American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Chapter 91 The Art of Hunting: Who is the Prey?

"My gun is at home."

Su Wei grabbed the windproof softshell jacket hanging by the door, zipped it all the way up to cover his chin.

He looked out at the dark wasteland.

"You'll pass my cabin on your way to the U-shaped valley."

"Just two minutes, I need that Browning."

That was the weapon he was most familiar with.

Faced with a madman wielding a .338 caliber weapon, Su Wei didn't want to gamble his life on an unfamiliar borrowed firearm.

This is a very risky trip; he's not going to hunt large creatures.

He was a man, a madman who used weapons.

Blake didn't waste any words.

He didn't even glance at Suwei, but simply stuffed the empty whiskey jug back into his pocket, picked up the heavy M70 rifle with one hand, and strode across the threshold.

"Get in the car."

Two words were uttered amidst the wind and snow.

The door of the tracked vehicle was slammed shut.

The engine roared, and the massive steel monster launched itself forward without even warming up.

The vehicle shook violently.

Su Wei fastened his seatbelt and gripped the overhead handle tightly.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, and the swirling snow fog obscured the rearview mirror.

Inside the carriage, only the faint green light emanating from the instrument panel could be heard.

And there's that suffocating smell of engine oil.

Suwei had already given Blake directions in advance.

Listen.

Blake held the steering wheel with one hand and quickly operated the gear shift lever with the other.

The tracked vehicle carved a wild arc across the snow slope, cutting into the dirt road leading to Suwei's house.

"This is not a training ground."

"It's not like those childish games you used to play."

Blake stared straight ahead, speaking at breakneck speed, each word like a bullet casing squeezed out from between his teeth.

"The .338 Lapua Magnum he's carrying has an effective range of over 1,500 meters. In this open valley, as long as visibility is good, he can smash your head like a watermelon before you even hear the gunshot."

Su Wei pursed her lips and didn't reply.

He certainly knew what that meant.

The black-tailed deer's mangled internal organs said it all.

That kind of kinetic energy, if it hits a person, would leave no possibility of saving them.

Only fragments.

"When we get there, you only need to do one thing."

Blake slammed on the brakes, and the tracked vehicle slid sideways on a sharp bend before correcting its course and accelerating again.

"Watch."

"Observe and tell me if anything happens. If I don't let you fire, you'd better behave yourself and be blind and deaf."

"Unless that bastard turns his gun on you, or I fall into a pool of blood too."

"Did you understand?"

Su Wei turned to look at this unconventional mentor.

The old hunter's profile appeared somewhat sinister under the green light of the dial, and his face was exceptionally gloomy.

"I understand."

Su Wei answered crisply and decisively.

"very good."

Blake snorted and floored the accelerator.

twenty minutes.

What used to be a half-hour journey was shortened by a third by this modified tracked vehicle.

The two-story wooden house in Suvina came into view at the edge of the horizon.

The snow on the roof was thick, and the chimney was cold and lifeless.

"Creak—"

The tracked vehicle came to a stop at the entrance of the yard.

"One minute."

Blake glanced at the military watch on his wrist.

Su Wei pushed open the door and jumped out of the car.

The boots made a soft, thumping sound as they stepped into the soft snow.

He took out a spare key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock.

Click.

The latch pops open.

The air inside the house carried a chilly, long-abandoned feel, along with a faint scent of pine.

Suwei did not turn on the light.

He relied on muscle memory to stride across the living room in the dim light.

Beside the fireplace.

The Browning rifle hung quietly on the rack.

Su Wei reached out and gripped the gun's neck.

That familiar sensation traveled from my palm throughout my body.

This is not just a gun.

This was the first thing he relied on to establish himself in this world.

He took the gun and slung it over his back.

Suwei crouched down and pulled open the solid wood drawer under the fireplace.

Inside was a locked metal ammunition box.

The key turns.

The lid of the box was opened.

Three neatly arranged boxes of Hornady .30-06 hunting rounds, with red polymer tips and 180 grains each.

Su Wei grabbed two boxes and stuffed them into the large pocket of his down jacket.

He then pulled out a long, black cloth bag.

That's a Zeiss 4x fixed-focus lens.

Although not as expensive as the sights on Blake's gun, a 4x scope was sufficient for this U-shaped valley he had visited before.

Clear field of vision and quick capture.

Even in close encounters, they can react quickly.

Click.

Insert the scope into the guide rail and tighten the fixing screws.

