Chapter 541: Forest Farm, Hunting, Torreya grandis
It is a rare good day with an especially bright sunshine. Early in the morning, many people go out for a stroll and bask in the sun. Such good weather is a great time for shopping, not to mention that today is a holiday. I believe the clothing stores will be doing good business.
It didn't take too long to wait. Soon, Xiao Jinfeng drove over in a jeep, followed by a pickup truck.
Pickup trucks are good for carrying prey, so when you catch the prey, you can use the pickup truck to carry it back.
Seeing the car parked on the side of the road, Gao Mingcheng said to Gao Guobing: "Uncle, you take Brother Xiao's car, I will drive the pickup truck."
Gao Guobing nodded and said, "We'll pick up a few more people later, so just follow behind our car."
So the driver of the pickup truck jumped out and Gao Mingcheng took over to drive.
Gao Mingcheng had driven this pickup truck before and soon became familiar with it. He followed the jeep in front and picked up a few more people, one of whom was sitting in his car.
"Everyone here is here. We can go to the forest farm. There are a few people waiting there." Someone said.
The forest farm is quite far from the urban area and it takes more than 40 minutes to drive there. After arriving at the forest farm, the mountain road was difficult to drive on, so we parked the car at the foot of the mountain.
Gao Mingcheng had only been to this forest farm once in his previous life. Now that he was returning to the old place, he couldn't help but look around.
The forest farm is very large, and the main economic crops grown are fir, masson pine, oil-tea tree, tea tree, etc. The industries here include cutting rosin, picking tea seeds, making tea, and felling fir trees for sale.
Normally, we need to plant trees and protect forests.
It is already mid-November, and there is not much to do in the forest farm, so the workers there are entering their leisure time.
Going hunting with Gao Guobing and his companions were the top and second-in-command of the forest farm. They were most familiar with the forest farm and also raised a group of hunting dogs.
When Gao Mingcheng and his companions just arrived, the group of hunting dogs barked at them, and they looked quite ferocious.
However, this hunting dog was well-raised. At the owner's command, the barking gradually became lower and then disappeared.
"Director Chen, Director Gao, you are finally here, welcome, welcome." The person in charge of the forest farm came forward with a smile. He greeted Director Chen first, because Director Chen is the director of the Forestry Bureau, and the forest farm is a directly affiliated unit of the Forestry Bureau.
Gao Guobing's brother-in-law also came on this hunting operation. He also works in the Forestry Bureau and came with Director Chen.
When everyone arrived, there was no rush to greet each other at the foot of the mountain. Instead, they started climbing the mountain. As they walked, the person in charge of the forest farm introduced the situation of the forest farm to everyone.
The forest farm covers a large area, and naturally there are various wild animals breeding in it. There are also many wild fruit trees in the deep mountains. The fruits of these wild fruit trees are used to feed birds and beasts.
"There are a lot of hairy chestnuts in this mountain. They taste sweet and powdery. Unfortunately, hairy chestnuts are difficult to preserve. They are gone now. However, our forest farm still has a special species, that is Torreya grandis!"
When talking about Torreya grandis, the head of the forest farm is quite proud.
Torreya grandis is a rare and healthy dried fruit and woody oil tree species unique to China. It has high economic value in cultivation and good ecological landscape benefits. Torreya grandis nuts have the characteristics of thin and crisp shell, plump kernel, rich in oil, and fragrant smell.
Due to their scarcity and high nutritional value, Torreya nuts are very expensive.
Gao Mingcheng was not unfamiliar with Torreya grandis. After all, he had been wealthy in his previous life and had bought and eaten them many times. In addition, there was a large area of wild Torreya grandis trees in the neighboring county. In 2014, the county was even named the Hometown of Torreya grandis in China.
But this was the first time he knew that there were Torreya grandis trees in his county.
So he asked about the Torreya grandis trees in the forest farm, and then learned that although there were some in the forest farm, there were only three or five trees, and they were located very deep in the mountain. Due to the geographical location, it was not convenient for people to go into the mountains to pick them, and their number was small, so they could not form an industrial forest.
The group chatted as they walked into the mountains. Fortunately, most of the people who went into the mountains to hunt were in good physical condition and walked very fast along the way.
When passing by a large pine forest, Gao Mingcheng saw that the larger pine trees had their bark scraped off, bags hung, and oil roads opened. A lot of pine resin had been stored in the bags at the bottom.
The head of the forest farm said, "It's already November. This is the last batch of rosin this year. We can't harvest it anymore. We have to wait until April next year to start harvesting."
Everyone nodded. If the temperature was too low, it would affect the resin collection, and the pine trees also needed time to recuperate.
After passing through this pine forest, there is a fir forest. These trees look very neatly grown because most of them were planted artificially decades ago. Only when you go further inside will you see wild tree species.
