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

After a brief exchange, Yue Feng and Xiao Weimin made up their minds to change course and go to Deer Valley.

"Master, please go back inside! We'll leave now!"

Yue Feng crammed the other three dogs into the SUV as well, and then said to Zhao Dashan.

Zhao Dashan nodded and added a final reminder: "We haven't been to Deer Valley as often in the last year or two, so we don't know what changes might have occurred in the surrounding wild animals."

Take Director Xiao with you. I don't need to remind you of anything else, just remember to watch out for red dogs or wolves!

Yue Feng nodded after listening, then patted his gun.

"Don't worry, I'm carrying an automatic rifle that can fire 30 rounds. Even wolves wouldn't dare to bare their teeth at us!"

"Don't get cocky! Let's go. If we come back early, we'll come back to the farm! I'll stew some meat for you!"

"Alright, let's go, Master!"

……

The old man watched Yue Feng and the film crew's car leave before closing the door and returning to his own house.

This was Xiao Weimin's first time meeting Yue Feng's master, Zhao Dashan. After the car had driven away, Xiao Weimin asked curiously, "Your master doesn't look that old! Is he 55 or not? He has a straight back, a ruddy complexion, and a very strong voice!"

Yue Feng curled his lip: "Fifty-five? If you don't count the Chinese age, it should be sixty-two! I'm not bragging to you at all, my master is a legendary hunter!"

"How is it legendary?" Xiao Weimin's interest was piqued by Yue Feng's words.

“My master didn’t used to stay at the farm. He only moved here the winter before last!”
He used to have a dugout in Woniu Mountain, where he lived year-round, only coming down every few months to buy basic necessities. He lived there for decades!

"Huh? Is there anything special about this?" Xiao Weimin still didn't get the point about what Yue Feng was talking about.

“He knew exactly what kind of prey was around the dugout where my master lived!”
He had lived peacefully with a large male bear for at least seven or eight years without shooting it dead!
To paraphrase my master, let it live a few more years! We're not short of meat anyway!
Besides being an excellent marksman and having amazing hunting skills, my master can also handle and train all kinds of animals!
You know what a red dog is, right? It's a jackal!

"I know! Jackals are even rarer than wolves! Is there any special story behind them?"

"Before my master came down the mountain to my place, he trained a group of jackals to be used as hunting tools!"

Unfortunately, they ran into a Siberian tiger coming down from the mountain, which killed the pack of jackals!

My master was also attacked by a tiger, but he survived!

"Training jackals to be used as canine helpers? Jackals may be pack animals, but they don't obey human commands, do they?"

Upon hearing this explanation, Xiao Weimin's eyes widened, completely overturning his conventional understanding of some ferocious beasts.

"That's what makes my master so amazing! He unexpectedly obtained a female jackal that was a cross between a mountain dog and a jackal, and then went to great lengths to snatch jackal puppies from another jackal pack that hadn't even opened their eyes yet!"

The jackal pack is a matriarchal society. The mixed-breed female jackal obeys my master's commands, and the other jackal pups obey the female jackal's orders!
And just like that, he became the leader of this pack of jackals, leading them on hunts with far greater efficiency than the average pack of jackals!

"Well... I know that jackals and dogs are related by blood, but are you sure they can crossbreed?"

"The probability is very small, but there is still a chance!"
He's now managing all the livestock on my mountain farm!

Before you went inside, there was a bear inside! My master trained this bear into a powerful and reliable assistant!
Last time we went out to catch the black tiger, the bear joined the fight, and the tiger tore and scratched his leather armor to shreds!

"Holy crap! They're entrusting this important task to a bear? How come it's so obedient?"

Upon hearing even more explosive news, Xiao Weimin's breathing became rapid.

"We train and teach them little by little from a young age!"
This bear is two years old this year. When I got it, it was a skinny little cub, only a few months old. It was accidentally obtained by a lumberjack who kept it at home to coax the cub. It was always hungry and had to drink porridge!

I bought it and delivered it to the breeding farm on the mountain, where my master treated me to good food and drink!

They teach skills, establish rules, and teach hunting techniques, among other things!

If you're interested, you can get up close and personal with the animals when we get down the mountain!
Coal Ball isn't afraid of strangers and is quite sensible! He has the intelligence of at least a seven or eight-year-old; give him a piece of candy, and he'll let you touch it!

"Tsk tsk tsk! Now that you mention it, I'm even more interested! That's amazing! Besides raising and training eagles, your master knows so many other things too!"

