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

"The fight's over so quickly!! The hounds have caught the biggest roe deer!!"

Zhang Chaochao shaded his eyes with his hand while staring at the battle situation dozens of meters away, panting heavily but with a face full of excitement.

Yue Feng was also panting, but his breathing was much calmer than that of the other guests.

"Yeah! Small herds of roe deer, in this open and exposed area, have virtually no chance of survival if they encounter our eagles and hounds!"
Xiao Tao, get the rope, let's tie up the roe deer together! Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, gather the two roe deer cubs that the eagles kicked to death together, and quickly bleed and gut them!

Once inside the mountains and getting down to business, Yue Feng fully embraced the role of the hunting team leader, methodically directing his team members to get to work.

Xiao Tao took a bundle of hemp rope from his bag, held it in his hand, and moved it toward the live roe deer that the dog gang was holding down.

Evan, Robert, and Allen, who had been watching the commotion from behind, quickly followed.

In North America, hunting rifles are common and resources are plentiful, and hunting grounds are mostly relatively flat terrains such as tundra and ice fields, so the use of hunting dogs is completely different from that in Northeast China.

In North America, hunters typically keep hunting dogs to track, drive, and assist hunters in firing shots to end the hunt.

The fighting style of Yue Feng, where the falcon cooperates with the dog gang and uses the hunting dogs' fighting ability to forcefully fight and finish off the prey, is not very common.

Now, Canglong is holding the male roe deer tightly by the neck, while Huabao and Tanlang, the two hunting dogs, are pulling on the male roe deer's hind legs. The three dogs easily pinned the roe deer in place, making it unable to move.

Xiao Tao walked up with the rope, and all three hunting dogs recognized him and wagged their tails at him.

Xiao Tao walked up to the male roe deer, which let out a hoarse scream out of fear.

"Hey, thank goodness, I'm not dead!!"

Xiao Tao grinned, took out a small roll of cloth from his pocket, and blindfolded the roe deer.

Then, he tied a knot with hemp rope and bound the roe deer's four hooves tightly.

"Aren't we going to slaughter this roe deer on the spot?" Evan asked curiously.

Yue Feng shook his head: "The blood of the roe deer is quite useful. We don't lack meat for the time being. It would be a waste to kill too many things. Let's take them back alive! The other few were killed by the eagle and the dog. The meat from those will be enough to reward the eagle and the dog!"

Soon, Xiaowen and Xiaowu, one carrying two half-grown roe deer cubs and the other dragging an adult female roe deer, also rushed back.

Just as Yue Feng had expected, all three roe deer were already dead, so he stabbed them on the spot to bleed them and cut them open.

With distinguished guests present, Yue Feng, the foreman, naturally didn't need to do these rough tasks himself. Xiao Tao and the Zhang brothers worked efficiently, and in no time, they bled the roe deer and removed its internal organs.

Yue Feng squatted down before the still steaming roe deer heart, liver, and lungs went into the water. Big Black Eagle and Little White Spear landed happily in front of Yue Feng.

"Caw caw caw caw!" The big black eagle let out a cheerful cawing, its eyes fixed on Yue Feng. Its gestures were simple, waiting for its master to reward it for its merits.

Yue Feng patted the big black eagle's head: "Alright, don't worry, you'll get your meat to eat!"

As he spoke, Yue Feng used a knife to cut off the tender roe deer heart, then sliced ​​it into appropriately thick pieces for Big Black Eagle and Little White Spear.

The two eagles didn't fight over it; whichever one was given the meat would raise its head to catch it, then use its claws to stomp on it, tear it apart, and swallow it whole.

After feeding the two eagles some of their internal organs, the next step was to feed the three hunting dogs. The same method was used, starting with feeding the Azure Dragon, and each of them was given about 30% of their fill.

Often, the difference between describing the beginning and end of an event in words and witnessing it firsthand can be significant, leading to a great deal of subjective feeling.

All the guests, including Feng Huanping and Zhang Chaochao, knew before they came that Yue Feng's falcons could hunt medium to large-sized prey, and that Yue Feng's falcons and dogs had a very close relationship and cooperated very well during hunts.

Evan and his companions also knew that Yue Feng's eagles could eat meat without competing with their companions.

However, when they witnessed these scenes firsthand in the wilderness hunting grounds, everyone was still extremely shocked.

After feeding the eagle and the dog, Yue Feng grabbed a handful of snow, rubbed his hands together, and then stood up.

"Tie the roe deer to the sled and take it with you. Let's rest for a bit and then continue downstream!"

