I and Roy Ernest, Rod Titus are good friends from college, we are all lovers of hunting, often go to the surrounding forests or grasslands to find prey. We went our separate ways after graduation, Roy Ernest went to Silicon Valley in the United States to engage in software development, Rod Titus went to Sydney in Australia to engage in financial investment, and I stayed in Beijing in China to engage in education work. Although we keep in touch from time to time by phone or internet, we have not seen each other for more than ten years, let alone hunted together.
Last month, I received an email from Roy Ernest, he said he and Rod Titus planned to travel to China, and invited me to go hunting with them. I was excited as soon as I saw the email, and agreed to their invitation without hesitation. We searched online and decided to go to Suzhou Huangcangyu National Forest Park in China for hunting. This is one of the largest forest parks in China, with rich wildlife resources, and is a paradise for hunting enthusiasts. We booked tickets and hotels, prepared equipment and permits, and set off eagerly.
In order to increase the fun and challenge of hunting, we decided to hunt at night. Hunting at night has a different charm, can let us feel the danger and excitement in the dark, but also let us enjoy the beauty and animals under the moonlight. Of course, hunting at night also requires special equipment and skills, such as night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars, these are our essential tools.
This article is to tell the whole process of our night hunting trip, including the various interesting and exciting things we encountered, as well as the local food we tasted. I hope you can follow our footsteps and feel our joy and emotion.
We met at Beijing Capital International Airport; it was simply overjoyed. We hugged each other, greeted each other, lamented the passage of time and the constancy of friendship. We chatted happily along the way, recalling the various interesting things and hunting experiences in college. We also shared our work and life with each other, wishing and encouraging each other.
We took a high-speed train from Beijing to Suzhou. Suzhou is a prefecture-level city in Anhui Province, located in the Huaihe River Basin, and is one of China’s historical and cultural cities. We stayed in Suzhou city for one night, and rented a car early the next morning to drive to Huangcangyu National Forest Park.
Huangcangyu National Forest Park is located in Lingbi County within Suzhou City, about 80 kilometers away from the city center. This is one of the largest forest parks in China, covering an area of 15,000 hectares. It has primitive forest vegetation, diverse wildlife resources, and spectacular landscape. It is a paradise for hunting enthusiasts.
We completed the relevant procedures at the entrance of the park, received permits and guides. We chose a more remote and quiet area as our hunting place. We set up tents and bonfires there, prepared equipment and food, waiting for the nightfall.
Why choose hunting at night? Because hunting at night has a different charm and challenge. Hunting at night can let us feel the danger and excitement in the dark, but also let us enjoy the beauty and animals under the moonlight. Hunting at night can also let us avoid the crowds and noise during the day, enjoy a more pure and natural hunting experience. Of course, hunting at night also requires special equipment and skills, such as night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars, these are our essential tools.
Night vision binoculars are a type of binoculars that can see objects in the dark. They use a technology called photomultiplier, which amplifies the faint ambient light by thousands of times, allowing us to see the scenes in the dark. Night vision binoculars have different generations and performance. Generally speaking, the higher the generation, the better the performance, and the more expensive the price. We use the third generation of night vision binoculars, which have high resolution and clarity, and can let us see the subtle details in the dark.
Infrared binoculars are a type of binoculars that can detect the heat of objects in the dark. They use a technology called thermal imaging, which converts the infrared radiation emitted by objects into visible light images, allowing us to see the temperature differences in the dark. Infrared binoculars have different types and functions. Generally speaking, the more advanced the type, the more powerful the function, and the more expensive the price. We use a digital type of infrared binoculars, which have high sensitivity and accuracy, and can let us see the color changes of different temperature zones in the dark.
Night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars are both essential tools for our night hunting. They can help us find and lock our targets in the dark, and also help us avoid some potential dangers. Of course, using these tools also requires some skills and experience, such as adjusting the focus and brightness, keeping stable and quiet, observing the surroundings, etc. Only in this way can we make full use of these tools when hunting at night.
After nightfall, we started our night hunting trip. We wore camouflage clothes, hats and gloves, carried guns and ammunition, backpacks and water bottles, and our indispensable tools – night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars. We followed the guide and quietly entered the depths of the forest.
The first thing we encountered was a group of wild boars. They were foraging on a grassland, making hissing noises from time to time. We observed them for a while with night vision binoculars, and found that there was a very large and fat male boar among them, which was obviously their leader. We decided to target it, so we dispersed and looked for suitable shooting positions. Roy Ernest and I hid behind a big tree, while Rod Titus hid behind a big rock. We aimed at the heart of the male boar, waiting for the best opportunity.
At this moment, we heard a loud noise. It turned out that the guide accidentally stepped on a dry branch and startled the wild boar herd. They immediately scattered and ran away. The male boar also wanted to escape, but it was too late. The three of us almost fired at the same time, and three bullets hit the heart of the male boar accurately. It let out a scream, then fell to the ground. We ran over happily and dragged it to one side. It weighed more than 200 kilograms and was a very strong wild boar. We took a few photos of it, then put it in our backpack.
Next, we met a moose. It was standing by a small stream drinking water, looking very gentle and graceful. We carefully observed it with night vision binoculars, and found that it had beautiful brown fur and long antlers. We thought it was very beautiful and precious, so we decided not to shoot it, but instead took some photos with infrared binoculars as a souvenir. We quietly left without disturbing it.
