vstars Chapter 372 Obtaining Snow Leopard Fur
Chapter 372 Obtaining Snow Leopard Fur
Li Ju'an aimed his shot at three inches below the snow leopard's head.
Snow leopard pelts are extremely valuable. Because snow leopards are rare, their pelts command the second highest price per unit on the market, only surpassed by large pelts. However, snow leopard pelts are large and can be crafted into high-end fur coats, making them highly sought after by merchants in southern China.
As the year draws to a close, more and more merchants from the south are coming and going, and prices have risen considerably compared to last year. If he were to go to the city and find a fur merchant, he could sell this snow leopard pelt for over 800 yuan after some haggling.
If you can sell it for a good price, you naturally can't damage the fur.
As the gunshot rang out, the snow leopard rolled on the pile of rocks, blood gushing from the back of its head. After rolling a couple more times, it stopped moving.
Upon hearing the gunshot, the hunting dogs instinctively rushed forward to tear at the target. Black Panther and White Egg were the most ferocious; the gunshot was like a starting pistol to them. But Big Tiger was much more cautious.
Li Ju'an called out to Da Hu, who immediately understood and led his pack of dogs to bark loudly. Black Panther and White Egg, who were about to rush out, were stopped by the bark of the lead dog.
A well-trained hunting dog will charge at the sound of gunfire. But if the prey has stopped moving, the dog will stop biting if the owner gives a command beforehand, knowing that the owner wants the prey intact.
Hunting dogs often confuse these two commands, and when given a command, they subconsciously remember that they should stop biting when they hear a gunshot—that's what it means to be poorly trained. Tiger is very clever; the lead dog obeys commands, making his pack of dogs more disciplined.
Li Ju'an patted Da Hu's head and praised, "Well done!"
He strode over, leaving Black Panther and White Egg aside, and examined the snow leopard's carcass.
Snow leopards are different from other wild animals in that they are timid.
If he encountered a black bear, a bear, or a wild boar, he would definitely fire another shot. These three creatures are fearless, can feign death, and when they get aggressive, they can turn the tables on the hunter. Many hunters have suffered greatly at the hands of these three wild beasts.
But snow leopards are more like tigers. Normally, snow leopards are timid and avoid hunters, only daring to harass livestock and not harming humans. Only when a snow leopard is extremely hungry near a production team has it been known to attack local members. Precisely because snow leopards are rare and timid, hunters rarely encounter them.
In addition, snow leopards roam the cliffs of the Gobi Desert year-round, making it impossible for hunters to hunt them with dogs. Only hunters who train falcons are capable of dealing with snow leopards. Therefore, snow leopard fur is extremely valuable, often out of stock, and has a high price but no market.
Li Ju'an laughed and scolded, "That woman Qin Shuang has always dreamed of owning a snow leopard fur coat. Now it's not going to fall into my hands."
Upon seeing the snow leopard pelt, he was determined to hunt it down, partly for the sake of Mrs. Qin, the owner of the Hong Kong auction house. In his previous life, he had a past with Qin Shuang, working for her for a while, and later, as a business partner, he had helped her travel all over the country to acquire goods.
The fur that Qin Shuang wanted was extremely rare and highly sought after. He had searched every mountain market and asked countless hunters, but to no avail. Now that he had a snow leopard pelt in his hands, Qin Shuang would surely be delighted. Then, he could finally set up a connection with Qin Shuang.
The quarry in the barley field needs investors, and it would be best if we could persuade Qin Shuang to invest.
Li Ju'an straightened the snow leopard, cut it open, and pulled out all the lanterns.
As is customary, the foul-smelling large and small intestines were lumped together, and he looked up and found a high branch to hang them on. The pungent smell of the intestinal fluid was overwhelming, almost making him gag.
He cursed and summoned two eagles.
Two eagles perched on his right arm, tentatively trying to sniff the intestines on the branch, but were scolded by Li Ju'an, who then tossed him the snow leopard's lungs and heart.
The falcon made a great contribution to the hunt and deserves a substantial reward.
As soon as the two falcons caught a whiff of the bloody leopard lungs and heart lying on the ground, they excitedly flapped their wings, flew over, and began scrambling to devour them.
The golden eagle on horseback was still hanging upside down, bound and unable to move, clearly resentful, but it could still smell the enticing scent of its prey's blood. Especially since the golden eagle recognized its nemesis, the snow leopard. The sight of such a fallen enemy before it was incredibly alluring.
The golden eagle, wanting to share the food but unable to get any, became furious and struggled violently on the horse's back, losing a lot of its feathers in a disheveled state.
Li Ju'an glanced at the golden eagle and cursed, "Go back and try to cook it yourself, or make soup. If you can cook it and get to work, you'll get your share of the snow leopard meat later."
After he finished speaking, in front of the golden eagle, he cut off a large piece of plum blossom meat from the back of the snow leopard's neck and threw it to the two falcons.
The falcons smelled the delicious aroma of meat and excitedly devoured it, tilting their heads back to swallow the chunks whole.
The golden eagle, its dark eyes gleaming, stared intently. It tilted its head, seemingly deep in thought, then grew even more agitated, its cry becoming louder and more forceful, a powerful and resonant call that surprised even Li Ju'an. This golden eagle was temperamental and wildly untamed; taking it back to train would be incredibly difficult, and he'd rather it die than eat a single bite.
He recalled what Zhao Pao from Yingtun had told him: "If you can't raise a young eagle to fly, it won't work. Can you raise a free-range chicken? If you can't raise an adult eagle, it won't work either. They're temperamental. They might starve to death, or they'll die of anger. Either way, they'll die. It's all a waste of effort. So you have to find a sub-adult eagle, the kind that has just learned to fly. They can be raised to adulthood."
The expert words spoken by the falconers of Yingtun are all based on the experience of generations of falconers. There's no precedent for training adult eagles to be used as hunting eagles; they can't be raised to adulthood. Therefore, no one in the trade would attempt it. Moreover, capturing an adult eagle alive is almost impossible; it's usually shot down with a single shot.
The golden eagle smelled the delicious aroma but couldn't eat it, so it angrily let out another loud cry.
Li Ju'an tugged at the golden eagle's rope, patted it, and shouted, "What's the rush? I'll give you a good beating when we get back. Once you're done, I'll call you to work."
He gave the snow leopard's lungs to the lead dog, Tiger, and threw the belly, spleen, other internal organs, and blood on the ground, then helped the dogs swarm around and devour them.
Taking advantage of the time he had, he used a knife to peel the snow leopard's skin, starting from its head. Slowly, he peeled off the whole snow leopard skin, leaving behind bits of meat and fat.
After peeling off the entire snow leopard skin, he held it up in the light of the setting sun and looked at the sunset through the skin.
The snow leopard's fur was beautiful, with an excellent feel, especially the belly fur, which was so soft that it could swirl if you blew on it. Bathed in the setting sun, the entire pelt, with its white and yellow stripes and spots, caught his eye.
beautiful.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the distance, alerting Li Ju'an.
Snow leopard meat doesn't taste good, and my husband's snow leopard meat is fishy, smelly, and tough. After cutting off the hind leg, he put the rest of the meat into urea bags, hung them on the horse's back, and used them as food for the falcons and hunting dogs on the way back.