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

Seeing that Yue Feng didn't speak, Ye Xiaojun interjected, "What's wrong, Xiao Feng? Do you have any other ideas?"

Now that everyone in the room is one of us, feel free to speak your mind. If there's anything we can support, Brother Xiao and the others will definitely give their full support!

Yue Feng shook his head: "The theme of this documentary is quite good, but I would like to remind you not to have too high expectations for the local falconry culture inheritors in Yingtun!"

Otherwise, you'll likely be disappointed!

Back when Brother Jianjun was organizing bird-scaring for raptors, I sparred with a master eagle trainer from Yingtun. To put it bluntly, his skills were just so-so!
As for filming at the Capital Falconry Club, I think we could film more!
We want to expand our business, but relying on word-of-mouth and gradual growth within the circle is too slow. If Brother Xiao can help, releasing the documentary will let raptor enthusiasts all over the country know about it!

Yue Feng had actually mentioned these things once before when he called Xiao Weimin, and Xiao Weimin nodded: "Yes, I understand!"
We're just filming the local eagle settlement and eagle hunting traditions as supplementary material. We'll dig where we can, and if not, oh well!

"Hehe, that makes sense!"

At this moment, Jinlong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Xiaofeng, is this trip to catch eagles the same routine as when we went up the mountain to catch eagles before?"
Any new moves or anything? We guys want to learn from you!

Yue Feng has many tricks for catching eagles, but in terms of practicality, stability, and success rate, the traditional hand-pulled net and self-falling net are still the most effective.

Yue Feng pursed his lips: "I brought both the trap net and the pull net. I mainly use these two types of nets, which can handle at least 90% of the situations!"

Of course, if there are other special circumstances, we can adapt accordingly. Catching eagles requires flexibility based on the actual situation; it's not about blindly following a set formula!

Hearing Yue Feng say this, Jinlong nodded. He had followed Yue Feng to the mountain to catch golden eagles before and had personally witnessed Yue Feng's methods.

Even owls can be used as bait; Yue Feng has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

At this point, Xiao Weimin continued to ask, "Before I came here, I did a lot of research. In the Dayulou area, besides the common birds of prey such as goshawks, sparrowhawks, peregrine falcons, and saker falcons, there are also many species of eagles! Are these creatures also within the scope of this capture operation?"

Xiao Weimin looked at Yue Feng, but Yue Feng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look at Ye Xiaojun.

"Brother Xiaojun, have you caught the eagle?" Yue Feng asked.

From the perspective of hunting eagles purely, among birds of prey, only the golden eagle is probably of some practical use in combat.

However, if a club is holding a static display of raptors, it's not entirely the same as an actual battle.

Large birds of prey such as the Steller's sea eagle, the white-tailed sea eagle, the steppe eagle, and the white-tailed sea eagle theoretically all have the potential to 'appear' in the wetlands surrounding Dayulou.

These darlings might not be very useful for training and hunting, but if caught and used for raptor displays at a club, they would make quite a good seller.

With their large size and imposing appearance, even people who don't know anything about birds of prey and falconry would exclaim "Holy crap!" upon seeing these big guys up close.

Ye Xiaojun said decisively, "If we have the chance, we can catch two or three of these big guys and take them back for display. At worst, we can feed them and release them after the event!"

Yue Feng nodded after listening: "Okay, if we have the chance, we'll give it a try!"

"Did you bring the net for catching eagles? The net for this big guy should be different from the net used for the little eagle, right?" Xiao Weimin asked.

Yue Feng grinned and patted the bag behind him: "I didn't bring the self-trapping net for catching eagles, but the opening of the net for this thing is at least five or six fingers wide, and there are only a few knots in a piece of net! If needed, I brought the tools and materials, and I can weave the net on the spot!"
If it's a hand-pulled net, there aren't so many requirements; smaller mesh sizes don't matter, it works for all sizes!

After listening, Xiao Weimin couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Okay, now that you say so, everyone can rest assured. If you weave the net later, I can add a few more shots. This is also part of the falconry culture!"

The audience feedback on the footage of you making falconry gear in the last documentary was quite good!

"That's it!"

……

The group consisted of acquaintances and friends who knew each other well. After discussing business, their conversation became aimless and casual.

Sipping tea and eating melon seeds, friends who hadn't seen each other for days chatted for a while, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

When Jinlong and Ye Xiaojun, exhausted from their journey, started yawning repeatedly, Yue Feng was the first to stand up.

"Are you all tired? It's getting late, and we have to get up early tomorrow. Get some rest, I'm going back to my room now!"

"Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow. I really can't keep my eyes open!" Ye Xiaojun yawned again, and as if it were contagious, Xiao Weimin and Jinlong also started yawning.

"See you tomorrow!"

Yue Feng gave a greeting and left the 'suite conference room' to go to his private room next door.

The fatigue from a day and a half of traveling by car quickly took hold, and Yue Feng simply brushed his teeth before going to bed and falling into a deep sleep.

It was Yue Feng's first time in this unfamiliar environment, and he didn't sleep well that night. He kept having dreams in his hazy state, dreaming that he went to the mountain to check out the area the next day. The sky was filled with eagles of all sizes, and the eagle-catching team caught several sacks of them without much effort.

……

The next morning, before his alarm clock, which he had set for 6:30, went off, Yue Feng opened his eyes early.

I got up, washed up, and then went out for a stroll outside the guesthouse.

Before the others had even left their rooms, Yue Feng knocked on each door to wake them up, and then went to the restaurant behind the guesthouse for breakfast.

Judging from the breakfast at the guesthouse, Secretary Li must have spoken to the person in charge here. The breakfast was plentiful, including fried dough sticks, soy milk, rice porridge, steamed buns, tea eggs, and pickled vegetables.

For a guesthouse restaurant in a local town, this breakfast is already quite high standard.

The group finished their breakfast chatting and laughing. Before 7:30, the local hawkers organized by Secretary Li arrived at the small square in front of the guesthouse.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, and that Secretary Li had also come in person, Yue Feng said, "Almost everyone outside has arrived, let's go over and meet up!"

"go!"

Soon everyone went out of the house and met up with the locals.

Upon arriving at the visitor's location, Yue Feng nodded repeatedly upon seeing the local eagle hunters' preparations.

These people all carried bags and small hand axes, with eagle-catching tools such as eagle-catching knuckles tucked under their arms, and cages containing pigeons and other birds for catching eagles at their feet.

They all looked to be older than average, the youngest being at least forty or fifty, and the oldest of them, an old hand, had almost completely white hair, probably in his sixties or seventies.

Leaving aside the pleasantries for now, Secretary Li stretched out his arm and pressed down, saying, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to what our comrades from the capital have to say!"

The room fell silent immediately, and everyone gave Yue Feng and his friends a look of respect.

Ye Xiaojun didn't speak, but gestured with his chin for Yue Feng to speak.

Yue Feng was not intimidated and said generously, "Hello everyone, we are staff members who are here at our fishing lodge to carry out the task of catching and filming birds of prey, as required by our superiors!"

Yesterday, I made a last-minute request to Secretary Li to help me find a few knowledgeable locals. I apologize for the trouble this morning! Today's initial task is to find an experienced person who is most familiar with the surrounding terrain to take us to the site to set up the nets!

The film crew needs to shoot some footage, and we need to reserve the best location to set up our cameras!

In addition, the quality requirements for wild-caught birds of prey are relatively high this time. Everyone needs to prepare more nets, open more eagle farms, and cast nets widely to increase the success rate and capture rate!

That's roughly the situation. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them now, and I, as your representative, will answer them in person!

During the question-and-answer session, an elderly man quickly spoke up and asked, "Young comrade, I would like to ask, what kind of eagles do we mainly hunt?"

In autumn, there are quite a few different kinds of eagles flying around Yingtun!

From small birds like red swallows and blue swallows to hawks, pheasants, large eagles, rabbits, tigers, ducks, and even great eagles! We have a chance to see and catch them all here!

Yue Feng grinned slightly: "Grandpa! When we catch eagles, we mainly target medium to large ones!"

We don't want any hawks smaller than that size. If you find any exceptionally good hawks, you can keep them!

The target species are mainly goshawks, peregrine falcons, and saker falcons. If you encounter a great eagle, you can also try to capture it!

If you're unsure, tighten your coat to ensure your health, and then decide whether to stay or leave when you meet in the evening!

"Okay, I'm all set!" The old man nodded and fell silent.

After making sure everyone else was okay, Yue Feng said, "That's about all the requirements. The guide will stay behind, and everyone else can temporarily disband their activities."

Prepare all the necessary tools and equipment, and head up the mountain to start clearing and setting up the area!
Let's meet in the small square in front of the gate before dark!

After the communication was completed, the others dispersed immediately. Yue Feng's request was not complicated; they all recognized these birds of prey.

Time is money, and efficiency is life. When Secretary Li gathered people together, it wasn't voluntary work; there were real rewards for it.

The town would give a reward for catching any eagle that met the requirements, with more pay for more work. This was quite tempting for the villagers who had finished their work in the fields after the autumn harvest.

