Chapter 381: Chapter 225: The Proper Way to Handle a Porcupine (With Many Photos)
Take out a piece of glowing red charcoal from the iron bucket.
"Sizzle..."
Whoosh~ Under the scorching heat of high-temperature charcoal and the aided combustion of steady airflow, the edge of the fat-rich birch bark fiber quickly blackens and curls, then emits a puff of white smoke.
Lin Yu’an didn’t stop, continuing to maintain steady blowing. A few seconds later, a faint orange-red Little Flame emerges from the white smoke.
He carefully arranged those pencil-thick dry twigs in an extremely loose tent-like shape atop the Little Flame, ensuring air could rush in from all directions.
"Crack!"
The Little Flame touched the dry twigs, making its first crispy crackling sound, and the flame instantaneously expanded. The twigs ignited, starting to emit brighter light and more stable heat.
He patiently continued adding slightly thicker kindling, and the core area of the bonfire became brighter and hotter.
Lin Yu’an then truly began constructing the main bonfire pile, arranging the hand-split birch wood in a Native American tent structure, encircling the already steadily burning core flame.
Heat radiated upward from the charcoal below, and flames surged upward through the gaps between the wood.
Sure enough, "Whoosh!" sounded, the entire bonfire pile was thoroughly ignited, and bright flames shot skyward, dispelling the surrounding darkness and piercing cold.
Everything around was illuminated vividly red!
Thus, a bonfire capable of steady, continuous burning was finally truly completed.
He walked to the backpack and began unpacking the layers of birch bark and complex mummy-like wrappings. The knots had become slightly stiff in the cold, but he patiently untied them one by one.
Finally, the porcupine carcass, gutted of its organs, was exposed to the air again.
But the porcupine had completely frozen, covered in a layer of white frost, clattering like a spiky wooden block when struck.
"At minus twenty degrees, anything moist will freeze completely in a short time."
"In this state, let alone skinning, it’s hard for my knife to even cut in, so defrosting is necessary."
Lin Yu’an placed the frozen porcupine about one meter away from the bonfire, occasionally turning it to ensure even heating.
This is a relatively lengthy process, but he didn’t waste any time. From the toolkit, he took out a fine-grit sharpening stone and started preparing.
"While waiting for defrosting, it’s essential to prepare the blade to its optimum state. The biggest taboo in handling animal carcasses is discovering mid-process that the knife isn’t sharp enough."
He meticulously honed each edge area of the Damascus Hunting Knife with water melted from snow, until the blade glittered with a biting cold light in the firelight.
About half an hour later, the frost on the porcupine carcass had completely melted, and the once stiff limbs began to become movable.
"Alright, the defrosting is pretty much complete." Lin Yu’an stood up, picking up the always-ready nylon rope.
"Now, let’s start processing this carcass. Before starting, I must emphasize the most important point," he looked at the camera, his tone becoming extremely serious.
"Many people’s first reaction upon seeing a porcupine might be to remove the quills, but that’s a fatal mistake."
"Theoretically, porcupine quills can be removed one by one, but the issue is an adult porcupine has as many as thirty thousand quills."
"Even pulling out one per second without food or drink would take over eight hours."
"More importantly, when attempting to pluck any quill, your hand is bound to brush against other quills among the fur."
"You’re facing thirty thousand barbed needle tips ready to pierce your hand at any moment. From efficiency and safety perspectives, removing the quills is completely unfeasible."
"So, since it’s impractical to pluck, how should we handle it? The answer is simple, avoid contact in every possible way."
"The only correct, safe, and efficient method is to suspend it."
Lin Yu’an walked straight to the other side of the bonfire, where a wooden tripod he built earlier for air drying and smoking fish stood.
This tripod was constructed from three de-barked spruce tree rods, tied firmly at the top with nylon rope, and its three legs plunged deeply into the solidified snow layer below.
Then, he brought the porcupine’s two hind legs together, tying them tightly above the ankle joint with nylon rope.
"Ha!"
With a low shout, the porcupine carcass, weighing over ten kilograms, was smoothly lifted from the snow.
He adjusted the position while pulling until its head hung about half a meter off the ground, an ideal height for standing operations.
The carcass swayed slightly in the air, and the spine densely covered with lethal quills, each one visible in the bright bonfire light.
But now, they’ve completely lost their threat, only feebly drooping downwards due to gravity.
Lin Yu’an brushed off snow from his hands, stepped forward, and surveyed the suspended carcass, nodding in satisfaction.
"See, this is the core advantage of the suspension skinning method."
Pointing to the upside-down porcupine, he explained clearly to the camera, "By suspending it upside down, all the quills naturally droop downward due to gravity, away from my body and hands."
