Early the next morning, Lin Yu'an brought the carefully crafted bait, preparing to return to the location where he had previously discovered traces of animal activity to reset the snare trap.
Most of the spots he chose were narrow animal trails in the forest or the edges of shrubs, where small animals were more likely to pass through.
"Today, we're mainly setting up small ground snares, targeting animals like foxes and minks."
He first cut a few flexible branches, sharpening one end and inserting it into the soil on one side of the passage as an elastic support for the snare.
Then he took out a small section of strong steel wire, skillfully tying a small and sturdy slipknot with a diameter of about ten to fifteen centimeters.
"The size of the snare is crucial; too big, and small animals will pass through easily, too small, and it might not catch them. So the size must be just right."
The other end of the slipknot is securely tied to the top of the elastic sapling, then carefully bent toward the ground, utilizing its own elastic force.
He then used a small twig to hold the bent branch and a simple trigger mechanism made of little sticks in place.
Finally, about half a meter behind the snare, he carefully placed a small piece of grouse innards bait, exuding a strong, fishy smell.
"The position of the bait is also important; it can't be too close, or the animal might eat the bait before triggering the trap."
"Nor can it be too far, or it won't be enticing enough. This distance ensures they dive right into my snare while trying to get closer."
With the same meticulous method, Lin Yu'an set up similar snare traps in two other different locations.
He carefully camouflaged each trap using surrounding fallen leaves, dry grass, and soil, merging them with the environment to avoid detection by wary prey.
After completing the trap setups, he continued collecting more firewood for the winter.
At noon, Lin Yu'an had a simple meal of smoked beaver meat and roasted sunchokes before heading to the area where he had set the traps.
First, he went to the trap farthest from the shelter, which was untriggered, with the bait still present.
The second trap showed the same situation.
When he got to the last trap, relatively close to the shelter and set in a shrub path, his Sixth Sense intensified strongly!
Sure enough, the branch acting as the elastic support was now springing upwards in a taut position! The snare was tightened, and it was slightly shaking!
"Something's caught!"
Lin Yu'an's spirits lifted as he immediately lightened his steps, carefully parting the foliage blocking his path.
He saw the snare tightly bound around the neck of a furry little creature! It was a small animal with a red-brown fur and a bushy tail, slightly bigger than an adult house cat.
It lay on the ground, emitting low whimpering sounds filled with fear and grievance, trying to futilely scrape the ground with its limbs to free itself from the restraint.
But it was clever, not struggling violently because it realized that the more it struggled, the tighter the snare got, which was why it hadn't suffocated.
"It's a little fox!"
Upon closer inspection, Lin Yu'an confirmed it was a young red fox, judging by its size and fur color, likely about three to four months old.
The little fox also perceived Lin Yu'an's approach, ceased its whimpering, and lifted its head to look at him with wide, innocent, watery eyes filled with wariness, its body trembling slightly in fear.
Lin Yu'an slowly crouched down, maintaining a certain distance from the little fox.
Although the snare was strangling its neck, because the young fox's struggle had caused a slight shift in the snare's position, it hadn't fully locked its windpipe, only restricting its movement without inflicting mortal harm.
"Don't be afraid, little one." Lin Yu'an's tone subconsciously softened.
He closely observed the young fox, appearing very juvenile; despite having red-brown fur, its face still bore distinct signs of youth, with a hint of adorableness in its eyes.
The joy of capturing prey initially felt by Lin Yu'an dissipated somewhat upon seeing the young fox.
"What should I do?"
He gave a wry smile to the camera.
"Such a small fox, even if it were hunting season, likely hasn't reached the age for legal hunting."
In Canada, there are strict regulations regarding wildlife protection, ignoring them could lead to unnecessary trouble.
"Forget it, little guy, you're lucky to get away unscathed after taking my bait. I still need to rescue you."
He shrugged to the camera, a hint of relief in his voice.
Carefully approaching the young fox, he softly reassured, "Don't move, don't move, I won't hurt you, I'm just helping to get this off."
The young fox seemed to sense his lack of malice, still tense but struggled less.
Lin Yu'an extended his gloved hand, gradually approaching the snare's slipknot.
In the moment his fingers were about to touch the knot, the little fox, still nervous, abruptly recoiled, issuing a low threatening sound from its throat.
"Don't be afraid, it'll be over soon." Lin Yu'an used his other hand to gently hold the scruff of its neck, waiting for it to calm down somewhat before trying again.
This time, he successfully pinched the snare's slipknot with his fingers and gave a pull, instantly loosening the tight loop around the young fox's neck.
Simultaneously releasing the grip on its scruff, the freed little fox sprang up from the ground, staggered a bit, ran a short distance, then surprisingly stopped.
The little young fox turned its head, tilting its head slightly, and fixed its bright black eyes on Lin Yu'an, as if trying to understand what had just happened.
Lin Yu'an quietly looked back at it, making no threatening moves.
"Off you go, little one, be more careful walking next time, wait until you're a bit older before diving into traps."
The little young fox seemed to really understand his words, or perhaps was merely charmed by his lack of emitted malice.
It hesitated for a few seconds on the spot, its tiny nose softly sniffing the air, seemingly savoring the previous bait's aroma.
Then, with slightly unsteady steps, it turned around and darted into the dense bushes, quickly vanishing from sight.
Lin Yu'an watched the direction the little fox disappeared in, lightly shook his head, and showed a slightly complex smile on his face.
"Looks like I've lost another prey, folks."
"Although it's a bit of a pity, letting go of such a small creature doesn't feel bad either."
"This trap spot likely won't yield any more catches in the future; I'll have to find a new hunting site."
After resetting all the traps, Lin Yu'an looked at the waves by the lakeside, a new plan formed in his mind, and he decided to start executing it tomorrow.