Soon, only the elderly man remained in the small square.

Yue Feng asked politely, "Sir, you are quite familiar with the terrain around us for eagle hunting, aren't you?"

The old man said with great familiarity, "When I was young, I hunted eagles all over the surrounding mountains, including Jianzishan, Madashan, Jiuquanshan, and even further afield, Zhuqueshan and Mopanshan. I know the terrain like the back of my hand. Wherever you want to go, just follow me!"

Yue Feng grinned and asked, "Grandpa, of all these mountain areas you mentioned, based on the wind direction these past few days, where is the probability of seeing eagles the highest, and where is the chance of them catching their eagles the greatest?"

The old man said, "The best place to hunt eagles is on the south slope of Mount Ma, where there is an old eagle shop that has been used for decades!"
"In autumn, as long as the south wind blows, we rarely miss a day!"

“Okay, let’s go to Ma Dashan first! You get in the car, we’ll drive there, and then climb up when we get to the foot of the mountain!” Yue Feng readily agreed.

"Row!"

Soon, the old man got into the car, and the rest of the group also got into the car. The three cars formed a convoy and headed straight for the Eagle Shop in Ma Dashan, which the old man had pointed out.

The mountains here are quite different from the hills behind Yuefeng's hometown. To call them mountains is a stretch; they're more like raised mounds. They're only about two or three hundred meters high, and they look rather small.

However, Yue Feng knew that no matter how high the mountain was, it would be sacred if there was an eagle.

Most of the area around Dayulou is flat terrain, and these small hills are the areas where air currents fluctuate.

The area around Yingtun is a major transportation route for migrating birds of prey. The air currents generated by these small hills can influence the birds of prey in the sky, thereby attracting them to move around the area around the hills.

The car slowly moved out of the village from the town, then slowly went up the mountain along the production road, and stopped where there was no road.

"It's on this mountain! It'll take a while to climb. You young people aren't familiar with the mountain paths, so be careful!" the old man said politely after getting out of the car.

Yue Feng smiled and nodded: "Okay, watch your step too!"

Soon, the group began to climb the mountain on foot.

As Yue Feng traveled, he observed the surrounding mountains and terrain.

When selecting a location for falconry, the key is to choose the airflow. The wind direction, the location with suitable airflow, and the location with open terrain are all factors that need to be comprehensively evaluated.

Overall, the surrounding visibility was quite good. Before even reaching the halfway point of the mountain, Yue Feng could already vaguely see the eagle enclosure that the old man had mentioned.

The location is indeed excellent, like a naturally formed platform with no obstructions and a suitable orientation.

The group followed the old man for about forty minutes, and came down the mountain to the Eagle's Nest site.

Standing on this flat observation deck feels quite nice.

The old man pointed to the area on the ground and said, "This is it. My grandfather used this eagle-catching spot many years ago. It's been around for at least one or two hundred years by our generation! Everyone knows this spot is good for catching eagles, but no one comes here. This spot was specially reserved for me!"

Yue Feng grinned dismissively: "Great place! The facilities are indeed excellent!"

Jinlong leaned closer and asked, "Shall we set up camp here?"

Yue Feng shook his head: "This place doesn't need much tidying up. Even the shacks are ready. Let the old man and Brother Xiao's team shoot footage here!"

Hearing this, Ye Xiaojun frowned slightly and asked curiously, "What about us? Where are we going?"

Yue Feng smiled and pointed to a spot in the distance on the other side: "Let's go for a walk around!"

I brought several sets of self-trapping nets. Let's clear the area first and set up the nets that don't need to be watched!

"Alright, then I'll do as you say!"

Upon hearing Yue Feng mention "self-trapped net," the white-haired old man asked curiously, "Young man, what kind of net are you talking about? Is it also used for catching eagles?"

Yue Feng nodded: "Yes, surround it with four nets and put the bait in the middle! The main point is to save time and effort! Grandpa, you and Brother Xiao are here now, we'll take a look around!"

"Nobody here uses that kind of net! Is it effective? I'll come check it out once it's set up!"

"No problem! The unloading rate is also acceptable. The advantage is that we don't need to keep an eye on it all the time; the net catches the goods and they come down! It saves trouble!"

"You two carry on with your work, Young Master Jin, Young Master Ye, let's take a stroll some more!"

The three people carried their belongings and tools and left temporarily.

After they had walked a little further, Jinlong, who knew Yue Feng's personality well, came up to him and asked in a cryptic tone, "What's going on? Is there something wrong with that mountain area?" (End of Chapter)