Chapter 1057: Fox Hunting

When Yang Cheng and the others returned to the castle, their father and father-in-law had just entered the house, their coats were wet with dew, and they were changing under the servants' clothes. There were traces of gunpowder, and a few drops of blood that hadn't been wiped off the ground, but the prey was gone.

When Yang Cheng came in, she couldn't help asking in surprise, "Did you hit the fox?"

When they arrived in the afternoon, Carson had already informed of tonight's event in advance. It was a prey sport that had been circulating in the British upper class for a hundred years and had been repeatedly banned in recent years.

The British media conducted a survey, and nearly 80% of people admitted that the sport was too cruel, but the well-dressed nobles still enjoyed it, and even argued that most of the anti-fox hunters were out of jealousy of the upper class.

However, under the pressure of all walks of life, the British government still issued a decree in 2005, expressly prohibiting this ancient aristocratic sport that has been popular for more than 600 years.

However, how could the bloody chase entertainment of nobles who have lasted for hundreds of years stop here? This is a challenge to the upper class! But now is not the time when the royal family is in power, and the nobles are not too good at doing too much. In line with the principle of you walking your Yangguan road and I crossing my single-plank bridge, every autumn, the nobles will actively go out to hunt foxes collectively and enjoy The fun of chasing in this process, but I will no longer show off my hunting results as crazy as before.

In fact, fox hunting is only one of the sub-items of hunting sports. It has a long history in the UK. As a kind of entertainment in the upper class, there are reasons why it has endured for hundreds of years. The UK has a typical mild and humid climate. The oceanic climate makes the grass soil extremely fertile, so the British countryside has become a paradise for foxes to play happily.

Moreover, foxes are active for half a year. During this half year, they acted very aggressively, often attacking and digging holes everywhere, causing huge damage to farmland and livestock, eroding crops, and destroying farms. Farmers and ranchers have caused many troubles and losses. Foxes have gradually become a major public hazard in agriculture and animal husbandry. It is imperative to eliminate these cunning beasts.

As a result, the British who were already keen on hunting, especially those British nobles with shotguns, were ready to go. Every year when the sales season came, noble hunters gathered in the countryside all over the UK, under the pretext of venting their anger for the farmers, enjoying The bloody thrill of the chase kill.

They usually wear red hunting suits and black felt hats, step on tall horses, and surrounded by groups of foxhounds, gallop through the autumn fog in the countryside; In the footsteps of ancestors, chasing prey such as foxes, rabbits, and elks. In order to facilitate the transportation of shotguns and prey, the nobles also tried to modify their cars. This is why people often hear the hunting version of a certain model.

Unlike ordinary aristocrats, hunting is also a game that the British royal family loves very much. Now Her Majesty’s father, George VI, and her husband, Prince Philip, are both senior fans of this sport .

But the date of the royal hunting is not in autumn, but on December 26 every year, members of the British royal family will hold Boxing Day shooting in Sandringham, Norfolk, England.

Foxes are warm-blooded animals, and there is no such thing as hibernation, but they have the habit of storing prey, so even in icy and snowy forests, foxes can still be found, even easier to track than in autumn, after all, snow is more likely to leave foxes Even without foxhounds, you can find the tail of a fox. Thanks to the restrictions of the law, although fox hunting is not completely banned now, almost no one uses foxhounds to track it anymore.

Because some people who oppose fox hunting believe that it is inhumane for fox dogs to kill foxes a little bit in the process of tracking. It would be nice to be able to shoot a fox that is exhausted and too late to make a hole, but you still want to shoot a fox that is cunning, agile and lively? Go dreaming.

Generally, the prime time for hunting is early morning and evening, which is the time when foxes are most active, especially at dusk, when the weather is getting cooler, and the sound of dogs barking and running can be heard from a distance. 15 to 20 pairs of foxhounds are shouting at the hunters. and rushed to the woods under the command of the trumpet.

The greatest joy of fox hunting lies in the hunting process, and most of the hunted prey are red foxes.

The red fox is very cunning. Once it finds the foxhound, it will become very alert and start its own escape journey. The alert red fox is good at hiding its tracks, but its smell is difficult to hide, and the foxhound is specially trained to rely on the sense of smell. Those who come to track, can keep up with the scent of red foxes. Foxhounds do not walk very fast, and sometimes they lose their prey. Lucky red foxes can continue to enjoy a free life. Anyone who can successfully hunt red foxes, No problem blowing for 1 year or 2 years.

