Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

Yue Feng nodded after listening to Xiao Weimin's words: "Okay, let me summarize the consensus we just discussed!"

The first part will focus on filming the details of traditional birds of prey hunting, equipment, domestication, and release!
I estimate that if everything goes smoothly, it will take at most seven to ten days from when the eagle comes down from the mountain to when it is released!
In the second part, after the eagle training and combat practice are completed, we will film the second part of the gyrfalcon hunting in the mountains!

I can give you a heads-up: my two eagles can hunt a wide range of prey, from roe deer and deer to wild boar, and even elk and tigers!

"What the hell? I can barely accept deer and roe deer, but catching elk and tigers is a bit much, isn't it?"

Xiao Weimin had been nodding along with what Yue Feng was saying, but when Yue Feng mentioned the prey as something like the Andahan tiger, he suddenly couldn't keep up.

Faced with the doubts, Yue Feng grinned and was not angry: "I said my eagle dares to claw at the tiger in the mountains. Don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Wait a moment, let me get you some documents to look at!"

Watching Yue Feng carry the eagle into the house, Xiao Weimin frowned slightly, staring at Yue Feng's back, his mind a bit complicated.

This gyrfalcon can catch tigers? That seems incredibly improbable. The golden eagles of Inner Mongolia are said to be able to hunt wolves, which is already quite an achievement.

Yue Feng claims to have evidence, so let's see what evidence he can produce!

Before seeing the detailed information, Xiao Weimin was certainly skeptical.

Soon, Yue Feng took a large photo frame out of the house.

"Look! This happened this spring!"

Yue Feng handed the photo frame to Xiao Weimin, who eagerly took it and examined it carefully.

The frame contains a remarkably well-preserved copy of the Tiger City Daily.

The daily newspaper was published around the beginning of spring this year. It devoted an entire page to recording how the Yue family hunting team, along with their hunting dogs, black bears, and falcons, led local hunters in Hucheng to capture a mutated black tiger alive.

The photos of the black tiger, the description of how they finally caught the tiger alive in the snowmelt pond, and the details of the falcon's assistance were all recorded very clearly.

Tiger City Daily is a legitimate official media outlet. The fact that it devoted a full page to this operation in such a high-profile manner suggests that it is not sloppy in terms of authenticity and professionalism.

After reading it, Xiao Weimin took a deep breath, and when he looked at Yue Feng and the two Falcons in his hands, his eyes were completely different from before.

“I’ve read the newspaper, and I believe you’re not making this up, but I really can’t figure out how such a small eagle can subdue or affect such a large prey!” Xiao Weimin scratched his head and continued to ask, sounding a little embarrassed.

Yue Feng reached out and touched the black eagle's head, explaining, "Falcons are birds of prey with distinctly different attack methods than eagles or hawks!"
You might think that for an eagle to attack such a large prey is barely even a tickle, and that's certainly true for an eagle.

Take the goshawk as an example. An experienced adult female goshawk can only catch prey about the size of a hare at most!
Claws have limited attack power; if they get any bigger, they can't control their prey, let alone kill it!
But falcons are different! Look at the talons of my great black eagle!

Yue Feng placed the large black eagle in front of Xiao Weimin, and then deliberately stroked the eagle's tail with his hand.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with its tail being stroked, the eagle instinctively turned around on its hand, changing its standing posture from facing its master to having its rear end facing its master.

The eagle shifted its position on Yue Feng's arm, and Yue Feng gently lifted one of the eagle's claws, revealing the claw pad beneath the large black eagle's talon.

"This location is a claw-like structure made of connective tissue, which we call a tiger's paw in our jargon!"
While falcons' talons are not as strong as those of their eagle counterparts, they can use the tiger-like claws on their talons to attack their opponents!

Take my big black eagle for example. It can fly to a height of at least several hundred meters, then swoop down at high speed, using its momentum to kick its prey with its tiger-like claws!

This attack method allows them to cause great damage even if they are not large in size!

A roe deer weighing 30 or 40 pounds can be killed instantly with a single kick to the head from my Black Hawk helicopter!
Of course, the main role of eagles working with hunting dogs to capture tigers is to harass and distract them by swooping down at high speed!

The real deciding factor is the cooperation between the hunter and the hound!
As for the elk, the eagle would peck at its eyes just like it would at ordinary prey such as roe deer, sika deer, or wild boar.

