Chapter 286: Chapter 240: The Bear Didn’t Fall, the Man Fell First (Part 2)
But it had spent all winter in its den. When its warm paws touched the snow, the snow stuck. This snow would melt, then more would stick to the moisture, gradually freezing into little clumps of ice matted in the fur of its Bear’s Paws.
Its Bear’s Paws, made thin and tender from hibernation, hurt terribly when it walked on these ice clumps. The bear couldn’t go far before it had to stop, lie down, and gnaw the ice off its feet. Only after gnawing the ice away could it continue on its way.
So, even though it had been nearly two days and two nights since it left its den, the bear still hadn’t managed to get very far.
Just before Hua Xiao’Er came charging, it was resting, lying down under a large fallen log.
Why a fallen log?
This was a large linden tree that had been felled by someone at some unknown time. Loggers had even cut it into three sections, but for some reason, they hadn’t hauled it down the mountain to the Logging Camp and had just left it here.
The bear had arrived here yesterday afternoon and flopped down. It had no desire to move even by morning, but it never expected dogs to chase it down!
Hua Xiao’Er came up over the ridge, barking all the way, and charged to a stop about four meters from the Black Bear.
The Black Bear shot up with a WHOOSH. Hua Xiao’Er instantly retreated, stopping six or seven meters away from the Black Bear, craning its neck and letting out a volley of barks.
Normally, the bear’s first reaction upon seeing Hua Xiao’Er would have been to leave. This was a wild animal’s instinct. It wasn’t afraid of the dog, but of getting injured.
But this Black Bear was already injured. It had multiple severe burns on its body and was full of frustration and pent-up anger. Startled by Hua Xiao’Er, it was ready to fight to the death!
The Black Bear lunged at Hua Xiao’Er. As it got close, it reared up its upper body, standing up like a person.
This is the difference between a Black Bear’s attack and a dog’s. A dog rushes in and bites. A Black Bear, on the other hand, rushes in, then rises to swipe. If it catches its target, it will then bite or sit on it.
But as the Black Bear reared up, Hua Xiao’Er immediately twisted around and ran. The Black Bear’s lunge hit nothing but air. When it looked up again, Hua Xiao’Er was standing about five meters away, barking at it repeatedly.
Just then, Daqing also came charging, barking nonstop.
Seeing another dog running toward it, the Black Bear abandoned Hua Xiao’Er and charged to meet Daqing.
Daqing dodged in the same way, running five or six meters away to maintain a safe distance before barking at the Black Bear again.
Facing two opponents, the Black Bear didn’t attack rashly again. Instead, it reared up, letting out a series of roars to threaten the two dogs.
But how could Hua Xiao’Er be afraid of that? Hua Xiao’Er began to circle, moving behind the Black Bear. Seeing Hua Xiao’Er move, the Black Bear turned its head, its gaze and upper body following the dog’s every movement.
As the Black Bear twisted its body, it exposed its right flank. Daqing swiftly lunged in and took a bite.
Under attack, the Black Bear swiped with its right paw, and Daqing deftly retreated.
The Black Bear shook its head and charged after Daqing. Daqing turned and ran, and Hua Xiao’Er seized the opportunity to attack from behind, biting the Black Bear on its rear.
When this Black Bear was in its den, it would either lie down or sit, meaning its rear and lower belly were most exposed. When it was burned the day before yesterday, these were the two areas that were most severely injured.
The blisters on its rear had ruptured, and the large wounds had been stinging with fiery pain. Fortunately, the low winter temperatures had numbed the pain, so after two days and two nights, it wasn’t feeling it too intensely anymore.
But now, Hua Xiao’Er’s bite not only struck the wound hard, breaking the thin scab that had formed, but the dog’s saliva also got into the raw flesh. The sensation was so painful the Black Bear shot up with a leap.
The Black Bear let out an agonized howl, swiped a Bear’s Paw behind it, and immediately spun around.
After landing the bite, Hua Xiao’Er turned and ran. Seeing the Black Bear relentlessly chasing Hua Xiao’Er, Daqing caught up to the bear and also took a bite out of its rear.
Although Daqing’s bite wasn’t deep, the dog was heavy. It latched onto the Black Bear’s rear and dragged downward, and the resulting pain was absolutely gut-wrenching for the bear.
No matter how infinite its rage, it couldn’t endure such pain.
And just then, the sound of more barking arrived. Da Huang and White Dragon charged up the slope, one after the other. In an instant, the four dogs had surrounded the Black Bear.