Suwei pulled the bolt and checked the firing pin.

everything is normal.

He turned and rushed out of the cabin, closing the door behind him.

The cold wind blew back into the collar.

He jumped into the passenger seat and placed the heavy rifle across his knees.

"Fifty-eight seconds."

Blake glanced at the gun on Suwei's knee, but didn't comment on its quality; he simply shifted gears again.

"Not bad, not as slow as a girl."

The vehicle shook again and sped toward the entrance to the U-shaped valley two kilometers away.

The closer you get to the U-shaped valley, the more complex the terrain becomes.

The gentle snowfield has disappeared.

Instead, there are towering black rocks and spruce forests that have survived the blizzards.

Da da da da—

A rapid flapping sound came from overhead.

Su Wei looked up and saw a helicopter painted with police markings hovering at low altitude through the windshield.

The huge beam of searchlight, like a white sword, cuts back and forth through the deep valley.

That's a law enforcement helicopter from the Fish and Game Bureau.

But it seems they don't dare to fly too low.

Faced with a large-caliber rifle, that thin-skinned helicopter would be a sitting duck in the air.

At low altitudes, it's not impossible for them to be hit.

"Sizzle—"

The car radio started ringing again.

"Blake! It's Charlie! Have you arrived yet?"

The voice was filled with exasperation, and the background noise was nothing but the cacophony of electrical current and the deafening wind noise.

Blake picked up the microphone.

"At the mouth of the valley. Are those your birds flying around in the sky?"

"Don't even mention it! That bastard's a lunatic!"

Charlie roared on the radio.

"He's shooting birds! He's using a .338 rifle to shoot at our helicopter! The pilot is afraid to land, and the thermal imaging is being interfered with by the trees, so we can only see the approximate location!"

"and----"

Charlie paused for a moment, followed by a loud banging on the table.

"He fired again. Just now."

"The fourth one. It's a young male deer."

Su Wei's knuckles suddenly bulged as he held the gun.

Those Roosevelt deer.

That was the first glimmer of hope he saw on this island.

That ethnic group that, even burdened with enormous debt, was determined to protect.

Now, in the poacher's scope, it has become a target for shooting practice.

It wasn't even about the money.

The antlers had already fallen off by this point, rendering the mother deer and fawn worthless.

This is a massacre.

Purely a massacre to satisfy desires.

"Our team has already entered to conduct the encirclement. If you need to go in, stay in touch. I will provide you with information!"

"understood."

Blake's voice was completely flat, eerily calm.

He cut off the communications.

The tracked vehicle suddenly slowed down and slid into a dense thicket of bushes.

This is a blind spot.

There are rocks overhead and trees in front for cover.

"get off."

Blake turned off the engine and removed the key.

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

The only sounds were the distant buzz of helicopters and the whistling of the wind through the treetops.

Su Wei pushed open the door and got out of the car.

He pulled a bullet out of his pocket.

The brass cartridge case was ice-cold.

Pressing the spring.

One, two, three, four.

The magazine is full.

Load the bullet into the chamber.

The final, crisp click of the lock was exceptionally clear in the snowy night.

Blake is already preparing his gear.

He put on a white snow camouflage robe, making him almost blend into the snow.

"Put this on."

Blake threw something black at him.

Su Wei caught it.

It's the headgear for the MK-3 thermal imager.

"The forest at the bottom of the valley is too dense; the helicopter can't see him, and he can't see the helicopter either."

"But he can hear us."

Blake pointed to his ear, then to Suvy's feet.

"There are dead branches under the snow here. Stepping on them will trigger an alarm."

"If you don't want to die, follow in my footsteps."

Su Wei nodded.

He put on the thermal imaging camera.

The world instantly turned into black and white.

The surrounding trees were a cool, black color, while the engine cover of the tracked vehicle, which had just been turned off, was a dazzling bright white.

And Blake.

In thermal imaging, the old hunter appears as a clearly defined humanoid heat source.

"He's hunting deer."

Blake raised his gun, pointing it diagonally at the ground, and leaned forward slightly, like a wolf ready to pounce.

"Then we'll hunt him down."

"Remember, this is Kodiak. Not his backyard."

Blake took the first step.

Silently.

Suwei took a deep breath, inhaling the cold air to cool his boiling blood slightly.

He gripped the Browning in his hand, followed the footprint, and went after it.

In front.

That U-shaped valley is like a gaping maw, waiting for its prey.