a herd of sika deer!
There are quite a few rules to hunting in this line of work. In spring, female animals are not hunted because it's the breeding season; in autumn, male animals are not hunted because it's the mating season. Now it's winter, so any adult sika deer can be hunted.
He held his breath, set up the Mosin-Nagant, and aimed at the scope. The Mosin-Nagant rifle had a PU-type scope mount on its left side. Looking through the scope, the magnification was 3.5x.
The wild sika deer herd, which was originally more than 200 meters away, can now be seen moving in outline through the scope.
But he knew he only had one shot. One shot would surely scare the deer herd into scattering, so he had to make sure it was a headshot, a single, decisive hit. Otherwise, he feared he would return empty-handed from the mountains.
He silently recited a local saying: "If you don't eat it, I won't slaughter it; if you don't buy it, I won't sell it." He didn't kill the fawns or the mother deer with calves; he hunted them, but not exterminated them.
Sika deer shed their antlers at the end of winter, and the antlers of male deer are at their largest and most powerful at this time. It would be even more satisfying to be able to hunt down a male deer.
He hoped for an eight-pronged stag, as an eight-pronged stag would be the most practical.
The wary herd of sika deer cautiously probed left and right, and only after confirming that there were no signs of predators in the alkali field did they confidently enter the ambush area.
There were a total of 18 sika deer in the herd, including one male sika deer and 17 female does.
After the breeding season, sika deer herds become quite distinct, separating into male and female groups. Occasionally, a male sika deer may appear alone. Each female herd has at most one male as its leader.
Li Ju'an's target was this tall and strong male sika deer!
He quietly concealed himself behind a dead branch, set up his hunting rifle, aimed at the scope with one eye, focused intently on the moving head of the stag, and waited for the opportunity to strike with certainty.
Aim the crosshair at the area between the buck's eyebrows.
He held his breath, calmed himself, and slowly pulled the trigger.
Suddenly, just as the trigger was about to be pulled, the stag stumbled and fell, stepping on the "ground arrow".
call out--!
Concealed crossbow bolts are fired by experienced hunters who bury the bolts under trees or bushes, making them extremely difficult to spot. A tripwire is attached to the bolt and placed across a path frequently trodden by wild animals, leaving footprints. The wire is then concealed with leaves and grass. Larger animals, such as wild boars, deer, and roe deer, will trigger the bolt when they step on the tripwire. Within two or three meters, the bolt can be fatal to both the animal and the hunter.
When ordinary people encounter hidden "earth arrows" or hidden animal traps, they get caught and injured, and in the desolate wilderness, they can only cry out to heaven and earth in vain.
The stag was startled and jumped up in a panic.
The powerful lead stag leaped high, miraculously dodging the crossbow bolt, and raised its head to let out a fierce and angry roar.
Li Ju'an thought to himself, "This is bad!"
He had just inspected the alkali field and saw the crossbow bolts left by the old hunter. But the bolts were positioned very close to the edge, and he walked carefully, never expecting that a wild sika deer would step on them.
An unexpected turn of events: the sika deer leaped away after being trampled, startling the entire herd and causing them to flee. His chance was slipping away.
Li Ju'an quickly remounted his Mosin-Nagant rifle, his eyes burning with rage as he watched the fleeing deer herd. His blood pressure surged, and his head buzzed. One hundred meters! Just one hundred meters—he could anticipate the shot!
He set up his gun, aimed through the scope, held his breath, and the camera showed the startled lead stag leaping and fleeing.
The lead male sika deer is covered in muscular muscles, with streamlined muscles like an armored vehicle, exuding a powerful and agile aura that is unstoppable.
The eight-pronged creature, attempting to escape, leaps up and runs wildly.
He moved swiftly, aimed at the bullseye, positioned it in front of the male sika deer's head, and decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The northwest wind carried snow particles, and the snow in the entire Songhai area trembled from the sound of gunfire.
The male sika deer let out a cry and jumped up in fright. The gunshot hit its forelimb, and a bloody hole burst open, from which blood gushed out.
Li Ju'an remained calm. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger, firing another shot.
Bang!
The Mosin-Nagant rifle ejected its spent cartridge, accompanied by a massive recoil; a flash of light erupted from the muzzle, the spent cartridge was ejected, the rifle lifted, and he was jerked backward. A direct hit to the heart, shattering the male sika deer's heart!
After the first shot, the male sika deer could only run four steps before its limbs stiffened and it collapsed on the snow.
The deer herd scattered in panic and fled, quickly disappearing from sight as the sika deer leaped up.
The blizzard intensified, snow particles pelted our faces like they were free, and visibility in the thick fog decreased again.
Despite the white, blizzard-like snow, Li Ju'an felt a warm, excited feeling inside.
He succeeded in making the eight-cross!
This means that as long as he drags this big eight-pronged deer down the mountain and throws the male sika deer in front of Lao Tao, Lao Tao will have no reason not to let go.
He's determined to have Tiger, the best mountain dog in the entire Xingan Mountains, a fierce warrior of the mountains!