"Xiaofeng, you're amazing! Our eagles and hunting dogs are incredibly efficient! In just a short while, they caught four roe deer—two big and two small—that must yield several hundred pounds of meat!"

Feng Huanping took out cigarettes from his pocket, distributed them to the people around him, and then lit his kerosene lighter.

Yue Feng shook his head: "It's not that heavy! Based on past experience, two half-grown roe deer cubs can yield a maximum of forty catties of meat, and two adult roe deer can yield about seventy catties of net meat. Adding them together, the gross weight is about one hundred and fifty or sixty catties!"

Feng Huanping: "That's quite an exaggeration! No wonder you're not very keen on using eagles to catch rabbits! Who would catch rabbits if there were roe deer!"

"Haha, that's true! But catching rabbits is quite fun too, you can release them right around your house or the village! I've just been a bit lazy these past year or two because I've been busy. A couple of years ago, after finishing up in the fields in the fall, I would definitely release my eagles for a few days!"

Just as Yue Feng and Feng Huanping were chatting and laughing, Robert approached with a somewhat serious expression.

"Mr. Yue Feng, I'd like to ask you a question!"

"Hmm? Mr. Robert, is there anything you want to ask? You don't need to be so polite!"

Yue Feng looked at Robert, trying to glean some clues from the other man's expression.

Robert said, "I'd like to ask, what you said earlier about the hunting techniques our falcons possess—are they similar to the hunting techniques we just saw in the actual combat? Or are there any significant differences?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng immediately understood the meaning behind it.

In most cases, the premium for breeding farms is not high when introducing breeding eagles that are already engaged in breeding, since the primary duty of breeding eagles is to reproduce, not to hunt!
Valuable breeding eagles are highly sought after, and if they are lost in an accident while hunting, the losses would be enormous, so few people are willing to do so.

However, there are exceptions to this consideration. If a falcon's hunting skills far surpass those of an ordinary eagle, it can be considered that the falcon has mastered advanced hunting techniques. In the current situation, this falls into the category of high premium.

Yue Feng answered almost without pausing, very calmly and confidently: "My family's falcons have several different states!"
All the common eaglets that hatch from the nest with the standard double markings have received wild hunting training in my hands!

All the eaglets were trained to hunt common small animals such as pheasants, wild ducks, rabbits, and mice during their wilding training. Even if these eaglets were accidentally lost, they could still hunt and survive normally in the wild. A small number of the eaglets bred in previous years went into the mountains with hunting teams in the winter and learned advanced skills such as blinding, harassing and driving away prey, and cooperating simply with hunting dogs from their parents' practical experience.

For example, the pair of white falcons that Mr. Salman introduced to the Middle East are falcons that have mastered advanced hunting skills!

I have three more eagles like that in my eagle house, all purebred white gyrfalcons! I wonder what Robert's purpose was in asking that question?

After hearing Yue Feng's answer, Robert and Allen exchanged a glance, and then said, "This also means that these exceptionally experienced falcons have an extra premium on their value!"

Yue Feng nodded: "That's right! The reason Mr. Salman was willing to spend such a high price to exchange for a falcon with me, and even added a large sum of money, is not only because he values ​​the Black Falcon's bloodline, but also because of his advanced falconry skills!"

"So, if the eagles we want to import don't possess this advanced skill, can we offer a discount on the price?" Robert asked somewhat uncertainly.

Yue Feng nodded, then shook his head: "Theoretically, that's true, but the reality is a bit awkward. There are very few falcons available for you to choose from, and those few white gyrfalcons happen to be trained for work!"

"Why is that? Did you plan for the future of these eagles several years ago?" Evan couldn't help but ask again after hearing the answer.

Yue Feng nodded: "I do have a plan for the fledglings at my falcon farm! Otherwise, I wouldn't have made professional leg bands for them and kept detailed identification records from the very first brood of eagles!"

Among my friends, some know about raising pigeons, and I know a little bit about pedigrees!
Eagles have a very low breeding efficiency, and it is difficult to maintain high quality for a long time when breeding falcons of a single bloodline. The key to developing a falconry farm is to introduce falcons of new bloodlines!

White gyrfalcons have relatively fixed values ​​elsewhere, and they are not unique to me!
The most valuable thing about my eagle is that even though it's white, it still has the bloodline of a black falcon!
The black falcon is my trump card, and I will not easily give it away. Under these circumstances, the only way to increase the falcon farm's tolerance for errors regarding bloodline falcons is through the introduction of new breeds!
My original plan was to first get the white falcons into the market, so during the first two hunting seasons, I trained them, teaching them advanced hunting skills!

