My friends Otis Crichton, Mandel Geordie and I share a love for hunting and often explore and challenge ourselves in different places. This time, we chose Longtoushan in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, China as our destination because we heard that there are many wild animals there and the scenery is beautiful, making it an ideal hunting ground.
We flew from Shenzhen to Xi’an and then took a train to Hanzhong. In Hanzhong, we rented an off-road vehicle and drove along mountain roads to Longtoushan International Tourist Resort, which is a comprehensive scenic area that combines natural scenery, folk culture, and leisure and entertainment, and is known as the “Fairyland in the Clouds”. We found a farmhouse stay in the resort and prepared to set off for hunting early the next morning.
As we planned to hunt at night, we brought a brand of night vision binoculars called WildGuarder all the way from Shenzhen. This is a professional night vision device that can observe and shoot targets in complete darkness. It uses a red-sensitive CMOS sensor and a 5W infrared 850nm LED infrared illuminator to provide excellent image quality. It also has a full optical system, video recording function, 3x digital zoom, and a 31mm objective lens. We hoped to test the effectiveness of night hunting in Longtoushan with this night vision binocular and record our wonderful experiences.
The next morning after breakfast, we brought our equipment and food and drove to the foot of Longtoushan. There, we met a local guide who said he could take us to the best hunting spots and informed us of some precautions and safety rules. We happily accepted his help and followed him into the forest.
Longtoushan belongs to the Micangshan Mountain Range, with an altitude of about 2336 meters and high forest coverage. Walking in the forest, we felt the breath and charm of nature. We saw various plants and birds, as well as some small wild animals. The guide told us that we could see animals such as wild boars, deer, rabbits, and pheasants here, and if we were lucky, we might encounter large carnivores such as leopards, wolves, and bears. He said to be especially careful during night hunting as many animals would come out to hunt or forage.
After walking along the mountain road for about two hours, we arrived at an open grassland. The guide said that this was a suitable place for hunting, with many rabbits and pheasants. We found a hidden spot beside the grassland, parked the car, and took out our night vision binoculars to observe the surroundings. As the sky gradually darkened, we turned on the infrared illuminator of the night vision binoculars, allowing it to emit an invisible infrared light, illuminating our vision. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the night vision binoculars worked very well. We could clearly see every move on the grassland and even the movements deep in the distant forest.
We waited patiently and soon saw a rabbit run out of the forest. It hopped around on the grassland, seemingly unaware of our presence. I aimed at it, gently pulled the trigger, and heard a light sound as the rabbit fell to the ground. I patted my night vision binoculars with joy, thanking it for helping me complete my first night hunting mission. Otis and Mandel also expressed their appreciation and began to look for their own targets. Soon after, they each shot a rabbit and a pheasant. The three of us cheered and put our prey in the bag, ready to celebrate.
On the way back, we also used the night vision binoculars to shoot some videos and photos, recording our night hunting trip. We found that the night vision binoculars had strong shooting capabilities, producing clear 1080P images and having a 3x digital zoom function to zoom in or out of the image. We planned to share these videos and photos with our other friends after returning, so they could experience the joy of night hunting in Longtoushan.
Back at the farmhouse stay, we handed over our prey to the landlady for processing and asked her to make delicious dishes for us. The landlady warmly agreed and recommended some Shaanxi specialty dishes to us, such as Yangrou Paomo, Qishan Sausage Noodles, Shaanxi Cold Noodles, Roujiamo, BiangBiang noodles, Shaanxi Heguonoodles, Guokui, Rouwan Hulatang, Thousand-layer Oil Cake, and Shaanxi Oil-sprinkled Noodles. She said that Shaanxi is a city of cuisine with many types of delicious food with unique flavors, long history, and rich varieties. She advised us to try these dishes if we had the time, or else we would have wasted our trip to Shaanxi.
We listened with mouths watering, thinking that this trip to Shaanxi would not only allow us to enjoy the joy of hunting but also taste various delicacies, killing two birds with one stone. We decided to stay here for a few more days and experience the local customs and food. The landlady saw our enthusiasm and was also happy, saying that she would do her best to provide us with the best service and most authentic food. In no time, she served us our dinner, which included the wild rabbit stewed with potatoes and the wild pheasant sautéed with mushrooms that we hunted. She also prepared Yangrou Paomo and Shaanxi Cold Noodles for us. We looked at the table full of delicacies, smelled the fragrance, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is the taste of heaven!” We ate, chatted, and shared our hunting experiences and feelings. We ate very happily and felt very satisfied.
After dinner, we returned to our rooms, washed up, and lay on our beds to rest. I took out my night vision binoculars and reviewed the videos and photos we took, filled with joy and pride. I felt that this night vision binocular was really a magical tool, allowing me to see the beautiful world in the dark, allowing me to embark on an adventure of night hunting, and allowing me to record the unforgettable moments with my friends. I think this night hunting trip to Longtoushan will definitely be one of the most beautiful memories of my life.
