HUN Chapter 134: Battle Spoils and Aerial Pickup

When the first streak of gray-white morning light shone into the cave entrance, the long and tense night finally passed.

The campfire had died out, leaving only a pile of still-warm ashes.

"Dawn's breaking."

Old George was the first to stand, walking to the cave entrance and carefully observing the surroundings to confirm there were no signs of the wolf pack returning.

"Alright, stop resting. Time to get to work, guys."

He turned to Stan and Lin Yu'an, who had also barely slept through the night, “We need to process them properly, then head back."

Stan yawned and stretched vigorously, his bones crackling with a series of pops.

"Honestly, I'd rather fight them again than do this job now. This stuff's meat isn't even edible, complete waste of effort."

Though he complained verbally, he still efficiently pulled tools from his backpack.

Old George said calmly, “The law allows us not to take wolf meat because they're predators, and their meat has risk of trichinella infection."

"But that doesn't mean we can discard them carelessly. Look, when we hunt this ram, we must take every edible piece of meat, that's respect for herbivores."

"When we kill these wolves, law requires us to properly remove their pelts and skulls for sealing, that's respect for predators and recognition of their value."

The three wolf carcasses were dragged to the cave entrance where light was sufficient.

The beasts that had seemed ferocious and terrifying in last night's darkness now showed a regrettable beauty in the morning light.

Old George took out his satellite phone from the waterproof bag, powered it on, and found a position with relatively stable signal.

He dialed Alaska State Troopers' assistance hotline and was quickly connected.

"Good morning, this is George Barnes, my hunting license number is XXXXX. I need to report a DLP incident."

"Coordinates located in the XXXX area of XXXX mountain range, approximate position is... We were attacked by a wolf pack at our campsite last night. In self-defense, we killed three wolves."

"All three of us are uninjured, repeat, all uninjured. Over."

The operator on the other end was obviously accustomed to such reports. After recording key information, they calmly replied, “Received, Mr. Barnes. Are you currently safe?"

"Safe for now, but we need to leave this area as soon as possible."

"Understood. According to regulations, you have the right to retain pelts and skulls, but must report to the nearest Fish and Game office for sealing within 30 days. Are you familiar with this process?"

"Very familiar."

"Good. Please retain scene photos and prepare a detailed written report explaining the incident. Safe travels home. Over."

The call was brief and efficient. Old George hung up and said to Lin Yu'an and Stan, “Alright, we're legal now. Let's get to work."

He assigned the largest alpha wolf to Lin Yu'an for processing, while he and Stan handled the other two.

"Kid, wolf pelt is the most valuable thing on its body, don't tear it." Old George instructed while working.

"Like the one you killed with 00 buckshot, the wolf fur has no value anymore, let Stan handle it roughly."

"For these two, we can use the 'tube skinning method', this technique preserves the beautiful belly fur, making it fetch high prices in the fur market."

"Start the cut at one hind leg's ankle, slice up along the leg's inner side, all the way to the anus."

"Right, like that. Then handle the other leg, cutting to the same point, forming a V-shape. Don't cut any further!"

Stan added from the side, “Watch out for its scent glands."

"At the tail base, there are two, don't rupture them, or that smell will make you vomit up yesterday's hot pot, and it'll stick to your hands forever."

Old George pointed to the wolf's body, “Right, careful with the scent glands. Now start pulling the skin down like taking off pants."

"Use your fists and fingers to separate skin from flesh. Only use the knife where fascia sticks tight. Take it slow, keep the pelt intact."

Lin Yu'an imitated Old George's movements to skin the wolf.

He discovered wolf pelts were much tougher than sheep or deer hides, with less subcutaneous fat, and skin adhered extremely tightly to muscle. Separating each inch required enormous patience.

When reaching the front legs, Old George reminded, “Don't cut at the chest! Push the legs out from inside, pull it down like removing sleeves!"

The skinning process was extremely time-consuming. They needed to carefully separate the entire pelt from muscle and fascia.

Especially when finally processing the head and paws, it required even more patience and precision.

Over two hours later, when three tube-shaped wolf pelts like fuzzy "hoodies" were turned inside-out and laid flat on rocks.

Stan looked at the three wolf skeletons stripped clean and smiled wryly, “Sometimes I really can't tell if we're hunters or butchers."

