Chapter 22: Unexpectedly Caught a Yellow Leaf
Using a Hunting Eagle to hunt small game is not like going deep into the mountains for large animals; it's just wandering on the mountains near the village. There's almost no significant risk, so Xiao Tao's parents didn't object to their child following Yue Feng out.
Soon, Xiao Tao tied his leggings and slung a bag over his shoulder, following Yue Feng out the door.
Actually, last night after Xiao Tao saw the Sand Grouse and Flying Dragon that Yue Feng caught on the mountain, he mentioned to his Dad that he wanted to follow Yue Feng up the mountain to release the Hunting Eagle, but Li Wentong shut him down.
Old Li's idea was simple: the two families are neighbors, seeing each other all the time. If they intended to take you, you wouldn't need to push yourself forward and ask.
Hunting small game with a Hunting Eagle doesn't require many people; more people wouldn't help much. Shamelessly tagging along would only mean sharing other people's gains.
If you ask, they might find it hard to refuse, which could easily hurt the relationship between the two families.
Even though the two families have a good relationship, you shouldn't do something that's purely taking advantage.
But when Yue Feng came over early in the morning and actively invited him, that was another matter entirely. Old Li knew without asking that behind this, it was likely Yue Lei's instruction.
"Brother, where are we going to release the Hunting Eagle today?" Xiao Tao, having stepped outside, was very excited.
Hunting is human nature. Which boy growing up in the village doesn't like Hunting Eagles?
But besides the Yue Family's inherited skill, none of the adults in the surrounding villages truly understood the technique of Falconry.
In Xiao Tao's ordinary value system, let alone following along and getting a share of the spoils, even just following along for fun without taking anything would be thrilling. After the autumn harvest, there wasn't much work at home, and being idle was just doing nothing.
Yue Feng held the Hunting Eagle and pointed in one direction, saying, "Let's go to the small forest by the River first, then climb the gentle slope from Jiazi Gully. I brought our lunch; we'll stay on the mountain all day and come back before dark in the evening!"
"Okay, what will I be responsible for?"
"You... you'll be responsible for carrying the prey, and assisting me when needed!"
"Alright!"
...
After a simple communication, the two brothers walked out of the village side by side. The first stop was the small forest they didn't visit yesterday.
The small forest by the River is definitely a treasure trove; it has water, woods, and bushes, making it very suitable for small birds like Sand Grouse to activity.
The day before yesterday, when Yue Feng circled around here releasing his Hunting Eagle, the active flocks of chickens were quite scared. After taking a day off yesterday, they should have a good harvest today.
Yue Feng walked and observed, and even from a distance, he had already discovered traces of Sand Grouse activity.
"You stand still there!"
As soon as Yue Feng spotted the prey, he immediately gave instructions to Xiao Tao, then turned sideways, held the Hunting Eagle, and slowly approached.
When they got about twenty meters away, the warning call of a sentry rooster came from the Sand Grouse flock, and the individuals in the flock scattered in a flurry, flying up.
Yue Feng immediately and decisively released the Hunting Eagle. The Da Qing Yao, which had been quite obedient, shot towards the flock like a black sword.
A few days ago, when it was still tethered, the Da Qing Yao could perform difficult maneuvers like flipping over and grabbing prey in the air. Not to mention now, with only two short straps on its legs, eating bloody food every day, it was well-fed and strong.
Chasing for less than twenty meters, the Da Qing Yao easily caught a young Sand Grouse.
It was the Da Qing Yao's signature move: one claw gripping the head, the other claw pinching the wing root of the young chicken, then aggressively plucking feathers and eating meat.
Yue Feng watched as the Hunting Eagle began plucking and eating, then waved to Xiao Tao, who hadn't moved behind him.
When Xiao Tao walked closer, his eyes were wide open, still reeling from the huge impact.
After a long time, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap! This little Hunting Eagle is too damn awesome! Just releasing it so easily, and then it immediately caught a Sand Grouse??"
Yue Feng pursed his lips and smiled, "Otherwise?"
"This... if prey is so easy to catch, wouldn't you catch a whole sackful in a day?"
"Hunting Eagles also get tired, and besides, these birds aren't stupid; after being caught a few times, they become warier! A few days ago when I came here, the Sand Grouse wouldn't fly even if I got within ten meters! Look just now, they flew away at the slightest movement!"
"Anyway, I think our little Hunting Eagle didn't have any trouble catching that Sand Grouse just now!"
"That's right, this Northern Goshawk is not an ordinary Hunting Eagle. Ordinary Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) are smaller and not as efficient at catching young chickens!"
While they were talking, the Northern Goshawk had almost finished plucking the feathers from the Sand Grouse's forehead and neck. Tearing the skin and pulling, blood immediately gushed out. With its hooked beak, it could rip off a piece of meat with one bite.
Yue Feng allowed the Northern Goshawk to eat a few bites of the bloody food, then skillfully used his glove to cover the prey and remounted the Hunting Eagle.
"Wipe off the blood and put it in your bag!" Yue Feng used his body to block the Hunting Eagle's view, held the prey in his left hand, and handed it to Xiao Tao beside him.
"Got it!"
Having an assistant for Falconry is indeed much more convenient than operating alone. Yue Feng only needed to block the little Hunting Eagle's vision; the rest was handled by Xiao Tao.
In less than a minute, everything was packed up, Yue Feng remounted the Hunting Eagle, and the two brothers continued forward.
Near the small forest by the River, there are hundreds of large and small bush piles. The Sand Grouse flock that was scared away just now didn't go far; they just circled around and hid under a different bush.
Through his observations over the past few days, Yue Feng found that there were at least a dozen large and small flocks of Sand Grouse active here, with a total number exceeding one hundred. They had only caught a few so far, so theoretically, there was still great potential to be tapped.
Walking another hundred meters or less, the little Hunting Eagle quickly spotted prey again, its head bobbing as it strained towards the bushes. Yue Feng focused and observed for a while, only hearing rustling sounds under the bushes but not seeing the prey.
The little Hunting Eagle struggled to strike, and Yue Feng decisively released it.
The advantage of releasing a Hunting Eagle without a tether is here. Without the restraint of a rope, even if the terrain is a bit complex and you can't see the prey's exact location, it doesn't matter.
Even if the Hunting Eagle misses and lands on a tree, as long as its flight is correct, its belly is empty, and the falconer gives a command with meat, the Hunting Eagle will fly back on its own.
The Hunting Eagle struck out, its ground-hugging flight path flashing by. The Da Qing Yao flew near the bushes, came to a sudden stop mid-air, and like a diver, plunged into a gap in the bushes.
The next second, squeaking sounds came from the bushes.
Hearing the squeaking sound, Yue Feng's heart sank. Not good!
"Quickly, the Hunting Eagle caught a Yellow Leaf!!"
As expected, Yue Feng strode quickly to where the Hunting Eagle landed and saw the Da Qing Yao holding the Weasel's head with both claws, the Hunting Eagle and the beast struggling wildly on the ground.
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