King of the Wilderness

As he entered the forest’s edge, the light was immediately filtered dim by the tall spruce trees.

The air was filled with a unique scent of pine needles mixed with ice and snow.

The snow underfoot, too, was starkly different from the hard crust snow in the open areas by the river. Sheltered by the tree canopy, the snow here was fluffier and deeper.

He had to rely on snowshoes to avoid sinking with each step and wasting unnecessary energy.

Lin Yu’an did not blindly wander through the forest like a headless fly. His hunting plan began with deciphering this ”pale book” of the snow.

He first arrived at a previously marked, lower-lying depression, where dense willow and birch shrubs grew, an area Snowshoe Rabbits might come to forage.

Squatting down, he gently brushed away the surface snow with his gloved fingers, starting a carpet-like search. His eyes carefully searched the snow for any traces of life.

Soon, he found a string of footprints, but Lin Yu’an’s brow furrowed slightly.

The edges of these footprints were blurred, the contours worn smooth by the breeze and sublimation, with a thin layer of ice crystals inside the snow pit that shattered with a light touch; traces from at least two days ago, long losing their tracking value.

Lin Yu’an was not discouraged, systematically expanding his search range instead.

However, during the following half hour, he found either a series of small jumping footprints left by a red squirrel or snow pits created by broken tree branches blown down by the wind.

He also found some black, pill-like pellets scattered on the snow—Snowshoe Rabbit droppings.

He lightly stirred them with a twig, finding them dry and hard, the shell frosted at low temperatures, crumbling at a touch.

Evidently, these were from a few days ago, further confirming his judgment that this dining area had been abandoned.

Lin Yu’an whispered to himself, ”Looks like they have changed dining areas. Animals periodically change foraging spots for safety and sustainability to avoid leaving too much scent in one place, attracting predators.”

He adjusted his direction toward a slightly elevated slope that received more afternoon sunlight, where the snow would be thinner, and the tender branches and bark of plants more likely to be exposed.

After a long trek and search, his spirits finally lifted!

Under a huge spruce tree, he discovered a row of clear, plum blossom-like footprints, the snow edges sharp, even revealing the fine texture of fur left by the paws, obviously fresh.

He did not immediately proceed along the trail but squatted down to ”read” it first. The hind footprints, ”large and long,” landed ahead of the fore footprints, ”small and round,” typical traces left by Snowshoe Rabbits when hopping.

Snowshoe Rabbits have large feet, with strides between footprints over a meter, indicating it was in a rapid movement state, possibly sprinting toward a foraging area, rather than leisurely foraging.

This discovery was crucial, indicating he was on a ”commuting route,” not a random activity spot.

Lin Yu’an cautiously advanced along this precious trail, constantly mindful of the surroundings, aware that other predators, especially lynxes, might also utilize these ready-made animal paths.

Because Labrador is one of the most important habitats for lynxes in Canada, with many lynxes frequenting the area.

Soon, Lin Yu’an traversed through a dense forest, where the tracks became more concentrated, with multiple parallel imprints appearing on the ground.

Finally, he halted before a snow-covered but noticeably wider ”corridor,” the sight relaxing his tense nerves.

This ”corridor” was filled with repeated, well-trodden footprints, the snow underneath sunken, forming a clear groove about thirty centimeters wide.

In some places, the snow even became smooth and hard because of repeated trampling and frozen urine, showing a faint yellowish tinge.

Here, evidently, was the highway for all nearby Snowshoe Rabbits commuting between new foraging areas and habitats, a perfect ”rabbit path.”

”Finally found it!”

Lin Yu’an took out the lasso traps made of annealed steel wire and wooden components from his backpack.

He did not step directly onto the rabbit path, instead wearing gloves and walking along a parallel route beside it for dozens of meters, carefully surveying the terrain.

He proceeded very slowly in this process, avoiding brushing any branches, leaving no scent foreign to the forest.

What he sought was not just the ”bottleneck” a rabbit must pass through, but also a perfect location naturally providing the conditions of a ”power source,” ”trigger mechanism,” and ”fixed structure.”

On the hard frozen ground, any attempt to dig or add extra objects would leave unnatural scents and traces, enough to alert any cautious rabbit.

Therefore, he had to make the trap look as much a part of the forest as possible.

Soon, Lin Yu’an selected the first spot.

Here was a huge fallen deadwood laid horizontally, and the rabbit path happened to pass through a naturally formed low tree hole beneath it. To seek cover, rabbits would almost certainly choose this passage.

Beside the tree hole entrance was a wrist-thick, straight sapling pine reaching for sunlight, along with a drooping, sturdy branch from the deadwood.