Xiao Weimin was completely impressed by Yue Feng.

"Haha, legendary hunter, you think I'm just bragging! Let's finish up our business first, then we can come back to the farm. My master really enjoys making friends!"

"Okay, I have to come over!"

……

Along the way, because Yue Feng mentioned the legendary story of his master Zhao Dashan, the tedious journey became less boring.

The car, number 212, traveled along the Chaiji Road and arrived at the nearest point on the road to Luming Valley about two and a half hours later.

"Just park here? Aren't you going to find an open space to clear the mountain road?" Xiao Weimin came down the mountain, looked around, and asked Yue Feng.

Yue Feng shook his head: "The mountains here have all been cleared of timber. Although Chaiji Road is still under regular maintenance, there's only one car here every ten days or so! Let's park our cars here and make sure we can pass each other!"

"Okay, I'll do as you say! Park the car properly and start unloading the equipment!"

After Xiao Weimin gave a brief address, everyone unloaded all the filming equipment from the car.

Yue Feng glanced at the surrounding terrain and then chose the direction to Deer Valley.

"Everyone keep up! We still have to cross three mountain ridges to get to Deer Valley! Once we're out of the forest, the visibility will improve!"

"it is good!"

……

Soon, Yue Feng had arranged all four dogs to lead the way and keep watch. Then, he led Xiao Weimin and the others up the hillside and up the ridge, and hurried on their way.

This walk took more than an hour.

The Three Mountain Ridges may not sound too far, but the terrain here is gentle, consisting of large, flat slopes. After crossing the Three Mountain Ridges, the scenery suddenly opens up before you.

Yue Feng pointed into the distance and said, "Look, that's Deer Valley ahead! There's a large reservoir upstream, and downstream, a large area is alluvial plains and valleys formed by erosion!"
"It's a little early for us to come now; it hasn't snowed yet, and there's no ice. We can just stroll around on the east bank of the river!"

Xiao Weimin shaded his eyes with his hand and looked around: "Tsk tsk, this place is great! The terrain below is a river valley grassland! There aren't many tall trees! In such a spacious mountain area, our falcon will have plenty of room to perform!"

"Of course! Birds of prey have been active in this valley in previous years!"

Two winters ago, my great black eagle defeated a silver-headed, flower-tailed falcon right here. And a few dozen miles further upstream, there are even golden eagles!

"Now that we're here, let's not just sit around! Let's keep going, let's go down to the valley and see if there are any deer!" Xiao Weimin urged.

"Go! Azure Dragon, search!"

At a call, Canglong, who had been waiting beside Yuefeng, immediately barked a few times and began searching around.

Five people carried their equipment and descended the steep slope into the valley, then patiently began their search. They hadn't gone far when they spotted traces of deer activity on the ground.

Before the snow covered the grass below the valley, the deer had left extensive traces of foraging activities here.

The droppings of healthy deer in the wild are somewhat similar to sheep droppings, appearing as small pellets.

The deer left a spectacular trail of droppings on the ground as they passed by.

"Look, this is the droppings left by the sika deer!"

"Look, they're already half-dried. Judging from the timeline, the deer herd was active in this area around our feet about three to five days ago!" Yue Feng said, picking up a few pieces of poop and squeezing them with his fingertips.

Sika deer droppings have a very faint odor, and their relative dryness or moisture content can indicate the approximate time of excrement.

"Shall we have Gouzi follow Sao to track him down?" Xiao Weimin asked.

Yue Feng nodded: "That's fine! The deer are still mostly active around the hill! There's plenty of grass, making it easy for them to find food, so they won't be moving around to a large area!"

"What does 'small mountain' mean? Does it mean the mountain is small?" Xiao Weimin scratched his head, somewhat unfamiliar with the term.

"The word 'small mountain' is used in contrast to 'big mountain'!"
The activities of deer herds follow certain patterns, mainly influenced by their food intake!
The valley terrain offers a wide view, water sources, and abundant wild grass, so deer herds can roam around for a long time!

After it snows, the snow crust will cover the vegetation on the ground, making it more difficult for the deer to find hay!
At that time, they will move towards terrain where it is easier to find food.

For example, in mountain forests and ditches where more low shrubs grow, or in areas at higher altitudes where there are tender branches and leaves, dead branches and fallen leaves to feed on!

Wild deer herds are shifting their range, either due to reproductive issues or feeding difficulties.

Once the ice thaws in spring, they prefer to stay in the secondary forest and nibble on tender branches and leaves!

