Catch the Mountain 1985

Chapter 57 Rounding up the Roe Deer Group

Zhao Laowen saw that the snow nests were gradually taking shape, and then looked back at the progress of other snow nests. He nodded with satisfaction, and then told Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming to go to an area without snow and pull out some stray grass branches and put them on the ground. The bed below the snow nest serves as a kang.

When Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming returned to the place with a large bundle of branches, they could not find the snow nest they had dug, and Zhao Laowen had also disappeared.

While the two were hesitating, they saw other gunners pushing a square piece of snow over and stuffing it into the hole they had made in the snow nest.Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming suddenly realized that Zhao Laowen had blocked the entrance to their snow nest...

When it got dark, Zhao Laowen and the gunners set up a fire in front of the snow nest, boiled water, heated dry food, and roasted the meat they had brought.After Zhao Laowen drank the "small roast" and finished the barbecue, he chatted with the gunners for a while.Finally, Zhao Laowen put out the fire with snow, and after carefully checking the ventilation holes in each snow nest, he took Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming into the snow nest.

The ground inside the snow nest is covered with branches, and the top is thickly padded with leaves and wild grass. The cooked roe deer skins brought from home are then spread on top. When you lie down on it, it feels very soft. It’s really like "sofa bed".Zhao Laowen was wrapped in an old sheepskin coat, with a bearskin hat on his head, and felt boots on his feet. He put his hands into the leather jacket and started sleeping mode.Several people leaned together, and the fur coats they wore separated the cold snow wall from the cold snow wall. People did not feel cold in the cave.

It was extremely quiet in the mountains and forests of the Northeast, and even quieter in the snow nest. Zhao Laowen had already fallen asleep, and everyone gradually fell asleep with their heads on Lao Maogou...

Everyone got up very early the next day. Although it was not very cold at night, the temperature was not very high. The heat exhaled by lazing in the snow nest could easily melt the snow, so everyone got up early to light a fire, bake dry food, and drink some. After a short rest in the water, it’s time to get busy. Zhao Laowen will lead everyone to hunt a few silly roe deer as a good start and as food for the time on the mountain.

The crowd spread out to look for the roe deer's hoofprints. In a ravine about five miles away from the mountain pass, Liu Zhiyong was pleasantly surprised to find on an abrupt snowy ridge, the "footprints" made by many roe deer after walking on them.

Zhao Laowen heard the sound and walked over. Looking at the footpath, he estimated that the group of roe deer had not gone very far. He immediately directed everyone. After a while, with the roe deer road as the center, they staggered forward, backward, left and right, with a distance of two or three meters, and formed pits. Six "snow cellars" with a depth of more than [-] meters have been dug, and the entrances of the cellars have been covered with large pieces of hard snow.

Zhao Laowen ordered Wang Fugen and another gunner to lead a few hunting dogs and follow the "animal trail" with many roe deer footprints into the forest to look for the silly roe deer and prepare to drive them to the snow cellar.

Zhao Laowen had just finished smoking a pot of cigarettes when he heard the dogs in the woods to the east biting fiercely. Wang Fugen was also shouting "Ouch". The remaining people around the snow cellar were divided into two groups and quickly leaned over the shallow water on both sides. In the ditch, Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming followed Zhao Laowen on the right side.

At this moment, there was a noise in the forest to the east, and four or five brown roe deer ran out along the mountain with the white hair on their buttocks exploding.When they were about to reach the snow cellar, Zhao Laowen, Zhang Peng and others on both sides suddenly jumped up and shouted.

The few roe deer that were originally running for their lives in panic were frightened out of their wits by the sudden shouts of people. They fled along the "foot line" desperately, but accidentally fell into the snow cellar one by one...

The snow cellar sunk the roe deer's entire body into it.They struggled desperately inside, and even if their little hooves kicked to the edge of the snow cellar, they would be unable to get up in vain. In the end, they were left panting heavily.

Looking at the roe deer that had been captured, Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming looked at each other and sighed that they had caught five roe deer so easily. They had to admire Zhao Laowen's methods. The eyes of others looking at Zhao Laowen also changed. He was indeed the best in the village. The famous gunner is really a good man despite his reputation.After the helpless roe deer was tied up by the gunner, he was then dragged up. The process of hunting the roe deer in the snow cellar was over. It was already afternoon, and the sun was about to set. It was getting dark very quickly in the northeastern forest area.

Zhao Laowen ordered two gunners to clean up the roe deer, bleed the roe deer, remove the internal organs and feed it to the hunting dogs.Then he called everyone to go down the mountain, shouting loudly: "Follow Ma Liu, go to Xuewozi, otherwise you will have to walk at night under the pine trees when it gets dark."

Everyone responded with a roar, and then they took the dogs and carried the prey and walked down the mountain. By the time they reached the snow nest in front of them, it was already dark. Fortunately, everyone had returned safely. It was still quite dangerous in the forest area at night. .

There were no changes around Xuewozi, and there were no traces of large prey. This made everyone feel relieved. They lit a fire, then cut a large piece of meat from the roe deer, cut it into thick slices, put it on branches and grilled it. Got roe deer meat.

Everyone had eaten and drank enough. It was getting dark. They gathered around the fire and chatted. Of course, the main topic was today's hunting. It was really relaxing. They all shouted to continue tomorrow, but Zhao Laowen did not say anything. Looking at the hunting team with a smile.

"Have you ever thought that although we harvested five roe deer today, which is only enough for us to eat for the past few days, it is actually not enough for the nine of us to share. Moreover, we also spent a whole day tracking and hunting, and finally we got If we continue to get this meat, there will be no point in our going up the mountain this time.”

Seeing that everyone's discussion gradually subsided, Zhao Laowen also expressed his opinion appropriately. Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming certainly supported it with both hands. The little meat they had today was really not enough for them to come out for the winter siege this time.

"Uncle, let's all spread out tomorrow and search in one direction each. Once we find them, don't disturb them for now. Let's come back to discuss and then we can act together. This way, the chance will be higher. There may be traces discovered by multiple ways at the same time. This way our harvest can be doubled.”

Zhao Laowen nodded slightly after listening to what Zhang Peng said. This is also the right choice. It is basic for everyone to act in unison, but they must also be able to detect traces of prey.

"Well, Erxiao'er, you just said it very well. We need to find the prey first. Tomorrow we will work in pairs and I will work alone. We will find the traces of the prey in five directions. Don't disturb them easily. We will collect the information when we get back. Then act in unison and defeat each one, do you understand?"

"I understand, sir" everyone responded in unison.

When Zhang Peng and others returned to Xuewozi, Zhao Laowen told the two to pay attention to safety. Now is the time when wild wolves and meat-eating animals are hungry, so they must be cautious when encountering any clues. The first priority is to save their lives in the mountains. One person.

Zhang Peng and Zhao Chunming said yes again and again, knowing that Zhao Laowen cared about them and was afraid that it would be a pity for them to accidentally get lost in the mountains.

(End of this chapter)