HUN Chapter 31: Red Fox Cub

On the second day's morning, Lin Yu'an took the carefully prepared bait and headed to the locations where he had previously discovered signs of animal activity to reset his snare traps.

The locations he chose were mostly narrow animal paths through the forest or edges of shrub clusters, places where small animals were more likely to pass through.

"Today we're mainly setting up small ground snare traps, targeting animals the size of foxes and martens," he said.

He first cut several flexible branches, sharpened one end of each, and inserted them into the soil on one side of the pathway to serve as elastic support poles for securing the snares.

Then he took out a short length of tough steel wire and skillfully tied a small but sturdy slip knot with a diameter of about ten to fifteen centimeters.

"The size of the snare is crucial. Too large and small animals might pass right through, too small and they might not get caught. So the dimensions must be just right."

He tied the other end of the slip knot securely to the top of the elastic sapling, then carefully bent the sapling toward the ground, utilizing its natural spring force.

Using another small branch, he locked the bent branch in place with a simple trigger mechanism made from a small wooden stick.

Finally, about half a meter behind the snare, he carefully placed a small piece of grouse entrails bait that gave off a strong fishy smell.

"The position of the bait is also very important. It can't be too close, or the animal might eat the bait before triggering the trap."

"It can't be too far either, or it won't be attractive enough. This distance is just right so that when they try to approach, they'll dive right into my snare."

Using the same meticulous technique, Lin Yu'an set up similar snare traps at two other different locations.

He carefully camouflaged each trap, using surrounding fallen leaves, dead grass, and soil to blend them seamlessly with the environment, striving to keep them undetected by alert prey.

After completing the trap setup, he continued collecting more firewood for winter.

At noon, after simply eating some smoked beaver meat and roasted sunchokes, Lin Yu'an set off toward the areas where he had placed the traps.

He first came to the trap furthest from his shelter. The trap hadn't been triggered, and the bait was still there.

At the second trap location, the situation remained the same.

When he walked to the last one, relatively closer to his shelter and set in a passage through a shrub cluster, his sixth sense began to intensify strongly!

Sure enough, the branch serving as the elastic support pole was now springing upward in a taut position! The snare had also tightened and was swaying slightly!

"Got something!"

Lin Yu'an's spirits lifted immediately. He lightened his steps and carefully parted the shrub branches and leaves blocking his way.

He saw the snare tightly wrapped around the neck of a small furry creature! It was a small animal with reddish-brown fur and a fluffy large tail, not very big in size, looking only slightly larger than an adult house cat.

It was lying on the ground, making low whimpering sounds that were filled with terror and grievance yet sounded milky and childlike. Its four limbs were futilely scratching at the ground, trying to break free from its restraints.

But it was clever, not struggling violently, because it had discovered that the more violently it struggled, the tighter the snare would become. This was also why it hadn't been strangled to suffocation.

"It's a little fox!"

After careful identification, Lin Yu'an confirmed this was a red fox cub. Based on its size and fur color, it was probably only three or four months old.

The little fox also sensed Lin Yu'an's approach. It stopped whimpering, raised its head, and looked at him warily with a pair of dark, innocent big eyes that were misty with moisture. Its body trembled slightly from fear.

Lin Yu'an slowly crouched down, maintaining a certain distance from the little fox.

Although the snare was wrapped around its neck, because the young fox had struggled and caused the snare to shift slightly, it hadn't completely blocked the windpipe. It only restricted its movement without causing fatal harm.

"Don't be afraid, little guy." Lin Yu'an's tone unconsciously became somewhat gentle.

He observed the young fox carefully. It still looked very tender. Although its fur had already changed to reddish-brown, its face still showed obvious juvenile features, and there was a hint of cuteness in its eyes.

The joy Lin Yu'an originally felt from catching prey couldn't help but dissipate somewhat when he saw this young fox.

"What should I do about this?"

He showed a wry smile to the camera.

"Such a small fox, even during hunting season, probably hasn't reached the age where it can be legally hunted."

In Canada, there are strict regulations for protecting wildlife, and ignoring these regulations could bring unnecessary trouble.

"Forget it, little guy, you're very lucky. You ate my bait and can still get away unharmed. I still need to rescue you."

He shrugged at the camera, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.

He carefully approached the young fox while softly reassuring it, "Don't move, don't move. I won't hurt you. I'm just helping you get this untied."

The young fox seemed to sense he had no ill intentions. Although it remained tense, its struggling became less intense.

Lin Yu'an extended his gloved hand, gradually approaching the slip knot of the snare.

The moment his fingers were about to touch the knot, the little fox still nervously jerked backward and made low threatening sounds in its throat.

"Don't be afraid, it'll be over soon." Lin Yu'an grabbed the scruff of its neck with his other hand. After it calmed down a bit, he tried again.

This time he successfully pinched the slip knot of the snare with his fingers, then pulled hard. The rope loop that was tightly wrapped around the young fox's neck instantly loosened.

At the same time, he released the hand holding its scruff. The little fox that had gained its freedom suddenly leaped up from the ground, ran a somewhat unsteady distance, then surprisingly stopped and remained still.

The little fox cub turned around, tilted its head, and looked steadily at Lin Yu'an with those bright black eyes, as if trying to understand everything that had just happened.

Lin Yu'an also quietly looked at it, not making any threatening movements.

"Go on, little guy. Be more careful when you walk in the future. Wait until you're a bit bigger before diving into traps."

The little fox cub seemed to truly understand his words, or perhaps it was just confused by the absence of malice emanating from him.

It hesitated in place for a few seconds, its small nose gently sniffing the air, as if still savoring the aroma of the previous bait.

Then it took somewhat unsteady steps, turned around, and quickly darted into the dense shrubs, soon disappearing from sight.

Lin Yu'an watched the direction where the little fox disappeared, gently shook his head, and showed a complex smile on his face.

"Guys, looks like I've missed another prey."

"Although it's a bit regrettable, releasing such a little guy doesn't feel too bad."

"This trap location probably won't yield any results in the future. I'll need to find a new hunting spot."

After resetting all the traps, Lin Yu'an looked at the waves on the lake. A new plan formed in his mind, and he decided to start executing it tomorrow.

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