After Yue Feng's explanation, Xiao Weimin nodded: "I understand! This Deer Valley is a special terrain area suitable for deer to roam, which is why deer stay here every year!"

"That's right! In Northeast China, there may be wrong names, but never wrong nicknames! And certainly never wrong place names!"

As they were talking, the Azure Dragon, which had been sniffing and searching around ahead, suddenly barked in one direction.

Upon hearing the dog bark, Yue Feng immediately abandoned any further communication, shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked into the distance.

About three or four hundred meters away, several grayish-yellow patches were moving rapidly.

It's a deer!

Upon seeing this, Yue Feng immediately untied the three leashes from the dogs: "There's a herd of deer ahead! Canglong, chase them!"

At the command, Canglong took the lead and charged ahead, followed by the three dogs, Black Tiger, Flower Leopard, and Greedy Wolf.

Xiao Weimin followed to investigate, but only saw a few faint colored dots moving around before the prey disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Holy crap, they spotted the deer herd so quickly? Should we follow them?"

"Is it too far for the equipment to capture? How about we look for a suitable high vantage point nearby?" Yue Feng asked.

"Never mind anything else for now! Let's chase after them for a while! Don't let the deer get away!"

"it is good!"

After a brief exchange of a few words, Yue Feng, gripping his gun, followed closely behind Gouzi and strode after him.

The other five people, each carrying equipment, followed behind in a frantic sprint.

From the moment he spotted the prey, Yue Feng refrained from whistling.

The big black eagle and the little white spear patiently waited for their master's command, even though they had already noticed the deer herd fleeing north.

Yue Feng's idea was simple: simply catching one or two deer wasn't very meaningful; the important thing was that the film crew could capture the hunting process.

Now, with a whistle, the black eagle can work with the azure dragon to leave a few deer for the herd in no time.

However, the distance is too far, and people can't keep up, so it's completely meaningless for the filming mission.

The idea was good, but at the lower part of the valley, the grass was too deep, and people carrying equipment couldn't run fast at all when running through the grass.

Instead of closing the distance, they actually got further and further apart!

After chasing for two or three hundred meters, Xiao Tian and Xiao Weimin, who were carrying the equipment, were panting heavily.

"I can't run anymore! Xiao Feng~~" Xiao Weimin gasped for breath, clutching his waist and panting heavily.

As Yue Feng chased after them, he kept an eye on the surrounding terrain.

"Go set up your equipment on that hill over there and see if you can get a better view!" Yue Feng suggested.

"And you? Keep letting the dogs chase the deer? No matter how fast we run, we can't outrun four-legged dogs and deer!"

Yue Feng said, "I haven't blown the whistle yet! The eagle hasn't joined the battle!"

I told the Azure Dragons to try and circle the deer herd back, to see if that would work! The grass is quite tall, and the deer aren't running very fast!

"Alright, you give it a try! We'll set up the equipment on top of the mound!"

After a brief conversation, Yue Feng made a megaphone shape with his hand, took a deep breath, and shouted at the dogs that had already run far away.

"Azure Dragon, launch the main attack across the river! Black Tiger, Leopard, and Greedy Wolf, feign an attack and bring the deer herd back to us!"

Strangely enough, after hearing their owner's call, the dogs immediately changed their formation from a straight line of pursuit to a more professional one.

The Azure Dragon consciously slowed its pursuit, and after confirming its position along the riverbed, it jumped into the water without hesitation, crossing the river surface in a straight line and applying pressure from the opposite bank following the deer herd.

The other three helper dogs emerged from the thick grass and then moved forward along the sunny foot of the canyon slope.

Although running like this may create a temporary distance, the deer will likely change direction once they encounter a widening current of water ahead.

Helping dogs walk along slopes and low grass areas is faster and makes it easier to adjust the encirclement formation.

At that time, a few dogs will circle the deer herd like sheepdogs and then bring them back!

The ensuing battle unfolded as Yue Feng had anticipated. After all their efforts, the dogs managed to catch up with the deer herd ahead of time at the point where the river widened below.

The Azure Dragon barked and chased away the deer from the shallow grass on the opposite bank. The panicked herd dared not go into the water, and with three dogs flanking them, they turned and started running back.

Yue Feng watched the dog and the deer herd from a distance. After confirming that he had achieved his goal of circling the prey, he turned his head and glanced at the small mound.

Xiao Weimin and his team have already set up the equipment.

Yue Feng no longer hesitated and blew a sharp whistle towards the falcons in the sky, signaling an attack. (End of Chapter)