American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 70 Master of the Kun-Taming Technique
"Alright, after 2.5 hours of practice, it's time to go out and stretch our legs."

Lin Yu'an put on all his warmest clothes, put on his newly made beaver fur hat, and folded down and tied the ear flaps on both sides.

"Our primary objective today is to inspect the newly installed lasso traps. With so much snow, I wonder if they'll still be working properly."

He gripped the newly made long pole lasso in one hand and then stepped into the white world covered with thick snow.

The forest was unusually quiet after the snowfall; all sounds seemed to be absorbed by the soft snow.

Lin Yu'an walked toward the bushes where he had previously discovered the "rabbit trail," each step quite strenuous.

Soon, he arrived at the location of the first trap, and the scene before him made him frown slightly.

The trap he had carefully disguised was now completely covered by thick snow, and not a trace of it could be seen.

He used a stick to dig through the snow, revealing the trap device underneath, which was frozen stiff.

The lasso remained in its original shape and failed to trap any prey.

He checked several other traps, but they were all in similar condition, rendered ineffective by the heavy snow, and he found nothing.

There were also several traps whose locations could not be determined because they were covered by heavy snow, which annoyed Lin Yu'an.

He did not get discouraged, but patiently cleared and removed each trap, preparing to set up a new rabbit trail once he found one.

After finding nothing from the ground traps, Lin Yu-an did not immediately return to the shelter.

His gaze began to fall on the low spruce and birch trees around him, which were covered with snow.

"If the targets on the ground aren't working, I'll turn my attention to the sky—or rather, to the trees."

“For woodland birds like grouse, foraging on the ground becomes very difficult in this kind of snowy weather.”

"They will likely fly up to the branches and peck at the exposed twigs or needles. And that gave me the perfect opportunity."

He began to walk slowly through the woods, his eyes no longer fixed solely on the ground.

Instead, he carefully scanned each tree, believing that there might be grouse roosting among them.

He was looking for spruce or pine trees that were relatively low and not too densely branched, so that he could extend his long poles.

Spruce grouse like to find food and shelter in these coniferous trees.

At the edge of a relatively sparse spruce forest, he suddenly stopped, his sixth sense kicking in! He had keenly spotted a target!
About fifteen meters in front of him, on a horizontal branch of a medium-sized spruce tree, a few meters above the ground.

A grayish-brown figure, similar in color to the tree trunk, stood there quietly!

That was a spruce grouse! It was stretching its neck, pecking at the tender buds on the branches, completely unaware of the danger below.

"Target appears."

Lin Yu'an carefully held the long pole lasso in his hand forward, preparing to begin his first practical attempt.

Instead of approaching from the front, he used the tree trunk as cover, circled around in a small arc, and moved to the grouse's side and rear.

He began to extend the long pole in his hand upwards and forwards very slowly.

The four-meter-long spruce pole was as steady as a rock in his hands, and the small steel wire loop at the top was almost completely invisible against the gray-white sky background.

The pole tip slowly, inch by inch, approached the unsuspecting grouse.

Three meters... two meters... one meter...

The top of the long pole had already passed over the branch where the grouse was located and reached above it.

Lin Yu'an adjusted the angle of his wrist, allowing the open lasso to slowly and precisely descend towards the grouse's head and neck.

Just as the lasso was about to touch the grouse's fluffy neck feathers, the grouse, seemingly having finished eating the tender buds on the branch, slightly turned its neck.

It's now!

Lin Yu'an's eyes narrowed suddenly, and he pulled with incredible speed and force!
"Coo? -- Coo coo!"

The spruce grouse only had time to let out a short, panicked cry before it felt a sudden tightening around its neck!
The grouse struggled violently, its wings flapping wildly, creating a mist of snow among the branches, but the tough steel noose tightened more and more, rendering all its struggles futile.

He rushed forward and ended its suffering in the quickest way possible.

"Success! Success on the first real-world test!" Lin Yu'an held the rather heavy grouse up to the camera, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement!
He tied the precious grouse to his waist and continued searching in the snowy forest, hoping for another "close encounter" with his prey.

