Chapter 32: Boldness
Yue Feng pointed to the obviously different pattern on the abdomen of this Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) and said, "Look at this pattern. Everywhere else it's vertical, but here it's horizontal! This is where the juvenile down accidentally fell off and new adult feathers grew back!
Look at the tail feathers again, two of them are also darker! These are also adult feathers that replaced the fallen down!
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) back then, having just left the nest for a few months at most, couldn't have molted naturally! It was 100% due to external interference, causing the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to lose feathers and regrow adult feathers!
Think about it, when does a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) accidentally lose feathers?" Yue Feng looked at the three and asked.
Xiao Wen, who hadn't spoken, guessed with uncertainty in his tone, "Could it be injured while hunting?"
Yue Feng nodded: "Yes! It was slightly injured while fighting with prey during hunting!
If it were other parts that molted, it wouldn't be certain, but with injuries to the abdomen and tail feathers, we can infer that the prey this Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) caught was definitely a big one! While fighting with the prey, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) abdominal feathers and tail were accidentally damaged!"
As if to verify Yue Feng's guess, Yue Feng soon found new details on the third side claw of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) left foot.
The side claw on the Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) left foot had an old injury and no talon.
Talons are weapons formed from ossification, with a curved tip, slightly thin edges, and a groove on the inner side, shaped like a blood groove on a dagger. When magnified, it looks like an alien dagger growing on a finger.
A Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) foot has four toes: three in the front and one in the back. Starting from the shortest toe on one side, they are called the thumb claw, middle finger, side claw, and back claw respectively.
The thumb claw is like a human's thumb, the shortest but the thickest and strongest. The talon on the thumb claw is also the longest. A large part of the damage a Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) foot inflicts on prey is due to the talon on the thumb claw.
The middle finger is the longest, with moderate strength, which can expand the Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) grip range.
The side claw is like a human's pinky finger, with the least strength and the shortest talon tip.
The back claw is as important as the thumb claw and is the second strongest toe in a Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) foot.
Now, the side claw on this Eurasian Sparrowhawk's (Female) left foot has no talon, which indirectly confirms Yue Feng's previous judgment that this Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) had tackled something big before.
"Tackling something big doesn't necessarily mean outstanding strength, right?" Xiao Tao continued to ask.
Yue Feng nodded: "That's true, being bold doesn't mean being strong.
A Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) that is strong enough won't have any injuries.
As the saying goes, a good fighter achieves victory without famous exploits!
For example, this Northern Goshawk has no injuries at all! Even the last time it handled a pheasant and a Weasel, it wasn't injured!
However, other skills can be trained later, but boldness is innate and hard to come by. This is its preciousness!
The most excellent Hunting Eagle is both bold and smart enough to handle tasks, ensuring it can subdue prey without getting injured!
We'll keep this Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) too! The net will be left here, and the trap cage will be taken away with the lure. I'll come back early tomorrow! If we're lucky, we should be able to catch all the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) early tomorrow!"
"Okay!"
With the plan made, Yue Feng took today's spoils and went down the mountain home with everyone.
One Zi Yao and one Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female). The two Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) were handed over to Dad Yue Lei. Grandpa was at home, handling one in each hand, flattening them. Staggering the time this way could actually improve efficiency.
Since his son was doing important things, his father naturally supported him 100% unconditionally.
That night, Yue Lei lit an oil lamp and started flattening the two Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female). During this time, except for untying the hood to let the birds 'Strip' (Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) defecating, which sprays out and leaves a white streak on the ground, hence it's called 'Strip'!), he didn't slack off at all. He stayed up until past eleven-thirty at night before going to bed to rest.
Early the next morning, as soon as the chickens crowed, Yue Feng and Yue Lei, the father and son, both got up. Yue Lei, leaning on his cane, went to the yard to 'gaze at the sky' while flattening the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female). Yue Feng, on the other hand, took the trap cage from the storage room and went out to the small woods where the net was set to place the lure in the riding cage net.
It must be said, the morning is indeed the golden time for raptors to forage. Yue Feng wandered around the River foot of the mountain until past eight o'clock to check the nets. All three net pieces had catches.
An old, red-eyed Sparrowhawk (adult male Sparrowhawk) and two ordinary yellowish Mahaozi.
The old Sparrowhawk was small and could only catch prey the size of Sparrows, magpies, or quails. It wasn't the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) species Yue Feng was targeting, plus its eyes were red, indicating it was at least an old Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) of five or six years or older. Yue Feng decisively released it.
The remaining two Mahaozi were average in appearance, with no significant advantages but also no obvious flaws.
By now, the five main Hunting Eagle of the Yue Family Hunting Team were all in place. Including Li Shu, there was one Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) for each of the five people.
Yue Feng packed up the riding cage net used for catching Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female), then took the two newly caught Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) and returned home.
Once the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) were home, there were specific ways to arrange them. If it were just one Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female), Yue Feng could just casually tie it to the back of a chair when sleeping.
But with five Sparrowhawk and one Autumn Flower Pinecone at home, so many Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) together, he couldn't be careless.
Raptors can also fight each other, and Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) sometimes struggle after being tied up. They couldn't just be tied to a single horizontal bar haphazardly. So Yue Feng specifically dug holes and buried two vertical and one horizontal Pinecone stakes outside the main house window in the sunny spot in the yard.
The two vertical stakes were buried and fixed. The horizontal piece had its original Pinecone bark. Below the wood, a curtain made of sackcloth was hung, completely filling the space below.
If a tied-up Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) struggled, it might hang below and be unable to get back onto the bar. This sackcloth could ensure the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) didn't spin on the bar and accidentally 'hang' itself. Its claws could also use the sackcloth for leverage to get back onto the bar and stand properly.
Over the next few days, the Yue Family became busy.
Dad Yue Lei and Li Wentong were responsible for handling these wild Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) together. Yue Feng, meanwhile, took the main combat Northern Goshawk up the mountain every day. The other three junior apprentices went up the mountain with Yue Feng to flush out game. On average, they caught about ten or so pieces of prey each day. After deducting some prey to feed the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female), the rest were taken to the city every two days to continue supplying Niu Fusheng.
Five days later, the condition of the four newly caught Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) was adjusted to optimal by Yue Feng and his father.
Once the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) were spirited, Yue Feng directly tied the Sand Grouse caught on the mountain the previous day to an open space under a tree outside the yard to create opportunities for the new Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to successfully hunt.
After the new Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) had rolled over the artificially tied prey a few times, the step of becoming an adult Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) was completed. They only needed to be put into real combat for a few days after being 'strung up'. Once the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) were flying smoothly, the Falconry work would be considered temporarily concluded.
The entire process of training the new Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) lasted eight days, and the last new Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) was also trained to standard by Yue Feng.
The four new Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) were assigned to Xiao Tao, Xiao Wen, and others who had graduated from Yue Feng's practical training on the mountain. Thus, the five members of the Hunting Eagle team officially began their path of releasing Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) to earn money.
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