Blind prey won't run far in the forest; it will soon crash into a tree and get injured, possibly even suffering a broken neck!

After listening to Yue Feng's series of introductions, the big question mark hanging in Xiao Weimin's head instantly turned into an exclamation mark.

"Wow, that's impressive! After your explanation, I realize how ignorant I was!" Xiao Weimin gave Yue Feng a thumbs up.

"You're not in this industry, so it's normal that you don't know these details!"

Let's continue from where we left off!

I can take our photography team into the mountains to film some footage of gyrfalcons hunting roe deer, wild deer, or wild boars!

By the way, I have a technical question for you. Approximately how far can our camera's telephoto lens capture?

When asked about his professional expertise, Xiao Weimin replied without hesitation: "Currently, our production team is using imported photography equipment from Xiao Rizi, with lenses having a focal length of around 125 to 150mm."

To ensure clarity, the distance is approximately 200 meters, and good lighting is required.

If it's cloudy or the light is poor, it might be over a hundred meters!
If you use a longer telephoto lens like 200-300mm, it becomes extremely difficult to capture moving objects!

For stationary shooting, the maximum distance is 400-500 meters! However, the image quality is mediocre, with a lot of noise!

After hearing the answer, Yue Feng nodded: "In that case, forest areas with relatively limited visibility are not very suitable. It would be best to find meadows, or wastelands, canyons or similar terrains to shoot in order to get better results!"
Eagles are incredibly fast when chasing their prey; often, cameramen struggle to keep up with the camera's shot!

"There's no need to worry about that. Xiaotian is very professional. As long as we prepare well, the chances of a successful film are quite high!"

"Okay! If there are any problems during filming, we'll discuss and find solutions!"

Based on the previous summary, how long do you think this content can support for a documentary? Will it meet our project expectations? Yue Feng continued to ask.

"As for the length, make sure it's substantial and not too verbose. A documentary of 90 minutes to two hours should be sufficient! It can be divided into four or five episodes!"

Two hours is 120 minutes, which is definitely a big production for a documentary of this era.

It's worth noting that most documentaries in other categories are typically only ten or fifteen minutes long per episode, with a total length of one hour divided into four episodes.

Yue Feng was quite surprised to hear this answer.

The Ye family really went all out in getting the project approved, going so far as to maximize the runtime.

“Okay, as long as you don’t have too many restrictions on the duration, I can give you extra options!”

If you want more details, feel free to add them! For example, I know how to make eagle nets and eagle harnesses! What kind of footage do you need? I can film it on-site for you!

"You can do all of these too?" "Of course! I make almost all the equipment I use to catch, raise, and train eagles myself!"
Knowing you were coming, I specially categorized and organized everything. After breakfast, I can take pictures of this part of the eagle gear first!
I can give you a professional explanation!

"That's wonderful! These things are high-end, and the items you've made for the eagle are all exquisitely crafted!"

"Hehe, you flatter me. I just like it and do it for fun!"

"The main functions of documentaries are to record and to pass on knowledge!"

Although these parts are not directly related to falconry, they complement the main content and are indispensable!

If we could film the entire thing and incorporate it into the final cut, the effect would definitely be great!

"Then let's do it! You tell me how to shoot it, and I'll do it exactly as you say, I'll cooperate unconditionally!" Yue Feng stated decisively.

"After communicating with you like this, I feel much more confident now! As long as our materials are good, I'm confident that we can make a good documentary about traditional falconry culture!"

"Hehe, I'll rely on you for the professional stuff!" Yue Feng grinned, indicating that he and Xiao Weimin had reached a consensus.

After finalizing the direction of the shoot, the two discussed some details in the courtyard. Xiao Weimin took out a small notebook from his chest pocket and began to work out a planning outline for the shoot on the spot.

The pen scribbled away as Yue Feng watched him work from his perch. In no time, several pages were filled with writing.

"What time is it now? Let's get to work after breakfast!"

Yue Feng glanced at his watch and replied, "Around 6:40! Breakfast should be ready in the kitchen by now; the chimneys aren't even smoking anymore!"

"Then wake everyone up and have dinner! After dinner, have a quick meeting and get back to work!"

"okay!"

