King of the Wilderness-Chapter 160 - 134: Spoils of Battle and Aerial Extraction

When the first gray-white rays of dawn shone into the cave entrance, the long and tense night had finally passed.

The campfire had extinguished, leaving only a pile of still warm ashes.

"It's daylight."

Old George was the first to stand up, walked to the entrance, and cautiously observed for a while, confirming there was no sign of the wolves returning.

"Alright, no more resting, it's time to get to work, everyone."

He turned around and said to Stan and Lin Yu'an, both of whom barely closed their eyes all night: "We need to handle them properly, then head back."

Stan yawned, stretched hard, and his bones made a series of cracking sounds.

"Honestly, I'd rather fight them again than do this work now. This stuff's meat can't even be eaten, it's a waste of effort."

Despite the complaints, he deftly took out the tools from his backpack.

Old George calmly said, "The law allows us not to take wolf meat, because they're predators, and the meat risks being infected with trichinosis."

"But this doesn't mean we can discard them randomly. You see, when we hunt this ram, we must take every piece of edible meat, that's respect for herbivores."

"And when we hunt these wolves, the law requires us to properly take their fur and skulls for sealing, this is respect for predators and acknowledgment of their value."

They dragged the bodies of three wolves to a well-lit spot at the cave entrance.

The beasts, which appeared ferocious and terrifying in the darkness last night, now revealed a sense of lamentable beauty under the morning light.

Old George took out his satellite phone from a waterproof bag, turned it on, and found a location with relatively stable signal.

He dialed the Alaska State Police helpline, and it was quickly connected.

"Good morning, this is George Barnes, my hunting license number is XXXXX. I need to report a DLP incident."

"The coordinates are in the XXXX area of the XXXX mountain range, roughly the location is... Last night at the camp, we were besieged by a wolf pack, out of self-defense, we killed three wolves."

"None of the three of us were injured, I repeat, none of us were injured, over."

The operator on the other end was evidently accustomed to such reports, calmly replied after noting down the key information: "Received, Mr. Barnes. Are you currently safe?"

"Temporarily safe, but we need to leave the area as soon as possible."

"Alright, according to regulation, you are entitled to keep the pelts and skulls, but you must seal them at a nearby Fish and Game Department office within 30 days, are you familiar with this process?"

"Very familiar."

"Good, please make sure to retain the site photos, and prepare a detailed written report explaining the incident, safe journey. Over."

The call was brief and efficient, Old George hung up the phone and said to Lin Yu'an and Stan, "Alright, we're legal now, let's get started."

He handed the largest alpha wolf to Lin Yu'an for processing, while he and Stan were responsible for the other two.

"Kid, the wolf skin is the most valuable thing on it, don't damage it." Old George said while working and guiding.

"Just like the one you killed with the No. 00 deer slug, the wolf fur has lost its value, let Stan dismantle it casually."

"As for the two we have, we can use the 'tube skinning method' to preserve the most beautiful fur on its belly and sell it at a high price in the fur market."

"Cut under the ankle of one hind leg, along the inside of the leg upwards, all the way to the anus."

"Yes, just like that, then do the other leg, also cut to the same point, forming a V, don't cut further down!"

Stan added on the side: "Watch out for its scent glands."

"There are two at the root of the tail, don't break them, otherwise, the smell can make you vomit yesterday's lamb hotpot and will stick to your hands."

Old George pointed at the wolf's body: "Yes, be careful with the scent glands, now start peeling down the skin as if taking off pants."

"Use your knuckles and fingers to push the skin and flesh apart, use the knife only where the fascia is tightly attached, take it slow, and keep the skin intact."

Lin Yu'an imitated Old George's movements to skin the wolf.

He found that wolf skin is much tougher than sheep and deer skin, with less subcutaneous fat, and the skin sticks tightly to the muscles, requiring great patience for each inch of separation.

When it came to the front legs, Old George reminded again: "Don't cut from the chest! Push the legs out from the inside, like taking off sleeves, and peel it down!"

The process of skinning was extremely time-consuming, they needed to carefully separate the entire skin from the muscle and fascia.

Especially when handling the head and paws in the end, it required even more patience and precision.

More than two hours later, when three tube-like furry "hoodies" of wolf skins were turned inside out and laid flat on the rocks.