This time, whichever dog the Black Bear chased would run, while the others would chase from behind and bite its rear. When the Black Bear turned to chase another dog, the rest would do the exact same thing.
It didn’t take many bites. From the moment it was startled by Hua Xiao’Er until now, it had only been bitten four times, but the Black Bear couldn’t take it anymore.
Now, it was surrounded by the four dogs again. Seeing that they were about to repeat their tactic, the Black Bear lowered its body and charged at White Dragon. White Dragon dodged to the side, but the bear didn’t turn to chase. Instead, it rushed straight to a linden tree, slapped its forepaws against the trunk, kicked up with its hind legs, and scrambled up the tree in a couple of bounds.
The four dogs gave chase from all sides. Reaching the tree, they all stood up on their hind legs, pawing at the trunk and barking incessantly at the Black Bear.
But there was no way the Black Bear was coming down. It climbed higher and higher. The four dogs, helpless, could only sit at the base of the tree, tilting their heads up and letting out occasional barks.
At this time, Zhao Jun and Xing San were still halfway up the slope. Hearing that the sound of the dogs’ barking from above had changed, Zhao Jun immediately pulled Xing San to a stop.
"What is it, kid?" Xing San thought Zhao Jun was about to back out.
Zhao Jun said, "No need to rush anymore, Uncle. The bear’s treed."
"Huh? How do you know?" Xing San asked, highly skeptical.
Questioned like that by Xing San, Zhao Jun chuckled. "I hunt with dogs. Of course I know what all their noises mean."
Zhao Jun wasn’t bragging. When dogs are fighting a Black Bear, their barks are fierce and rapid. But as soon as a Black Bear is up a tree, the barking instantly changes, becoming intermittent and calmer.
A Hunter who has been running hounds for years can tell the difference, allowing them to grasp the state of the dogs and the prey early on.
"That’s not right," Xing San said with a frown. "Doesn’t everyone say Black Bears don’t climb trees in winter?"
In spring and autumn, as long as the dogs were skilled and bit hard, a Black Bear would be forced up a tree after a few rounds with them. But in winter, a Black Bear that had just come out of its den, or one found wandering about, would rarely climb a tree.
Zhao Jun was also puzzled and shook his head. "I don’t know why, but it’s definitely up a tree."
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Xing San didn’t press the issue. After all, the dogs belonged to Zhao Jun’s family. If Zhao Jun wasn’t worried about his own dogs, what did he, Xing San, have to worry about?
When the two of them reached the top of the slope and looked, the Black Bear was indeed up the tree. Zhao Jun said to Xing San, "Uncle, you go first."
"Alright." Xing San didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the gun off his back and aimed up.
This old man hadn’t just borrowed this gun from somewhere.
It was a No. 16 takedown shotgun. Unlike the single-shot Zhao Jun used, the barrel on this takedown model could be detached and replaced.
For hunting squirrels, pheasants, or wild rabbits, you’d use the No. 16 shotgun barrel and fire standard shotgun shells.
But for hunting wild boars or Black Bears, you had to swap in the barrel from a semi-automatic rifle and use 7.62mm rounds.
At that moment, the Black Bear was clinging to the tree about five meters up, swaying its head back and forth as it peered down.
It was a sitting duck!
This is also why people say a bear is sometimes easier to hunt than a wild boar. It dens in the winter and is easily treed in the spring and autumn. No matter the season, the bear will give you a chance for a clean shot. It all comes down to whether you’re good enough to take it.
Xing San raised his gun, aimed at the bear, and put his finger on the trigger.
"BANG!"
At the sound of the gunshot, the four dogs leaped up from the ground and rushed to the tree, continuously scratching at the trunk with their front paws while barking wildly.
But the Black Bear was still clinging securely to the tree above, looking around in a daze. With a Black Bear’s poor eyesight, however, it couldn’t see anything clearly.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun, who had been on high alert, actually let out a sigh of relief. He had been afraid the old man wouldn’t hit a vital spot, causing the Black Bear to come down and injure the dogs. Who would have thought that Xing San’s shot hadn’t even grazed a single hair on the bear?
"I say, Uncle, you really should aim before you..." Zhao Jun said with a laugh, turning to speak to Xing San. But when he turned his head, what he saw gave him a shock.
Xing San had dropped his gun and was lying in the snow, his old face deathly pale, his jaw trembling uncontrollably.
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