When you reach the woods, the traces of wild animals will be much more obvious, because only here can you find enough food to eat.
After walking for more than an hour, the group finally reached the hunting range.
Next, they had to rely on hunting dogs to smell the wild boars. Everyone present was carrying a gun, some were pistols, some were shotguns. The people in charge of the forest farm were holding shotguns. They were used to staying in the forest farm and using shotguns.
As for Gao Mingcheng, he used a pistol.
He had originally decided to use a javelin, but the weather was bad in the past few days and he was too lazy to go back to the village to get it, so he used the gun that Gao Guobing arranged for him.
In fact, it’s better to use a pistol so as to avoid being unique.
Gao Mingcheng did not intend to show his true fighting strength to everyone, so when he hunted in Niuweiling, he was always alone without any helpers.
A group of hunting dogs were busy in the mountains and forests. Finally, they found the freshest smell, barked at the person in charge of the forest farm, and then ran forward quickly.
The head of the forest farm immediately said, "We have found a herd of wild boars. We have a lot of people, so we can join forces with the hunting dogs to surround and kill the wild boars."
There was no wildlife protection law at that time, and most people had no awareness of protecting wildlife. When they heard that traces of wild boars had been found, everyone became excited.
Those holding hunting rifles have already started putting gunpowder, steel balls and iron sand in them, while those using pistols have already opened the safety. As for bullets, they have already been prepared before setting off.
Just as they were getting ready, they heard a noise. It turned out that the wild boars noticed something was wrong and ran away!
The sound of a dog barking suddenly rang out, and I quickly chased after it, but it was too late.
Although I was a little disappointed, I also knew that this was normal. Wild boars are alert and most of them forage at night. Only a few forage during the day.
Then, everyone continued to follow the hunting dogs throughout the mountains and fields in search of prey.
There are not only wild boars, there are also some other small animals here. Gao Mingcheng sees traces of hares from time to time, but they move quickly and jump into the woods and grass in the blink of an eye.
Gao Mingcheng discovered that the animals on Niuweiling seemed easier to hunt than the animals in the forest farm.
The mountains there are high and the land is far away. Ordinary villagers do not have the strength and time to go into the mountains, so they have little knowledge of animals in the mountains and are a little naive.
The animals in this forest are used to seeing people. I'm afraid that the people in the forest also go into the mountains to hunt from time to time, so as soon as the animals sense any disturbance, they will run away.
Suddenly, someone fired a shot. The sudden gunshot made everyone look sideways.
The one who fired the shot was Director Chen. He hit a yellow muntjac in the hind leg. Although it fell to the ground after being shot, the muntjac seemed to be trying to struggle to get up.
"Director Chen is a great shooter, a good start!" The head of the forest farm immediately praised him and took the initiative to pick up prey for Director Chen.
Director Chen was quite proud of the prey he had caught.
Gao Guobing also praised Director Chen for his good marksmanship, but then he suggested that everyone just disperse and look for opportunities on their own.
Otherwise, if a group of people stay together, the noise they make while walking and talking will easily alert their prey.
This idea was agreed by everyone. There were no ferocious beasts in the mountains, most snakes and insects were hibernating, and everyone carried a gun, so they were naturally full of confidence.
The head of the forest farm saw this and said immediately, "Okay, these hunting dogs listen to me and Lao Song. Lao Song and I will separate and each take two or three dogs. Then I will follow Director Chen and Section Chief Zhao, and Lao Song will follow Director Gao and the others."
Gao Guobing had no objection to this arrangement. He was also competitive and wanted to hunt the prey as soon as possible. He had also said before that he wanted to hunt a wild boar for Xiao Xuxu's first birthday party.
After Director Chen and the others left, Gao Mingcheng said to Gao Guobing, "Uncle, Brother Xiao, you two can come together. I can do it alone."
Gao Guobing frowned and was about to speak when Gao Mingcheng said, "Uncle, I went hunting alone in Niuweiling. I'm used to being alone. Don't worry. Besides, even if I don't catch any prey, I won't be in danger."
Gao Guobing was convinced by this, so he nodded and said, "Okay, be careful. It's best for us to meet up at noon, and then we can just eat something in the mountains. At three o'clock in the afternoon, we should prepare to go down the mountain."
Gao Mingcheng remembered the time and then separated from Gao Guobing and the others.
He chose a direction and walked alone.
Without the black tiger and the elves to help him track prey, it was not an easy task to find prey in this unfamiliar forest.
But Gao Mingcheng was not in a hurry. He followed his feeling and kept walking forward. After he had distanced himself from the others, he ran wildly and quickly ran into the mountains.
Although he did not have the assistance of hunting dogs, he was in good physical condition. As long as he went deeper into the mountains, he would naturally have more chances of finding prey.