After Yue Feng finished speaking, the flame that had just ignited in Robert's eyes dimmed considerably.

“Okay, you’re right! In the face of a smart person, everything is inevitable, and there are no loopholes to exploit!” Robert said with a slightly frustrated shrug.

"Haha, I'll get proud of your praise! Everyone's rested enough, right? We're still a while from the heart of Deer Valley, let's keep going!"

Yue Feng laughed and quickly changed the subject.

Upon hearing Yue Feng's words, Xiao Tao and his brothers immediately stood up from the ground.

Zhang Chaochao and Feng Huanping also stood up and took a short rest until they were all catching their breath.

Zhang Chaochao glanced at the live roe deer tied to the sled and whispered to Yue Feng, "Xiao Feng, with our three hunting dogs and two eagles, how many prey can we catch at most if we don't shoot? Just now there were four roe deer, and not a single one escaped!"

Yue Feng shook his arm, releasing the two falcons back into the air, and then said unhurriedly, "It's hard to say exactly, it mainly depends on the size of the individual!"

A female roe deer and her half-grown cubs can be easily killed by a large black eagle with a few kicks! But even the largest male roe deer is beyond the reach of an eagle's attack; it can only peck at their eyes!
If we encounter a larger herd of deer, we can try to save one or two at a time! With luck, maybe even three! Some male deer have thicker antlers and will defend themselves against eagles pecking at their eyes!

"Ah, hunting in the Northeast is so great! Unlike back in Beijing, at best you can only catch a rabbit or a badger or something, it's no fun at all!"

"Haha, if you're willing to come and play, just invite your friends to come and play when the hunting season comes!"

……

They started making a killing shortly after arriving at the hunting grounds. Everyone seemed very relaxed, chatting quietly as they continued moving downstream along the shore towards Deer Valley.

After a chase by hawks and hounds, no more valuable prey was found in the vicinity. More than half an hour later, Yue Feng led the group across a canyon waterfall area with a large drop and stopped again.

This canyon waterfall is flowing during the summer high-water season, but it freezes completely in winter.

Down from here, you'll find alluvial plains formed by geological movements and mountain streams; this is the core area of ​​Luming Valley.

Large areas of wild grass, shrubs, and a few deciduous trees grow on the shores of both sides of the freshwater lake.

Yue Feng stood on high ground, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked around. His gaze quickly settled on a slightly darker area of ​​snow on the opposite bank.

"Xiao Tao, look at the snow on the opposite bank at about one o'clock. Are there any footprints?"

Xiao Tao responded and squinted at the other side.

“They’re footprints, quite a few, a whole patch of tracks that has crushed the snow crust!” Xiao Tao said decisively.

"Let's go to the west bank! Everyone follow me, there's a high chance of deer there, let's follow their tracks!"

Yue Feng gave a shout, slung his gun over his shoulder, and strode forward as the first to step forward.

The group followed behind, trudging through the mud and water, and soon arrived at the west bank. Yue Feng quickly reached the area where the ground was unusually colored.

As they got closer, clear deer footprints appeared before Yue Feng.

The footprints are even-toed and heart-shaped. Based on the outline of the footprints and the information about the feces on the ground, it can be easily determined that this should be a herd of at least seven or eight deer.

“These are fresh footprints, left no later than last night! There are probably seven or eight deer in this herd!” Yue Feng said with great certainty.

"Deer footprints? What kind of deer?" Feng Huanping asked curiously.

The footprints on the ground were intricate and seemingly without any pattern, but Yue Feng could easily discern their number, which Feng Huanping found amazing.

Yue Feng replied, "Judging from the size of the hoof prints, they should be several doe with their half-grown calves! Sika deer!"

Upon hearing the answer, Feng Huanping grinned and asked, "No male deer? The small group of roe deer we just hunted all had male deer! I was thinking of making a whole set of deer penis and other stuff to make wine!"

Yue Feng smiled and shook his head: "Roe deer and sika deer have different herd habits! Roe deer are led by males to spend the winter, while sika deer herds are separated by sex after winter begins! The male deer do not mix with the female deer calves!"

Of course, it's not absolute; there might be sub-adult male deer in the herd that haven't left!

Judging from the footprints, the herd of deer isn't too far away. If we keep trying, we might be able to catch up!
"Everyone, stop standing there! Keep chasing! Let's try to bring back two sika deer!" (End of Chapter)