HUN Chapter 47: Tracking Prey

Besides the buoyancy device, Lin Yu'an also prepared for possibly spending the night on the island.

"The situation on that small island is completely unknown. I'm not sure if I can return smoothly today, so some necessary overnight equipment must be brought."

"No matter what, fire starter cannot leave my side. Tinder and magnesium rod must be brought. If I'm trapped on the island, my survival chances will greatly increase."

He also checked whether the bear spray could be used normally, and slung the newly made hand saw along with the bow and arrow quiver on his body with nylon rope.

After tense but orderly preparations, Lin Yu'an put on his rain pants again and came to the lakeside. He shouldered the canoe and walked toward the shore closest in straight-line distance to the small island.

He pushed the Pioneer into the icy lake water once more, then nimbly jumped onto the small boat, shouting loudly, "Let's do this! Fuck!"

He picked up the two simple paddles made from spruce wood and paddled vigorously against the wind and waves toward that small island!

The Pioneer rose and fell with difficulty in the waves. Each time a wave crest approached, the small boat would make strained creaking sounds, but fortunately it was still quite sturdy.

Lin Yu'an gritted his teeth tightly, his arm muscles tensed, using all his strength to control the rhythm and direction of paddling.

The icy lake water was constantly whipped up by the wind, turning into fine droplets that struck his face and body.

But he had no time to care about this. All his attention was focused on fighting the wind and waves and controlling the direction toward the small island.

"The current situation is even worse than I expected!"

"The crosswind is very strong, constantly pushing my boat sideways! I must constantly correct direction, otherwise it's easy to deviate from the target!"

Lin Yu'an's voice sounded somewhat intermittent in the howling wind as he struggled to adjust the canoe's direction.

He could clearly feel that the canoe's bow would be lifted high each time it faced a wave crest, then slap down heavily, splashing large amounts of water.

Lin Yu'an's heart tightened. "No good! Must speed up!"

He no longer spared his strength. The frequency of his arm movements suddenly increased, each stroke deep and powerful, trying to rush through this perilous water area in the shortest time possible.

His gaze was locked deadly on the small island ahead in the wind and waves, positioning it as his sprint target!

This short 200-meter water route now seemed incredibly long.

Finally, after nearly ten minutes of arduous struggle, when shallow water had accumulated in the boat cabin, Lin Yu'an finally managed to paddle the canoe stumblingly to the shore of the small island.

He chose a sheltered shallow beach covered with pebbles and low shrubs to land.

When his feet touched solid ground again, he almost collapsed exhaustedly to the ground, gasping heavily.

"Huff huff... finally... made it!"

Lin Yu'an wiped the water droplets from his face and said to the camera, "This was absolutely the most thrilling boat ride of my life!"

He found several large rocks to prop under the gunwale, then forcefully flipped the canoe over so its bottom faced up.

He also used the nylon rope he brought to securely tie the bow and stern to two thick tree trunks, ensuring it wouldn't be blown away by strong winds.

After doing all this, Lin Yu'an finally truly relaxed. Then he leaned against a tree trunk, recovering his strength.

Soon after, he stood up and reorganized his equipment, especially adjusting the bow and arrows to the most convenient position, and double-checked the safety status of the bear spray.

"Now I'm going to start searching for traces of that deer on this island."

"But you know what, although this island has dense trees, if the river freezes over in winter, the area around this island would be a good ice fishing spot."

"And this small island doesn't look particularly large in area, but the vegetation is very dense and the terrain has some undulation. After that deer came onto the island, it would likely find a secluded place to rest or continue foraging."

He first came to the shallow beach nearest in straight-line distance to where he had discovered the footprints earlier, and began searching carefully.

Soon he discovered that familiar string of hoofprints again! They clearly extended from the water's edge toward the center of the island.

"Excellent! It indeed came ashore from here!" Lin Yu'an's spirits lifted!

Following the hoofprints, he began exploring toward the island's interior. The environment on the island was more primitive and complex than he had expected.

Tall coniferous trees intertwined with dense shrubs, forming natural barriers.

The ground was covered with thick fallen leaves and humus. Many places also grew slippery moss and low ferns, requiring extra care when walking.

Lin Yu'an carefully pushed aside obstructing branches and leaves while lowering his voice to narrate to the camera.

"Tracking in this kind of environment is extremely difficult. I must not only constantly watch for hoofprints on the ground, but also pay attention to any traces that might be left on the surrounding vegetation."

"For example, broken twigs, chewed leaves, or even fur stuck on tree trunks."

His gaze sharply scanned every detail, his steps light and rhythmic, avoiding making any unnecessary sounds as much as possible.

After tracking for about a hundred meters, the hoofprints began to become less clear.

The hard rocks and thick needle-leaf layer on the ground made it difficult for hoofprints to leave complete traces.

"When encountering this situation, I need to observe the 'road signs' more carefully."

Lin Yu'an crouched down, pointing to a broken low shrub branch with a still-fresh break.

"This branch was broken upward, and the break has tearing marks. This is usually caused when deer brush against it with their body or antlers while passing through."

He also pointed to the bark of a nearby small tree, which had several inconspicuous parallel light-colored scratches.

"And here, this might have been left when it was scratching an itch or marking territory. These traces can tell us the general direction of the prey's movement and some behavioral habits."

The tracking process was full of hardship and uncertainty. Lin Yu'an needed to maintain high concentration at all times. Any moment of relaxation could lead to losing the target.

Finally, he discovered the hoofprints seemed to lead toward a patch of dense Saskatoon berry shrubs, with some already somewhat wind-dried purple-black berries still scattered on the branches. They were food favored by many animals, including deer.

He carefully pushed aside the berry bushes that were taller than half a person and found the ground inside scattered with some remnants from feeding and several fresh deer droppings.

"It seems it had a feast here!" Lin Yu'an's eyes brightened.

This discovery greatly boosted his confidence. He knew his tracking direction was correct! And he was getting closer and closer to his target.

He continued following the clues provided by the chewed berry bushes and deer droppings, continuing to struggle through the dense forest.

Gradually the difficulty of tracking began to increase as the terrain became more complex, with many steep slopes and gullies filled with scattered rocks.

"The more difficult the environment, the more it tests a hunter's patience and skill. This was the first lesson I learned from old hunters in my life."

"Can't be impatient. When tracking, you must think like the prey, predict its thoughts, then analyze possible movements."

Lin Yu'an knew that when deer weren't frightened, they usually chose these relatively effortless paths to travel.

So he would also choose relatively spacious trails for tracking.

After nearly an hour of arduous tracking, Lin Yu'an had penetrated deep into the island's interior.

The forest here was more primitive, with air filled with a unique scent mixing spruce and cold air.

Just when he was beginning to feel somewhat tired from the double consumption of physical strength and mental energy, his "sixth sense" again sent a strong palpitation!

He suddenly stopped, his gaze looking toward a forest clearing not far ahead surrounded by several giant ancient spruces.

There seemed to be some unusual movement there!

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