He ran all the way while looking around. There were many tree species such as fir, camphor, pine, etc. in the mountains, as well as some low shrubs and vines. Gao Mingcheng found a large kudzu vine on a hillside!
The kudzu vine was as thick as an adult's arm. It climbed up a tree, and its leaves had already turned yellow.
Gao Mingcheng reached out and touched the kudzu vines, thinking that after digging out the kudzu roots under the ground, there would be at least twenty kilograms!
The wild kudzu root in the mountains is also called kudzu root. The powder yield is not high, but this kind of kudzu powder is authentic.
Gao Mingcheng thought that he was planning to make a batch of kudzu powder this year, so he decided to wait until after Xiao Xuxu’s first birthday party, and then find a good day to go back to the village and into the mountains to dig kudzu roots.
He continued walking forward and saw some more kudzu roots, but most of them had been dug out of the soil by wild boars and the roots inside had been eaten.
Gao Mingcheng stopped in front of a piece of soil. The soil was very fresh and should have just been dug. In addition, there was a pile of fresh wild boar feces next to it.
He followed these traces and walked forward.
As a result, we didn't see the wild boar, but we saw a gray-haired hare. It was eating grass with its head down, while being alert to its surroundings, and its ears moved from time to time.
Gao Mingcheng immediately stopped and made no sound. Then he took out the dagger from his waist, took aim, and the dagger flew out of his hand.
With a "snap" sound, when the rabbit tried to escape alertly, the dagger had already pierced into the hare's head.
The gray rabbit was killed with one blow. Although it lost its life, Gao Mingcheng got rabbit meat!
After getting the first kill, Gao Mingcheng was in a good mood. He carried the rabbit and continued to move forward. This rabbit was not worthy of him using a gun. If the gunshot alarmed the wild boars nearby, it would be a waste of time.
Just as I was thinking this, a gunshot was heard in the forest. Then, the forest, which had been quiet just now, immediately made a lot of noise. Birds flew away, animals ran away, and a yellow muntjac also ran out from its hiding place.
Gao Mingcheng saw that the yellow muntjac was quite big, so he decided to keep it. He quickly took out his gun, took aim, and with a gunshot, the bullet shot out from the barrel and hit the yellow muntjac in the head.
The yellow muntjac fell to the ground, and the birds and beasts around it became even more panicked. In the blink of an eye, they all fled away.
Gao Mingcheng picked up his prey, knowing that it would be difficult to find other prey in this area.
He held the muntjac in one hand and the hare in the other, changed direction and continued walking forward.
People were walking in the dense forest, but it felt good.
Early winter is a good time to go hunting in the mountains. There are fewer mosquitoes in the mountains, most poisonous snakes hibernate, and some annual weeds have withered and are no longer so lush that they block your way forward.
Gao Mingcheng didn't pay attention to which direction he was going until he saw a tall Torreya grandis tree, then he realized that he had come here.
He stood on the slope and looked at the Torreya grandis tree from afar. The tree had a beautiful shape and some green fruits hung on it.
But these fruits cannot be picked, because the fruits of Torreya grandis are very special. It sprouts new fruits every year, but the fruits take three years to mature and be picked.
In other words, there are three kinds of fruits hanging on the Torreya grandis tree at the same time.
For this reason, picking Torreya nuts has become a very troublesome task. You cannot hit the fruits on the branches with a bamboo pole. You must climb up the tree to pick the ripe fruits, so as to ensure the fruit yield in the next two years.
So, you get what you pay for, and if prices are high, there must be a reason for that.
Gao Mingcheng originally planned to admire the fruits from a distance, but he discovered with his sharp eyes that the fruits hanging on the tree were ripe!
Then he remembered that although the person in charge of the forest farm had introduced the Torreya grandis trees to them, he did not say that they would pick the Torreya grandis trees, nor did he take out the Torreya grandis trees to treat everyone.
Think about it again, the Torreya grandis tree is deep in the mountains, and it is very troublesome to pick the Torreya grandis nuts. I am afraid that the people in the forest farm will not come here specially to pick them.
Having encountered it, Gao Mingcheng immediately threw the prey on the ground and prepared to climb up the tree to show his skills.
I saw him climbing up the tree as nimbly as a monkey.
There are three kinds of fruits hanging on the tree, large, medium and small. The big ones are the ones that can be picked this year.
Generally speaking, Torreya nuts are picked from September to October, but because no one picks them, some are hanging on the trees and some have fallen on the ground.
Relying on his nimble body, Gao Mingcheng quickly climbed up the century-old Torreya grandis tree and began picking Torreya nuts. Torreya grandis trees are very old and can live to be over 500 years old, and mature Torreya grandis wood must be at least 100 years old.
(End of this chapter)
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