But without the help of foxhounds, it was not easy for Yang Sen and the others to hunt foxes even when there was still snow in the forest in winter.

Moreover, Yang Sen and the others don't have rich fox hunting experience. Well-trained foxhounds help, it’s okay to say, when the fox exhausts its energy and lies on the ground honestly waiting to die, all you have to do is pull the trigger and think about how to show off.

But without the help of a foxhound, not to mention whether you can find a fox, even if you ride a horse in the snow for half an hour, inexperienced people can't hold on at all. Fox hunting also requires knowledge and physical support.

First of all, the horse and the rider on horseback need to cooperate tacitly, pay close attention to the whereabouts of the prey, and choose the closest route to follow. There are no special requirements for the breed of fox hunting horses, but fox hunting horses must be trained, and the horses must be calm, brave and determined. Endurance, because the terrain of the jungle is relatively complex, and there are often natural obstacles such as bushes and running water. The requirements for endurance in the snow are higher. Fox hunting horses must successfully overcome many obstacles before they can hunt down their prey.

The rider must first learn how to control the fox hunting horse. If the rider hesitates a little, the horse will refuse to jump, and the prey may escape between the hesitation of the man and the horse.

That's why Yang Cheng was so surprised when he saw the blood on the ground. If I remember correctly, this should be my father's first fox hunting. Of course, when he was young, he often followed his grandfather to hunt in the Texas countryside or Alaska. , You should have experience in tracking prey, and your horse riding skills are also great, but after living in the office for so many years, and don't know the fox's temperament, Yang Cheng can't help but admire that there is nothing his father can't do arrived.

Carson also greeted him with a pleasant smile and replied, "Yes, they were lucky. They found the trace of the red fox on the first fox hunt. After 40 minutes of tracking, they successfully captured it at the entrance of the red fox's cave. Shoot, but unfortunately there is only one red fox in the cave, so that should not be its lair, otherwise we might be able to catch a family."

The British upper class all have killing genes in their bones. Even Carson, who is just a housekeeper, when he talks about killing the fox family, what is shown in his eyes is not sympathy, but the disappointment that he has not been successfully captured.

Of course, Yang Cheng did not have that kind of emotion. For him, foxes are neither protected animals nor his favorite pet. The British have to dispose of more than 10,000 adult foxes and more than 3,000 young foxes every year. There are a large number of foxes that plague the countryside. To some extent, fox hunting is a good thing for human survival, as long as the foxes are not extinct in the British Isles by inhumane means.

"Remember to peel off the fox skin later, find a reliable tailor to make a scarf or a handbag, and let my father give it to my mother as a gift." Yang Cheng casually ordered.

Carson responded, "By the way, Mr. Luo also shot an adult pheasant."

Luo Yue also asked in surprise, "Really? My dad also caught prey? But what is a pheasant?"

The girl didn't know much about these prey, so she asked Yang Cheng.

There are not many opportunities to show your profound knowledge in front of your lover, Yang Cheng will not miss it, "It is the pheasant from country Z, but this thing is eaten as a protected animal in country Z, but the number in the UK is probably more than foxes, reaching flooding It is said that there is a reward for killing one.”

Carson added, "Yes, now the ZF encourages people to shoot and kill. If you kill one and go to a fixed place, you can get 20 pounds. It is impossible to make a fortune from this, but it is still possible to subsidize the family."

Yang Cheng shrugged, "It's a pity that the British people's pursuit of food is too low. If the same amount of pheasants were thrown into country Z, they would be extinct in less than two years."

After saying that, he licked his lips and swallowed profuse saliva. Not to mention, he hadn't tasted wild game for a long time, so he couldn't wait to ask, "Can the kitchen make it? It's just a supper."

At this time, Yang Sen, who had changed into dry clothes, came over and cursed with a smile, "You know how to eat, don't worry, the kitchen is already cooking, go change your clothes and wait to eat."

Yang Cheng grinned and said, "Then I inherited it from you, why don't you arrange it without waiting for me to tell you, but you are really good, and you will gain something from the first fox hunting. It seems that you will participate in the hunting activities of the royal family the day after tomorrow. , you can show your skills."

"Okay, don't be poor, is Yueyue tired? Do you want to go upstairs for a rest?" Yang Sen has a good impression of his daughter-in-law, and his attitude is much more amiable.

Luo Yue hurriedly said, "Thank you uncle for your concern. I'm not tired. I took the car all the way and didn't walk much."

Yang Cheng curled his lips, saying that he forgot his mother when he had a daughter-in-law, and his father forgot his son when he had a daughter-in-law.