Chapter 16: The Possibility of Using the Da Qing Yao to Catch Purple Sable
To drain the blood, He held the chicken's wings and thighs with both hands and slightly turned its body upside down, allowing the Da Qing Yao to tear at it.
This Da Qing Yao was also very smart. Since the chicken skin was thick and hard to tear in other places, It moved the feeding spot to near the bleeding carotid artery.
Chicken blood stained the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female)'s head and face, but Yue Feng didn't intervene, letting the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) continue tearing.
By the time the Da Qing Yao's crop was bulging high and It was completely full, Its entire chest, head, and face were also covered in bright red chicken blood. This bloody appearance, at first glance, was quite gruesome and terrifying!
After this battle, the Da Qing Yao was completely transformed. After eating its fill, It stood on Yue Feng's arm, Its two eagle legs supporting It vertically outwards at an angle. Its stance was wide, easily exceeding three fingers, and Its eagle eyes were full of killing intent.
Yue Feng held the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) and rested for a few more minutes, then, with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) on his right arm, He carried the wild chicken in his left hand and walked towards the foot of the mountain.
On this trip to the small Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) enclosure, Yue Feng brought back a total of 18 small chickens plus one large wild chicken. Although He didn't break his previous hunting record, Yue Feng was still very happy.
On the way down the mountain, Yue Feng carried the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) on his right arm, the wild chicken in his left hand, humming a little tune, feeling quite cheerful.
However, this relaxed mood only lasted for a while before being completely shattered.
On the main road at the head of the village, which was the only way back, at the small store's information hub, some old village women were gathered there again.
Otherwise, should He take a detour through the fields outside the village and go home via a small path?
Just as Yue Feng was feeling a bit hesitant, from a distance, He saw a woman with a large red flower on her head, waving at him continuously.
This woman, wearing a red flower, was surnamed Chen. She was a Chen Widow who lost her husband in her early thirties and never remarried. She particularly liked to gossip, talking about everyone's business. There wasn't a single stir in the village that she didn't know about. She was nicknamed 'Xing'an Village's Flower', and even the Secretary of the brigade gave way to her.
If Xing'an Village's information hub were to elect a director, Chen Widow would definitely be the one.
Well, since He'd been seen, taking a detour was pointless now.
Yue Feng gritted his teeth and walked over with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) on his arm.
"Second Young Master Yue, did you go up the mountain to release the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female)? And you caught a big rooster?"
"Yes, Aunt Chen! I was lucky, I picked up a wild chicken on the mountain! Are you all chatting here?"
"This little Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) is quite impressive, it can catch such a big wild chicken! Your parents are in for a treat today!"
"It's alright, Dad's leg isn't fully recovered yet, so I'll give him some extra nutrition! You all keep chatting, I'm heading back first!" Yue Feng exchanged a few pleasantries and hurried home.
After Yue Feng's back was far away, another woman in the crowd named Wang Meilan pursed her lips and said maliciously, "Using a small bird-catching Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to catch a wild chicken is just to fool you folks who don't know any better! I bet nine out of ten, this wild chicken was stolen from someone's trap on the mountain!
This Second Young Master Yue of the Yue Family seems polite, but deep down, He's a bad seed! Look at the blood on that bird-catching Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female)'s chest, isn't that like saying there are three hundred taels of silver buried here?"
Wang Meilan's family and Yue Feng's family had always been at odds. Her husband was named Liu Changfu, and He was in the same production team as Yue Feng's family. The two families had once gotten into a fight over a private vegetable patch. Yue Lei gave way, but the other party remained unreasonable, so Yue Lei, in a fit of temper, beat Liu Changfu and his son. It wasn't resolved until it reached the brigade.
Hearing Wang Meilan say this, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Although the Yue Family was a single household in the village with no close relatives, Yue Lei and Meng Yulan were both down-to-earth, hardworking, and friendly people. Their reputation among the villagers had always been quite good.
Li Yinhua, the owner of the small store, seeing the atmosphere was a bit off, interjected, "He didn't say the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) caught it, He said He picked it up on the mountain! There are also rules for setting traps on the mountain; mountain wealth cannot be enjoyed alone. Small mountain goods like wild chickens, whoever finds it, it belongs to them!"
Chen Widow also chimed in, "I've also heard of the rules for going up the mountain, and that's true. Second Young Master Yue is quite filial! It's just that going up the mountain alone with a small bird-catching Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female), it's hard to catch big game! He was probably just lucky today!
Let me tell you, Ma Laosan from Fang'an, now He's a real expert at mountain hunting. Last fall, He sent me a wild boar leg, and my daughter and I ate it for almost half a month!"
...
While the village head's information department was gossiping behind his back, Yue Feng had already returned home with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) on his arm.
Dad Yue Lei was currently moving around in the courtyard with a crutch. Seeing his son return, He immediately put down what He was doing and went to greet him.
"Dad, I'm back!"
"Oh, you even picked up such a big wild rooster?" Yue Lei's first reaction was also that the rooster was picked up.
Yue Feng grinned and shook his head, "This chicken wasn't picked up! The Saker Falcon was chasing a Sand Grouse, and a big rooster flew up nearby. It flew less than ten meters before it was taken down!
This Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) is brave, it grabbed the head with both claws. In the moment the chicken was slightly stunned, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) pecked out one of its eyes! I drained the chicken's blood right there and let the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) eat its fill!"
"This Saker Falcon dared to take on a big rooster? Then it's definitely worth training well!" Yue Lei knew his son didn't like to brag. Although He was a bit surprised after hearing it, He still believed his son's words.
Yue Feng nodded, "Yes, after the grass on the mountain dies down in a while, I'll take this Da Qing Yao to try catching Gray Dog! If It can catch Gray Dog steadily, after it snows, I can also follow tracks and try for Purple Sable!"
Gray Dog, which is a squirrel, is also quite numerous in the Red Pine Forest now. Their fur and meat are good things. As for Purple Sable, there's no need to mention it. The diao pi (sable fur), one of the three treasures of the Northeast, refers to it!
A complete, high-quality squirrel skin from autumn/winter is worth at least 8-10 yuan. For Purple Sable fur, a regular complete skin is at least twenty to thirty times more expensive, starting at around two to three hundred yuan. If it's a top-grade skin with excellent quality, the price will be even higher. If the market is good, it's possible to sell it for several hundred or even a thousand yuan.
This is a sought-after commodity for export, and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative has acquisition targets every year.
Hearing his son mention using an Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to catch Purple Sable, Yue Lei's eyes instantly lit up.
The more in-demand the fur-bearing mountain goods are, the higher the requirement for the perfection of the skin. In this regard, hawk hunting has a significant advantage.
Whether it's a slingshot, air gun, small caliber, or a shotgun loaded with sand bullets, the fur obtained will have obvious damage, and the skin quality will be reduced by at least one grade, unless you are a sharpshooter who can accurately hit the animal's head with every bullet.
Even if caught with traps or snares, there will be subtle damage to the neck and chest area. The skin quality will be half a grade lower.
The highest quality skins are obtained when the animal is killed by falling or drowned in water while still alive, and then skinned while warm.
Using an Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to catch squirrels or Purple Sable is not that simple. Squirrels are a bit easier. They are slightly smaller and not too fierce. As long as the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) is brave, the success rate is quite high.
However, Purple Sable is one size larger than squirrels and is a carnivorous animal belonging to the weasel family. Using an Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to catch them is much more difficult.