Stan looked at the three cleanly skinned wolf skeletons and said with a bitter smile, "Sometimes I really can't tell if we're hunters or butchers."

Old George wiped his hands on moss and calmly replied: "We're scavengers, we clear out animals that disrupt the wilderness balance and clear out the valuable parts from them."

"The rest, we give back to this land, that's the balance, Lin, always remember, we never take more than what's needed."

Once everything was packed, the three heavy, initially processed wolf hides and the Dall sheep meat were stuffed into their already overloaded backpacks.

As they shouldered their packs again and started the journey back, everyone felt like their shoulders were about to break.

On the way back, Lin Yu'an reflected on everything that had happened in the past few days. He processed a Dall sheep for the first time and learned in detail about the Boone and Crockett Club.

He also hunted and processed his first wolf in Alaska! Of course, most importantly, he gained two comrades with whom he'd shared life-and-death experiences!

This hunt was truly a rewarding one.

After another day of arduous trekking, they finally exited the designated wilderness area where no motor vehicles were allowed.

They reached a gravel riverbank suitable for a bush plane landing.

"Alright, this is it. Any further and my old legs are going to give out."

Old George finally put down his backpack and sat heavily on the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Stan was also exhausted. Looking at the endless mountain path ahead, he chuckled bitterly, "If we really had to carry these things all the way back to town, I dare say we'd lose at least half our lives."

Lin Yu'an nodded. Although he was full of energy, he also felt fatigue.

Old George took a satellite phone out of his backpack, found a spot with a relatively clear signal, and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The call connected quickly, and the hearty voice of Hank, the pilot, came through, "Hey, George! You guys finally made it out of the mountains? So, did you fulfill your dream?"

"Yes, Hank, dream fulfilled." A smile appeared on Old George's face.

"And the haul was beyond expectations. We need some air support now, is that convenient for you?"

"Of course! My 'airborne pickup' is at your service anytime!" Hank's voice was full of excitement.

"Send me your coordinates, and I'll see if there's a suitable riverbank or ridge to land on nearby. In an hour, listen for the sound in the sky!"

After hanging up, Old George sent the GPS coordinates via text message.

The tense fatigue on Old George's face finally eased, replaced by a sense of relief.

"I have to admit, sometimes modern technology is a great thing," Stan said with a smile.

They didn't go far, just found a sheltered spot and began to organize their spoils.

The huge sheep horns were carefully wrapped in a sleeping bag to prevent damage during transport. The sheep meat and wolf hides were repacked neatly for easy loading.

In less than an hour, a familiar "buzzing" sound approached from afar, breaking the silence of the valley.

A red and white Cessna 206 airplane, like a nimble eagle, appeared from behind the ridge, tilting its wings slightly in greeting.

Hank was evidently the master of this airspace, performing a beautiful low-altitude circle to scout a relatively level and open gravel riverbank below.

Then, with textbook precision, he executed a short landing, coming to a stop just under a hundred meters from them.

As the plane's propeller stopped spinning, Hank jumped out of the cockpit, immediately spotting the huge sheep horns, partially wrapped but still showing their outline.

"My goodness!"

He whistled loudly, striding forward to give Old George a bear hug.

"George! You did it! These are the most beautiful horns I've ever seen!"

When his gaze landed on the three large wolf hides, his expression changed from excitement to shock, "Three wolves? Did you raid a wolf den?"

Stan proudly patted his chest, vividly recounting the thrilling battle once more.

Hank listened, dumbfounded, finally looking at Lin Yu'an with unspeakable admiration.

With Hank's help, they systematically loaded all the heavy equipment and trophies into the spacious cabin and cargo hold of the Cessna 206.

The weight of over 460 kilograms was completely manageable for this aircraft, hailed as the "airborne pickup."

Once the three of them were seated in the cabin and buckled up, Hank started the engine again.

The plane rolled a short distance on the rugged riverbank before lifting gracefully into the sky.

From the air, the perilous mountains, rushing rivers, and endless tundra they had just traversed turned into a magnificent landscape beneath them.

Looking at the scenery speeding past outside the window, Lin Yu'an was filled with emotion.

This was the real Alaska, measured by his feet for its perils, and appreciated with wings for its grandeur.

The plane landed directly on the simple runway of Wiseman Town.