Chapter 669: Chase
During the Arctic summer, there is 24 hours of daylight, and during the Arctic winter, there is 24 hours of darkness.
Any perception of time here is incorrect, and the physiological rhythm of day and night becomes blurred under the aurora at night.
Spring and fall usually mean more erratic weather with storms and varying cloud conditions.
Fortunately, in the past ten days, Bifang only encountered one snowstorm that lasted four days.
At seven in the morning , when it was already daytime in most areas, the Arctic sky was still dotted with stars.
There was no aurora in the starry sky today. In the deep woods, Bifang gathered dry firewood into a pyramid shape, stuffed a bunch of smoking hay in the middle, and blew air. Soon sparks floated out of the hay and a small flame jumped out.
The thin flames climbed along the fibers, spreading and growing stronger, and the entire pyramid of dry firewood was burning.
Simply light a bonfire, put a pot of ice water above the bonfire, tear the lichens collected yesterday into small pieces, soak them in the bonfire, and wait for it to boil.
"This lichen is called reindeer lichen. Because it is an important food for reindeer, it is also called reindeer lichen. It can be found mainly in the alpine tundra and is extremely cold-resistant."
"Deer pistil is an ancestral secret recipe used by the Monpa people in the high mountains of the eastern Himalayas to remove kidney stones. Inland, the Tanana people crush the dried deer pistil, boil it in hot water and eat it. They also use the deer pistil to make soup as an anti-diarrhea medicine."
[Can this thing also treat kidney stones? ]
[Damn, I think I caught it last time I went to get medicine]
【This is in Traditional Chinese Medicine】
"However, since it contains acidic substances, it may cause stomach discomfort, especially when it is not cooked, so you must be patient and wait for it to be cooked before eating it."
Use chopsticks to submerge the deer core, and when it becomes moist and sinks to the bottom, cover it with a wooden board.
"Deer stamen grows very slowly. When it is over-eaten, burned, trampled or consumed, it usually takes decades to recover. So if you find it, don't dig it up by the roots. Just cut off a part of it."
Bifang stood up and stuffed a thick wooden stick next to him into the campfire. He tied a hemp rope made of trees to one end of the torch. The loose structure allowed the torch to burn longer.
If animal fat could be coated on it, the continuous burning effect would be better, but it is still too luxurious for Bifang, who is still in a state of food and clothing.
Wait for the torch to burn successfully, then hold the torch and walk into the forest.
Before preparing for hunting, Bifang still has a lot of preparation to do, such as making weapons, ropes, sleds, etc.
[Sled, Wuhu, are you ready to ski? 】
[Can I ski on this snowfield? ]
Bifang shook his head: "The sled is not for skiing, but for dragging the prey when the time comes."
Now that we have found such a good valley, we must use it as our base. The most important thing is to have combustible materials.
After hunting bison, they naturally have to be brought back here, but an average bison weighing 300 kilograms, even if the bones, lean meat and other unnecessary things are removed, will still weigh at least 200 kilograms.
Two hundred kilograms, the weight of three adults, is too much for Bifang to carry even if he is exhausted. So the only option is to drag it, and using a sled will save some effort.
After picking through the forest for a long time with a torch in hand, Bifang finally collected enough materials, brought them back to the campfire, and began cutting them with a knife.
Soon, javelins, short spears, Bifang installed sharpened stones on his most handy weapons, and finally three long sled boards.
"We don't need to make the snowboard too good. A rough prototype is enough."
Although there was no plane, Bifang had a lot of experience in how to cut hardwood with a dagger, and completed all the preparations before the sun rose.
At this time, the reindeer moss in the pot was cooked. Bifang simply filled his stomach with the fish and wiped off all traces of the fire.
Bifang wrapped all the short spears with ropes several times, passed them around his shoulders and tied them to his back. Then he put on a backpack, took some supplies, filled a pot of boiling water, and set off along the traces of the musk ox that were first discovered.
The sun had just risen and the temperature of the earth had not yet risen. The boiling water brought some warmth through the kettle and clothes, dispelling some of the cold.
Following the traces and smells left on the ground, Bifang gradually moved away from the forest.
The deep marks on the trees also allowed the audience who had not yet seen the musk ox to form an image of its huge and terrifying appearance in their minds.
but……
Almost all the traces do not seem to exceed the waist of Bifang, and the highest one only reaches the chest. Compared with its weight, it seems unexpectedly short?
[This cow seems to have short legs]
[Three hundred kilograms of short legs, isn't this a potato? ]
【Forklift! 】
"Musk oxen have short legs. As for the morphology of warm-blooded animals, there is an Allen's law in zoology, which states that individuals of the same species or closely related species living in cold regions tend to have shorter limbs and other protruding parts than those living in warm regions, thereby reducing heat dissipation."
"Compared to the serow of the same family, the musk ox's short tail, short legs and small ears are indeed a confirmation of Allen's Law."
"There's also Bergmann's rule, which states that individuals of the same species or closely related species that live in cold environments tend to be larger, and musk oxen are indeed larger than serows."
Bifang looked at the barrage and explained in detail.
【Take notes】
【Learn something new every time】
[The most hardcore and knowledgeable person in wilderness survival]
[I remember Lao Fang once said that the higher the latitude, the bigger the wolf is. So are the wolves in the Arctic especially big ? ]
Bifang nodded. "Yes, the Arctic wolf is the largest wild canid in the world. Adult wolves weigh more than 40 kilograms. There have been adult male wolf specimens weighing 68 kilograms, which is larger than any other wolf species I have encountered before."
Only in the Discovery Channel program did Bifang face a pack of wolves alone, but they were just forest wolves, and the latitude was only medium. Wild wolves are much smaller than Arctic wolves.
With a body size close to that of a human, it would be quite dangerous for Bifang to encounter a pack of Arctic wolves alone, because Arctic wolves usually live in groups of 5 to 10, and each family has about 20 to 30 members.
If a wolf pack encounters famine, it is possible that the entire tribe will go out, just like what happened in Mohe.
[Hiss, the number is a bit scary]
【So many? 】
[One person must not be eaten? 】
"But don't be afraid. It's not a wise choice to stop before encountering it. Let's think about how to deal with the musk ox."
Bifang walked into the falling snow on his brand new snowshoes.
