I and Baldwin Lamb, Fitch Harrington are college classmates, we have participated in many outdoor activities together, such as hiking, camping, fishing and so on. After graduation, we went our separate ways and never saw each other again. However, last month, we finally had a rare opportunity to go to Xinyang Wuyu Gorge Forest Park in Henan, China to hunt and experience the joy of hunting at night. This was a very memorable trip that made me feel the intimacy and happiness of old friends again. In this article, I will share with you our Xinyang trip, how we used night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars for night hunting, and how we tasted the local cuisine. I hope you will like my story.
Wuyu Gorge Forest Park is a natural scenic spot located in Shihe District of Xinyang City, with Wuyu Gorge as the core attraction, with ten scenic spots of Shili Gang, ancient village hiking tour as the brand explosion point, with Shili Lijie Street, Shili Yiyang Residence, Health Oil Park, Cheyun Mountain Gongcha Buddha Experience Park and other projects as the core profit point. It is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction that integrates leisure agriculture, landscape tourism, health resort, cultural experience, wedding photography, food shopping and research education.
Wuyu Gorge Forest Park has a very advantageous geographical location. It is located in Hekou Village, Dongjiahe Town, Shihe District of Xinyang City. It is about 30 kilometers away from Xinyang City, about 20 kilometers away from Nanwan Lake Scenic Area, about 15 kilometers away from Chushandian Reservoir, and about 60 kilometers away from Xijiuhua Mountain Scenic Area. It is an important part of the whole region tourism demonstration area of Shihe District of Xinyang City and an important window of the ecological reception hall of Xinyang City.
Wuyu Gorge Forest Park has beautiful natural scenery. It has a large area of primary and secondary forests with dense trees, including more than ten tree species such as oil tea, oil peony, tea, fir, oak, ginkgo and bamboo. The forest coverage rate is more than 98%. It also has clear streams and waterfalls, forming the peculiar landform of Wuyu Gorge. Along the way there are Shimen Cave, Longwang Cave, Xianren Cave and other cave landscapes. It also has rich animal and plant resources, such as wild boar, pheasant, wild duck, hare and other wild animals, rhododendron, camellia, crape myrtle and other wild flowers.
We chose this place as our hunting destination because it has a primitive natural environment that is suitable for us to experience the fun and challenge of hunting. We wanted to feel the charm of nature here, look for the prey hidden in the forest, and enjoy the excitement and happiness of hunting at night.
In order to hunt at night, we prepared some professional hunting equipment, especially night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars. These two kinds of binoculars are very useful for our hunting. Below I will introduce their functions and advantages.
Night vision binoculars are a kind of binoculars that can see objects clearly in the dark. They use low-light amplifiers or infrared detectors to convert weak light into visible light. Low-light amplifiers are electronic devices that can amplify the weak light in the environment (such as moonlight, starlight, etc.) by thousands of times. They can make us see a picture similar to daytime at night. Infrared detectors are electronic devices that can receive the infrared rays emitted by objects and convert them into visible light. They can make us see the outline and temperature distribution of objects in complete darkness. The night vision binoculars we use are a kind of binoculars that combine low-light amplifiers and infrared detectors. They can make us see objects clearly in different lighting conditions, and they also have functions such as zooming, focusing, adjusting brightness, etc., which are very convenient.
Infrared binoculars are a kind of binoculars that can detect the infrared rays emitted by objects and display their temperature distribution. They can be used to identify the heat sources and activity tracks of animals. Infrared binoculars use a fact that all objects emit infrared rays of different wavelengths according to their own temperature. Infrared binoculars can convert these infrared rays into images of different colors and display them on the screen, allowing us to distinguish objects of different temperatures. The infrared binoculars we use are a kind of high-performance binoculars. They can detect the heat sources of animals within 1000 meters, and they also have functions such as distance measurement, angle measurement, compass, clock, etc., which are very practical.
Night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars are very useful for hunting at night, because they can help us find and track prey in the dark, increasing the success rate and safety of hunting. With these two kinds of binoculars, we can enjoy the fun of hunting at night without worrying about not seeing clearly or getting lost.
Our hunting experience was very exciting. We encountered many interesting animals. We also used night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars to observe and shoot. We felt the thrill and joy of hunting at night. Below I will tell you in detail about our hunting experience.
We stayed in Wuquxia Forest Park for three days and two nights. Every night we would go out to hunt. We all wore camouflage clothes, carried guns and ammunition, as well as night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars. We walked quietly in the forest, looking for traces of prey. We used night vision binoculars to observe the surrounding environment and see if there were any animals’ shadows. We used infrared binoculars to detect the heat sources of animals and see if there were any animal activities.
