American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 37 Clay's Hunt of the Deer
The third episode advances the timeline to around the 16th to 25th day of the contestants' survival in the wilderness.

After the initial adaptation and the initial construction of the shelter, the acquisition and storage of food became the most critical issue facing all participants.

During the show, several experienced contestants began to demonstrate their true hunting skills.

Some caught more snowshoe hares and pike with cleverly designed traps, while others caught sizable pike in the stream.

During this period, the footage of Lin Yu-an mainly focused on how he used homemade artificial lures to perform fly fishing.

And successfully used a "feint" strategy to hunt down two plump spruce grouse.

And how to build a kiln, fire ceramic bricks, and finally stack them into a small ceramic brick stove.

Furthermore, thanks to his special sixth sense, he was able to earn an average of two fish a day, which met the program's requirements.

His performance in this episode has further solidified his status as one of the "champion candidates".

However, the biggest surprise of the third episode came from another contestant – Clay Jenkins.

Clay, a tough guy in his early forties from Montana.

His resume states that he was a reconnaissance soldier in the U.S. Marine Corps and became a professional certified hunting guide and wilderness survival instructor after retiring.

He was tall and strong, with sharp eyes, and exuded a calm and fierce aura as if he had been through many battles.

In the first two episodes of the show, his performance was steady but not particularly outstanding. He mostly focused on building shelters and setting up large hunting traps.

The turning point came on the 22nd day after Clay arrived in the wilderness.

In the footage, Clay is seen lurking behind a dense thicket of bushes, his hunting bow already fully drawn, the arrow pointing directly at a black-tailed deer leisurely munching on tender leaves not far away.

That was a sub-adult black-tailed deer weighing about 60 kilograms, a coveted source of protein and fat for any competitor!
Clay displayed exceptional hunter qualities, patiently waiting for the perfect moment, remaining motionless like a rock blending into its environment.

When the black-tailed deer slightly turned its body, exposing its fatal ribs—

"Whoosh!"

The wooden arrow, with a sharp whistling sound, struck the black-tailed deer's body with pinpoint accuracy, like a black lightning bolt!

The black-tailed deer let out a short, mournful cry and ran into the bushes, but soon staggered and collapsed due to excessive blood loss.

Clay followed the trail of blood for several hundred meters, and when he found that his prey was dead, his weathered face wore a complex expression.

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke into the camera: "Oh God! I did it! A black-tailed deer! This is so important!"

“You know I’ve hunted many prey in my life. If it were a fish, I wouldn’t feel this way.”

"This successful deer hunt was mixed with a lot of emotions. Now I can get at least 25 kilograms of pure meat! Food is no longer a source of stress for me!"

He was almost crying with joy. The tension that had been building up because of the food was completely released at that moment!
The following footage shows in detail how Clay skillfully skins and butchers the venison.

Large pieces of venison were then hoisted high on tree branches about four meters above the ground with ropes to prevent them from being stolen by bears or other scavengers.

This scene undoubtedly brought a huge visual impact and psychological shock to all the viewers.

Clay's successful hunt of the blacktail deer instantly ignited a heated discussion among North American audiences.

"Clay is too strong! This is a true hunter! He deserves everything!"

"A 60-kilogram black-tailed deer! With that much meat, it can be declared the champion right away!"

"No wonder he's from the Marine Corps; his mental fortitude and professional skills are top-notch!"

"That Chinese kid is still playing in the mud and shooting chicks, while Clay is already eating a venison feast. The difference is too obvious!"

"Although Lin is very interesting, he is probably still a bit lacking when it comes to this kind of hard power."

On social media, Clay's name and "Blacktail Deer" quickly became trending topics, with praise and accolades flooding the internet.

Many believe that Clay's successful hunt has put him far ahead of all other competitors, securing his ultimate victory.

When the third episode was released on Bilibili, domestic viewers were just cheering for Lin Yu-an's lucky shot of the first grouse, but were also shocked by the scene of Clay hunting the black-tailed deer.

The comments and bullet screen were immediately filled with concern for Lin Yu'an.

Holy crap! This Klay is insane! He took down a deer in one go?!

[This amount of meat... Ango is feeling the pressure! Two grouse are definitely not enough compared to a deer!]

[See, karma's finally caught up with him! What good is a good shelter if food is the only thing that matters!] [My heart aches for Ange; he was just starting to see some improvement when such a formidable opponent appeared.]

[Hopefully, Brother An will master archery soon and bring back a big one!]

Although Lin Yu-an received food every day, he also demonstrated his unique skills.

However, compared to Clay's achievement of hunting a black-tailed deer, it is slightly inferior in terms of visual impact and actual food reserves.

Viewers began to worry for Lin Yu-an, wondering if he could maintain his advantage in the upcoming competition.

The show's editing cleverly contrasted Clay's successful hunt with Lin Yu-an's archery practice and handling of small prey.

This created a tense atmosphere of being surrounded by powerful enemies, further stimulating audience discussion and anticipation for the subsequent plot.

At the end of the third episode, another contestant was eliminated.

A female contestant named Catherine withdrew from the competition on the 24th day after failing to obtain food for several consecutive days.

In the footage, Catherine sits at the entrance of the cold shelter, a yellow satellite phone resting on her lap, her finger hesitating for a long time over the SOS button.

Finally, she took a deep breath, her eyes filled with resentment and disappointment, and pressed the button.

As the roar of the rescue helicopter's rotors grew louder as the program crew approached.

Catherine stood there waiting, looking at the cameras pointed at her by the production crew.

Her cheeks were sunken from hunger and exhaustion, and her lips were chapped, but her eyes remained clear.

"Hey...hello everyone..."

Her voice was filled with endless exhaustion as she forced a smile, but her eyes uncontrollably reddened.

"I think my journey of living alone in the wilderness may have to come to an end."

"I...I tried my best, really."

She looked up, tears blurring her vision, her voice filled with grievance and helplessness.

"I've gone five days without eating anything decent. My traps have yielded nothing, and my fishing trips have been fruitless."

“I’ve tried everything I know, but… this land doesn’t seem to be looking out for me.”

After a long while, she gradually calmed down, wiped away her tears, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.

"This wilderness... it is so powerful that it taught me humility and awe."

After saying that, she silently walked towards the rescuers who came to meet her.

Her departing figure appeared somewhat desolate, yet also carried a sense of relief.

Catherine's withdrawal speech was full of genuine emotion and revealed the real difficulties faced by many participants in extreme environments.

Her tears and resentment resonated with viewers, highlighting once again the cruelty and allure of the show "Living Alone in the Wilderness."

This is also what the production team wanted to film: humanity. What would humanity be like in the wilderness?

So far, after three episodes, four contestants have already been eliminated.

At this moment, Lin Yu'an was unaware that Clay had made such a significant breakthrough in the distance.

Unbeknownst to many viewers, he was already seen as a "challenger" whom they needed to catch up with.

Bilibili viewers are even more eager to see if this "infrastructure maniac" from China can also complete an amazing hunt of large prey.

The airing of the third episode undoubtedly added more suspense and highlights to the subsequent development of "Living Alone in the Wild: Grizzly Mountain".

An invisible contest has quietly begun between Lin Yu-an and Klay.

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(The beginning is finally revised! It's 1.2 words shorter now.)
(Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!)

(Current ranking: 4th on the Urban New Book Chart, 17th on the Overall New Book Chart.)
(Thank you for your support!)
(Image of Clay hunting deer, manually blurred.)
Today I want to thank [Naughty Old Cow] for the 10,000 Qidian Coins donation!
This is truly the first time in my life I've received such a large donation.

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(End of this chapter)