Old George wiped his hands with moss and calmly replied, “We're scavengers. We clear out any animals disrupting wilderness balance, and we salvage the valuable parts from their bodies."

"The rest goes back to this land, that's balance. Lin, always remember, we never take more than necessary."

When they finally organized everything, those three heavy, preliminarily processed wolf pelts joined the mutton in their already overburdened backpacks.

Shouldering their packs again and setting out on the return journey, everyone felt like their shoulders were about to break.

On the way back, Lin Yu'an reflected on everything that had happened these past few days. He had processed his first Dall sheep, learned detailed information about the Boone and Crockett Club.

He had also hunted and processed his first wolf in Alaska! Most importantly, he had gained two comrades with whom he'd shared life-and-death experiences!

This hunting trip could truly be called a complete success.

After another day of arduous trekking, they finally walked out of that designated wilderness area where no motorized vehicles were allowed.

They reached the gravel riverbank suitable for bush plane landing.

"Alright, this is far enough. If we go any further, these old legs of mine will give out."

Old George finally set down his backpack, plopped down on the ground, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Stan was equally exhausted. Looking at the still endless mountain path ahead, he smiled wryly, “If we really had to carry this stuff back to town on foot, I swear the three of us would lose half our lives on the road."

Lin Yu'an nodded. Though his stamina was abundant, he too felt the fatigue.

Old George took out his satellite phone from his backpack, found a position with relatively open signal, and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The call was quickly answered, and pilot Hank's hearty voice came through, “Hey, George! You guys finally decided to come out of the mountains? How was it, did you fulfill your dream?"

"Dream fulfilled, Hank." Old George's face also broke into a smile.

"And the harvest far exceeded expectations. We need air support now, are you available?"

"Of course! My 'air pickup' is at your service anytime!" Hank's voice was full of excitement.

"Send me your coordinates, I'll see if there are suitable riverbanks or ridges nearby for landing. In one hour, listen for sounds from the sky!"

After hanging up, Old George sent the GPS coordinates via text message.

The tense exhaustion on Old George's face finally eased, replaced by relieved relaxation.

"Sometimes I have to admit, modern technology really is a good thing." Stan said with a laugh.

They didn't go far, just found a sheltered spot nearby and began organizing their harvest.

The massive pair of horns were carefully wrapped in sleeping bags to prevent damage during transport. Mutton and wolf pelts were also repacked and arranged neatly for easy loading.

Less than an hour later, a familiar "buzzing" sound approached from far away, breaking the mountain valley's tranquility.

A red-and-white Cessna 206 aircraft, like a powerful eagle, appeared from behind the mountain ridge, wings tilting slightly in salute.

Hank was obviously the king of this airspace. He performed a beautiful low-altitude circle, carefully surveying a relatively straight and open gravel riverbank below.

Then with a textbook-perfect short-distance landing, he stopped steadily less than a hundred meters from them.

When the propeller stopped spinning and Hank jumped down from the cockpit, he immediately spotted those massive horns, partially wrapped but still showing their outline.

"My God!"

He whistled loudly and strode forward, giving Old George a bear hug.

"George! You really did it! These are absolutely the most beautiful horns I've ever seen!"

When his gaze fell on the three massive wolf pelts, his expression changed from excitement to shock, “Three wolves? Did you guys raid a wolf den?"

Stan proudly beat his chest and vividly retold that heart-stopping battle.

Hank listened in amazement, finally looking at Lin Yu'an with eyes full of indescribable admiration.

With Hank's help, they methodically loaded all the heavy equipment and trophies into the Cessna 206's spacious cabin and belly cargo hold.

The 460-plus kilograms of weight was completely manageable for this aircraft known as the "air pickup truck."

When the three men sat in the cabin and fastened their seatbelts, Hank restarted the engine.

The plane taxied a short distance on the rough riverbank before lightly lifting its nose and soaring into the blue sky.

From the air, looking down at those treacherous mountain ranges, rushing rivers, and endless tundra they had just traversed on foot, everything became a magnificent panorama beneath them.

Lin Yu'an looked at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, his heart filled with emotion.

This was the real Alaska, measuring its dangers with your own feet, then appreciating its magnificence with wings.

The plane landed directly on Wiseman's simple airstrip.

[NEXT CHAPTER]