boyutpedia Chapter 67 Hunting Bears: Don't Be Greedy!
Chapter 67 Hunting Bears: Don't Be Greedy!
As apex predators in the jungle, black bears are practically the rulers of this area. Normally, wolves wouldn't dare target them. But now, with heavy snow blocking the mountains, both black bears and wolves desperately need to replenish their food supplies.
Although Yuan Linghan wasn't sure whether the black bear had provoked the wolf pack or the wolf pack had hunted the black bear, he was caught in the middle of this wolf-bear battle and felt he had to lend a hand. After all, he also needed to replenish his food supply.
Having confirmed that the black bear, which was surrounded by wolves but had the upper hand, was male, Yuan Linghan felt more at ease hunting it. If it were a female bear, he might worry about whether it had cubs. Hunting a female bear with cubs would make him feel guilty.
Knowing the coyotes wouldn't last long, Yuan Linghan, determined to take down the black bear, adjusted his breathing, drew his heavy arrow, and nocked it. Just as Yuan Linghan stood up, instantly alerting the wolves and the black bear, he swiftly released an arrow.
The heavy arrow arrived in an instant, its sharp tip piercing the black bear's massive body. As the arrow pierced the flesh, the black bear let out a fierce roar and a mournful howl. The sudden turn of events terrified the coyotes, who were already at a disadvantage in the fight, causing them to flee in panic.
Conversely, the black bear, wounded by a heavy arrow, charged towards Yuan Linghan with unwavering ferocity. Standing atop the slope, Yuan Linghan remained remarkably calm, declaring, "If one arrow doesn't kill it, I'll shoot a few more. I refuse to believe I can't bring it down!"
Without any hesitation, Yuan Linghan aimed at the charging black bear and fired a second, third, and fourth heavy arrow. With the fourth arrow, the black bear struck the head precisely, and the charging bear finally collapsed.
Seeing the black bear crash heavily into the snowdrift, Yuan Linghan, still holding the fifth heavy arrow in his hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he knew that the black bear, having taken four heavy arrows, was nearing the end of its life.
But Yuan Linghan knew that getting close to the black bear now would likely mean enduring its fatal blow. He preferred to wait a few more minutes, let the bear bleed more, and then get closer for an examination and dissection.
Although the black bear fell less than twenty meters away, Yuan Linghan learned from this hunt that black bears have a much higher survival rate than prey such as gray wolves and wild goats. The latter could die instantly from a single fatal blow.
The black bear before them had taken four heavy blows. If not for the arrow to its forehead, the bear, having launched its desperate charge, might have staged a remarkable comeback. If all else failed, it might have dragged Yuan Linghan down with it before it died.
While observing the rise and fall of the black bear's belly, Yuan Linghan also vigilantly watched his surroundings. The black bear, which had been ambushed earlier, suddenly went berserk, scaring away the coyotes. But from his vantage point, he could clearly see that the wolves hadn't gone far.
For a wolf pack desperately needing food at this moment, sometimes hunger can truly overcome fear!
"The entire wolf pack is reduced to only the old, weak, and sick. Don't force me to go on a killing spree!"
With a sigh of indignation, Yuan Linghan, after confirming that the black bear had breathed its last and its chest had stopped rising and falling, put away its bow and arrows, gripped its hunting knife, and slowly approached the bear. Observing a black bear up close for the first time, he felt that it truly was a mountain of flesh.
Unexpectedly, after approaching the black bear, Yuan Linghan, as usual, stabbed it in the neck. As a large amount of blood gushed out, he immediately performed surgery on the black bear and removed its gallbladder.
Looking at the golden gallbladder, Yuan Linghan smiled and said, "This is a good thing, worth keeping for now. If we don't collect the gallbladder immediately, all the bile inside will be lost if we try to remove it later."