Once Xiao Weimin was in work mode, his expression and demeanor were extremely focused.

He greeted everyone, went inside, and then called out to the film crew members.

Ten minutes later, all four of them were dressed and washed up. Yue Feng and his mother helped each other bring out breakfast.

The steamed pork and scallion buns in the kitchen, served with egg drop soup, are delicious. With one bite, the meat filling is firm and plump, and the juice is rich and fragrant.

After eating several fist-sized steamed buns and taking a sip of dumpling soup to fill the gaps, everyone burped contentedly.

After filling their stomachs, Xiao Weimin held a brief meeting with his team and then consulted with Yue Feng.

"Brother Yue, should we shoot footage about making eagle equipment first, or should we consider shooting footage about catching eagles first?"
I was just thinking about it. We can film the falconry equipment making process anytime, but shouldn't the footage of catching the falcon be the highest priority?

After Xiao Weimin asked this question, Yue Feng slapped his forehead and said, "That's right! It's still the tail end of the eagle season. In a few more days, the eagles will all fly south, leaving only a very few birds of prey that overwinter in the low forests. If you want to catch them, you'll have to rely on your luck!"

"Shall we start by studying the falconry footage? Do you need to do any preparation beforehand? Is the falconry site you mentioned far from our home?"

Yue Feng replied, "It's not too far! I prepared the nets, bait, and birdwatching equipment for eagle hunting before you came!"

If we set off now, we can drive up the mountain via Chaiji Road, and then walk to the eagle hunting grounds. It will only take us an hour and a half to reach our destination!

"Alright, let's go catch the eagle first! Where are your spare tools? Find them and let's load them into the truck! By the way, are you not coming back by noon?"

Yue Feng nodded: "We really can't come back. Take some meat buns and water with you. The conditions on the mountain are limited, so we'll just have to make do with what we have. When we get back tonight, we'll eat at my own restaurant in the city!"

"it is good!"

……

After a brief conversation, Yue Feng returned to the old house and quickly gathered up the eagle nets and other odds and ends used for hunting eagles in the mountains.

The film crew consisted of four people, plus Yue Feng, making a total of five. The previous eagle shed was definitely not enough to accommodate everyone, so Yue Feng brought along a hand axe, pliers, wire, nails, and other odds and ends for building the eagle shed.

With a bag full of odds and ends, Yue Feng got into the film crew's car.

The film crew had two cars and four people, which seemed quite spacious, but after getting into the cars, Yue Feng realized that the cameras of this era were a size larger than he remembered.

The car was crammed full of various equipment boxes and other items. After Yue Feng got in, the people in the back seat even had a hard time turning around.

Just after seven o'clock in the morning, Yue Feng sat in the passenger seat of the lead car, directing the driver out of the village and along the production road leading into the mountains. Soon they reached Chaiji Road and headed straight for Hutou Mountain.

The 212 Jeep has pretty impressive off-road capabilities. After driving for about an hour, we arrived at Chaiji Road, the closest point to Hutou Mountain.

"Stop the car! This is about the most we can drive here. If we go any further, we'll have to walk!" Yue Feng said to the driver.

Xiao Weimin asked, "How far is it from the parking spot to our destination on the mountain?"

Yue Feng pointed to the highest peak of Tiger Head Mountain: "The top of the mountain ahead is probably it! It's about a mile away as the crow flies, but if we climb it, we'll have to take a detour for several miles! Let's travel light and only bring the essentials!"

After listening, Xiao Tian grinned, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "It's just carrying equipment up a mountain, right? No problem, we've done it before!"

"Let's do it!"

Soon, everyone got off the car, unloaded all the equipment such as cameras, and then the group divided up and followed Yue Feng up the mountain.

Tiger Head Mountain is rarely visited on weekdays. Yue Feng last came here last autumn to hunt eagles.

It took forty minutes to climb the mountain path I remembered to reach the eagle enclosure near the summit.

Xiao Tian and the others weren't exaggerating; these young crew members were much better physiques than Yue Feng had expected.

After a year of recuperation, the eagle farm has long since returned to a state of dense vegetation, and even the eagle shed from last year is quite damaged.

Upon arriving at their destination, Yue Feng put his tools on the ground, and the film crew found a good camera position and set up their equipment.

Let's get started! (End of Chapter)