Finally, we encountered a black bear. It was hiding in a hole and sleeping, making a snoring sound. We saw its silhouette with infrared binoculars and found that it was very big and strong. We knew that black bears are very dangerous animals, and if we woke it up, it might attack us. We did not dare to act rashly, so we quietly bypassed it and continued to move forward.
We encountered various animals during our night hunting, some we shot, some we let go, and some we avoided. We felt the fun and excitement of night hunting, as well as the beauty and mystery of nature. We harvested a wild boar, as well as some photos and memories. We were very satisfied and happy with our night hunting trip.
After the night hunting, we returned to the hotel where we stayed, took a hot bath, and felt very comfortable. We decided to go to a nearby farmhouse restaurant and taste the local cuisine. We searched online and found that there were many farmhouse restaurants near Suzhou Huangcangyu National Forest Park, all with the sign of “Huangcangyu Mushroom Chicken”. We were interested in this name, so we chose a restaurant with a high rating and called to book a private room.
We arrived at the restaurant and found that it had a rural atmosphere, without any fancy decoration, but very clean and cozy. The waiter greeted us warmly and took us to our private room. We looked at the menu and found that the dishes here were very distinctive, such as sauce-flavored cakes, sour soup meat, baked buns with meat, etc. We ordered a few dishes, of course not without the main dish of “Huangcangyu Mushroom Chicken”. The waiter told us that this dish had to be booked in advance, because it had to be stewed with a special earthen pot and firewood, which took more than an hour. We said it was okay, we could eat other dishes first and wait for this one.
Soon, the other dishes came up. We first tasted the sauce-flavored cake, which was a thin cake made of corn flour and millet flour mixed together, fried in a pan until golden and crisp, then coated with a layer of bean paste and sesame oil, and sprinkled with peanut crumbs and cilantro. This cake was very sweet and delicious, and the texture was also good, with both the softness of corn and the fragrance of millet. We thought this cake was suitable for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Then we tasted the sour soup meat, which was a soup dish made of pork, potatoes, white radish, green peppers and other ingredients, with some special seasonings and vinegar added to the soup. This soup was very appetizing and refreshing, with a rich but not greasy broth, tender but not mushy meat, potatoes and white radish that also absorbed the flavor of the broth. We thought this soup was suitable for winter drinking, as it could warm the stomach and dispel the cold.
Finally, we tried the meat-filled flatbread, which is a round flatbread made of flour, cut open in the middle and stuffed with a layer of marinated pork belly slices and green and red pepper shreds. This flatbread was very fragrant and tempting, with a crispy crust and a soft interior, the pork slices were fatty but not greasy, and the pepper shreds added some spiciness and freshness. We thought this flatbread was very suitable as a staple food or a snack, and could be paired with other dishes.
Just as we were enjoying our meal, the long-awaited “Huang Cangyu Mushroom Chicken” finally arrived. We saw that it was a large clay pot, filled with chicken and mushrooms, and some other ingredients, emitting a strong aroma. The waiter told us that this dish was made with three-year-old free-range chickens and wild mountain mushrooms, stewed for more than an hour in a clay pot and firewood, adding a lot of seasonings such as green onions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, etc., very nutritious and flavorful. He also said that this dish had another feature, which was that a ring of flatbread was attached to the edge of the pot, called “drink bread”, which was made by slapping the dough, and tasted very chewy, and could also absorb the soup and fragrance from the pot. He said that this dish was a local specialty delicacy, and there was a saying that “if you don’t eat mushroom chicken, you come to Huang Cangyu in vain”.
We listened to the waiter’s introduction, and became more drooling. We couldn’t wait to pick up a piece of chicken and a slice of mushroom and put them in our mouths, and immediately felt a burst of spicy and savory flavor in our mouths. The chicken was tender but not dry, the mushroom was soft but not mushy, the two complemented each other, making us irresistible. We also tasted a bite of drink bread, and found it also very delicious, with a crispy crust and a soft interior, dipped in the soup and oil droplets, sweeter and tastier. We thought this dish was really delicious, far beyond our imagination.
We ate very satisfied and happy, and praised this farmhouse restaurant. We felt that the food near Huang Cangyu National Forest Park in Suzhou was unforgettable, both with local characteristics and flavor, as well as natural ingredients and methods. We gave these dishes five-star ratings and recommendations, hoping that more people could come to taste these dishes.
Our night hunting trip ended like this. We spent an unforgettable time in Huang Cangyu National Forest Park in Suzhou. We experienced the fun and excitement of night hunting. We appreciated the beauty and mystery of nature. We tasted the local food and flavor. We harvested a wild boar, as well as some photos and memories. We were very satisfied and happy with our night hunting trip.
This night hunting trip not only let us experience an unusual activity but also let us reunite with old friends. We felt the unchanging and precious friendship, as well as the colorful and wonderful life. We were full of expectation and hope for the future, as well as confidence and desire to meet again.
Finally, I want to thank Bing for providing me with such a good opportunity to write this article in Chinese. I hope my article can bring you some inspiration and fun, and I hope you will like my article. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to tell me. Thank you for your reading and support! 😊