After giving a brief explanation, Yuan Linghan didn't rush to dissect the black bear. Instead, he cleared a snow pit not far from the bear. After shoveling away the snow to expose the frozen ground, he quickly gathered some dry firewood and started a campfire.
For the carnivores lurking nearby, a campfire is more effective than a bow and arrow in instilling fear. Once the campfire was lit, Yuan Linghan led the black bear to a makeshift snow platform and began skinning it.
What amazed countless viewers later on was that Yuan Linghan, using only a hunting knife, completely skinned the 400-pound black bear in a very short time. Moreover, the skin was almost entirely devoid of any excess flesh.
This clearly demonstrates that Yuan Linghan's skinning skills far surpass those of the other contestants. Even some professional hunters would find it difficult to do so in such a short time, and to skin the animal so cleanly and completely.
After skinning the wolves, Yuan Linghan didn't dare to stop for a moment. He looked around and found that the coyotes hadn't been scared away, but they didn't dare to approach either. It seemed that the campfire next to Yuan Linghan was instilling fear in them.
After a moment's thought, Yuan Linghan removed the black bear's internal organs, keeping only the heart. He then cut up the other organs and threw them forcefully into an open area at the bottom of the slope. This could be considered his compensation to the wolf pack.
At first, the wolves that were guarding nearby and unwilling to leave did not understand Yuan Linghan's intentions. Until one of the injured coyotes looked up warily at Yuan Linghan from time to time, but slowly approached the pile of entrails thrown on the snow.
As the coyote began to gnaw on the entrails, occasionally letting out low growls, other coyotes who had been watching also rushed over. This pack of hungry coyotes finally dared to gnaw on the black bear's entrails.
In contrast, Yuan Linghan, who was not far from the wolf pack, swiftly removed the black bear's claws and threw them into the peeled and spread-out bear skin. He then began to dismantle what he considered to be the most valuable parts of the black bear.
For example, the kneecap of a black bear, also known as "bo len gai" in folk medicine, is said to be effective in treating rheumatism when soaked in alcohol. Secondly, the reproductive organs of this male black bear were also skillfully cut off by Yuan Linghan and thrown into the bear skin.
Although he really wanted to carry the whole bear he had hunted back to the camp and store it, Yuan Linghan felt that even with his strength, he shouldn't be too greedy when facing a group of hungry and eager beasts.
After cutting off the fattest piece of meat from the belly, Yuan Linghan took some lean meat from the black bear. Finally, feigning reluctance, he said, "Although I really want to take all the meat back, reason tells me I can't do that."
The coyotes below were drawn to the entrails I threw out, but I could sense predators rapidly gathering in the nearby jungle. If I didn't leave quickly, I fear I wouldn't be able to take anything with me.
After giving a brief explanation to the camera, Yuan Linghan used the bear skin he had peeled off to wrap nearly a hundred pounds of meat and bones he had cut off, kicked over the snow piled up next to the campfire, extinguished the burning fire, and then turned and left.
Upon arriving at the location where the skis were stored, Yuan Linghan glanced at the spot where he had previously hunted the black bear and indeed saw several figures looming in the distance. He could even clearly see at least two large lynxes among them.
"The recent snowfalls and continued drop in temperature have plunged the wild animals that inhabit these mountains into a food shortage. At this time, these animals become even more ferocious and aggressive. So, I'd better leave quickly!"
The remaining hundreds of pounds of bear meat were scattered throughout the jungle to distract the wild animals, allowing Yuan Linghan to escape easily. Even if any wild animals followed, he had ways to deal with them.
The key is to avoid being attacked by a large number of carnivores!
Carrying over a hundred pounds of meat, even with skis, one's speed naturally suffers when traversing the snowy jungle. Fortunately, Yuan Linghan was in good physical condition and eventually returned to camp unharmed.
The wild beasts that had initially been following him dared not approach any further once they saw Yuan Linghan enter the area enclosed by towering ice walls. Their instincts told them that continuing to follow would likely mean certain death!