Perhaps the success of the first attempt had exhausted his good luck for the day, because for the next hour or so, Lin Yu'an did not find a second suitable target.

He wasn't greedy and was already very satisfied with what he had gained that day.

He glanced at the increasingly gloomy weather and decided to return to the shelter ahead of schedule.

Back in the warm and sturdy stone house, it was time for Lin Yu'an to enjoy a delicious meal.

"Guys, for dinner tonight, I'm planning to make a simple and straightforward hearty dish—wilderness-style stir-fried grouse with venison!"

He began by skillfully processing the grouse. Instead of painstakingly plucking the feathers as he had done with "Beggar's Chicken" before, he opted for a more direct and stir-fry-friendly method—skinning.

Use the tip of a knife to make an incision in the grouse's breast, then carefully peel off the entire feathered skin along the fascia layer between the skin and flesh.

He didn't throw away the small piece of chicken skin either, intending to keep it for other uses.

After removing the skin, the pink chicken meat underneath is exposed, and the process of cutting it up begins with a woodcutter's axe.

"Stir-frying requires precise control of heat and uniform size of ingredients."

"You need to cut all the meat into appropriately sized pieces, about the size of my thumb joint. This makes it easier to cook through and also helps it absorb the flavors."

The logging axe came in handy again, and he cut all the chicken legs, wings, and breasts into evenly sized pieces.

Take a few wild onion bulbs, smash them with your palm, and then roughly chop them into small pieces.

Next, add the chopped onions and a suitable amount of salt to the earthenware bowl containing the chicken pieces.

Mix thoroughly with your hands, ensuring each piece of chicken is coated with the aroma of salt and onions, and marinate simply.

With everything ready, he placed the stainless steel pot on the stove's burner.

He specially prepared many small branches and dry firewood to meet the needs of a strong fire.

The deer fat melted rapidly under high temperatures and quickly became scalding hot, releasing a rich, oily aroma that spread intensely throughout the stone house.

"When stir-frying meat, the oil temperature must be high!"

Lin Yu'an continued to add a lot of dry firewood to the firebox, and the fire quickly grew bigger.

Grab the bowl of marinated grouse pieces and pour them all into the boiling oil without hesitation!
"Sizzle—!!!!!"

The moment the chicken pieces came into contact with the hot oil, they made a sound like firecrackers!
A large amount of water vapor instantly evaporated, forming thick white steam, mixed with the rich aroma of venison and the fresh aroma of chicken!
Lin Yu'an used a wooden spoon to quickly stir and toss the food in the stainless steel pot.

Each piece of chicken is tossed in the scalding hot venison, its color changing from pink to an enticing golden brown.

The chopped wild onions, released into the hot oil, released an exquisite aroma that blended perfectly with the venison and chicken, effectively removing any fishy smell and enhancing the flavor.

The entire stir-frying process took only a few minutes. After adding some salt, the stainless steel pot was taken off the heat.

The golden-brown chicken pieces were coated with a few caramelized onion bits and a layer of glistening venison fat, making them look incredibly appetizing.

Lin Yu'an picked up a piece of chicken leg meat, brought it to his mouth, and took a big bite!

Immediately afterwards, a scalding hot and rich aroma of meat exploded in my mouth!

Unlike the smooth and tender texture of boiled fish and the bouncy texture of fish balls, this stir-fried chicken nugget offers a meaty and impactful experience.

The chicken inside, thanks to the high heat and quick stir-frying, retains its moisture, becoming extremely firm and elastic.

With each chew, you can feel the muscle fibers, making it more and more delicious the more you chew.

"Guys, this...this is what you call eating delicious food! Not just protein for survival!"

He devoured the grouse in no time.

Outside, the land was frozen and bitterly cold, but inside, there was a warm fire and piping hot meat.

Lin Yu'an felt much more at ease and relaxed after eating a delicious stir-fried chicken.

(End of this chapter)