On the first night, we met a group of pheasants who were foraging on a grassland. We decided to try hunting, so we hid behind a tree, aimed at one of the pheasants with night vision binoculars, and then fired. We successfully hit the target, the pheasant made a scream, and then fell to the ground. The other pheasants were scared and ran away in all directions. We quickly ran over and picked up the dead pheasant. We felt very excited, this was our first-time hitting prey, and it was at night.
The next night, we encountered a wild rabbit, which was eating grass under a tree. We wanted to challenge ourselves again, so we quietly approached it, used infrared binoculars to measure its distance and angle, and then fired. We missed the target, the rabbit was startled, and immediately jumped up and ran away. We chased after it, using infrared binoculars to track its heat source and trajectory, and then fired again. This time we finally hit it, the rabbit let out a scream, and then stopped breathing. We ran over happily, picked up the dead rabbit. We felt very satisfied, this was our first time using infrared binoculars to hunt, and it was in complete darkness.
The third night, we encountered a wild boar, which was drinking water by a small stream. This was a big prey, and also a dangerous prey. We wanted to complete the last challenge of this trip, so we carefully approached it, used night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars to observe its behavior and position, and then fired at the same time. We both hit its vital parts, the wild boar let out a scream, and then fell to the ground. At this time, other wild boars heard the sound, and rushed out from the forest. They saw the dead companion and our figure, and began to attack us. We immediately ran away, using night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars to guide the direction and avoid obstacles. Fortunately, at the edge of the forest, we met our guide, who drove a jeep to pick us up. We quickly got on the car, and then drove away from the dangerous place. We felt very thrilling, this was our first time encountering such a powerful prey, and it was in a situation where we were surrounded by them.
Our hunting experience made us feel the fun of hunting at night, and also let us experience the power of night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars. We found our prey in the dark, and also found ourselves. We escaped from danger, and also escaped from boredom. We grew up in hunting, and also became better friends.
In addition to hunting, we also tasted the local food in Xinyang, such as oil tea, sanzi, spicy beef and so on, as well as our impression and evaluation of the local customs. Next, I will share with you our food tour.
Oil tea is Xinyang’s specialty breakfast, which is made from tea leaves roasted with oil tea seeds, added with water, salt, ginger, scallions and other seasonings, boiled in a large iron pot, served in small bowls, and sprinkled with roasted peanuts, melon seeds, sesame seeds, etc. Oil tea has a rich and fragrant taste, drink up warm stomach refreshing, but also conducive to digestion. Oil tea is usually eaten with sanzi, fried dough sticks, cakes and other foods, more delicious. We had an oil tea breakfast at an old oil tea shop in Xinyang city, feeling the simplicity and enthusiasm of Xinyang people.
Sanzi is Xinyang’s traditional snack, which is made from flour and water kneaded into dough, then rolled into thin slices, cut into thin strips, pinched into patterns by hand, fried in oil until golden crisp, sprinkled with sugar or sesame seeds. Sanzi has a crisp and sweet taste, eat up very addictive. We bought some sanzi at a sanzi shop in Xinyang city, eating while walking, feeling the local customs of Xinyang.
Spicy beef is Xinyang’s specialty dish, which is made from fresh beef cut into thin slices, marinated with salt, cooking wine, starch, etc., fried in oil until discolored, then fried with a lot of chili peppers, peppercorns, ginger, garlic, etc., added with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and other seasonings, stir-fried evenly with beef back pot, sprinkled with peanuts and cilantro before serving. Spicy beef has a spicy and fragrant taste, beef tender juicy, eat up very enjoyable. We ordered a plate of spicy beef at a Sichuan restaurant in Xinyang city, accompanied by a bowl of rice, feeling the deliciousness and excitement of Xinyang.
In addition to these foods, we also tried some other Xinyang specialty foods, such as Nanwan fish, braised pot meat, pot cake, etc. They all made us enjoy ourselves. We were impressed by Xinyang’s food culture, feeling that Xinyang is a food city that combines both north and south flavors.
Our trip to Xinyang ended like this, we gained a lot of happiness and memories. We thank night vision binoculars and infrared binoculars for allowing us to hunt at night and enjoy the charm of nature. We thank Xinyang’s food for allowing us to taste different flavors and satisfy our taste buds. We thank Xinyang’s people for allowing us to feel Xinyang’s culture and enthusiasm, making us feel at home. Most importantly, we thank each other, we found the intimacy and joy of old friends in this trip, and also enhanced our understanding and trust of each other. We look forward to meeting again in the future, continue to explore more places, experience more fun.
