King of the Wilderness

With a command from Robert, the euphoria after the celebratory photos quickly faded, replaced by the McKinley men’s innate professionalism and efficiency.

Processing an adult bull elk weighing nearly a thousand pounds, especially in the sub-zero wilderness, is an incredibly challenging task.

"Dad, you take a break first." Big brother Wyatt took over the command.

He pointed to the massive carcass and said to his brothers, "Garrett, Kley, let’s flip this guy over first, so the back is facing down, making it easier to gut."

The three of them worked together, exerting great effort, finally turning the massive beast over, letting its soft belly face the sky.

Wyatt said concisely, "We’re short on time today, so no detailed skinning. We’ll use the quartering method, taking off the four legs and tenderloins first."

"Bo, you handle the heart and liver, don’t rupture the gallbladder. Be quick, get it done before the meat freezes completely!"

The group immediately divided the tasks and cooperated.

Wyatt and Garrett handled the two hind legs, using hunting knives to expertly cut deep incisions along the contours where the legs connect to the body.

Then they detached the entire hind leg with the skin from the hip joint. Once the joint was exposed, Kley stepped in and used a bone saw to precisely cut at the joint gap.

"Creak... Creak..."

The sound of the bone saw grinding against the hard bone echoed in the silent valley.

Lin Yu’an, together with Robert, was responsible for handling the two front legs. His knife skills were even more precise and steady than Wyatt’s.

Meanwhile, third brother Bo knelt by the elk’s thoracic cavity.

Unlike the others, who wielded large knives, he used a small, sharp skinning knife, carefully slicing between the ribs, precisely avoiding the stomach and intestines.

He reached his hand into the still warm chest cavity, accurately locating the heart and liver. With the knife tip, he deftly cut the blood vessels and connective tissue attached to the heart and liver.

Then, he extracted the huge heart, still slightly twitching reflexively, and the dark reddish-brown liver, smooth as silk, intact.

"Done." He placed these two most precious organs on a clean waterproof cloth, steam rising from them in the snow.

In less than an hour, with the combined efforts of the men, the massive elk was efficiently broken down into several main parts.

Four complete deer legs still with fur, two premium deer tenderloins, a whole deer rib rack, and the most precious heart and liver.

And the huge antlers, like a crown, were meticulously cut off by Wyatt with a bone saw, along with a small piece of skull cap, the standard method for making a European mount.

Then, like treating a sacred artifact, they were solemnly stood aside.

As for the remaining carcass and lower-value intestines, they were left in place according to hunter tradition, as a gift for other scavengers on this land.

"All right, load up!" Wyatt clapped off the blood from his hands.

The group wrapped these hefty, still warm trophies in waterproof cloth, then transported them back to the Eagle’s Nest using snowmobiles.

When the hunting team returned loaded with spoils to the warm spring-like mansion, the waiting women and children burst into cheers.

Especially Little Jack and Little Kyle, who leaped with excitement when they saw the antlers larger than the two of them combined.

"Wow! Dad! Grandpa! You hunted a monster!"

The McKinley family spent the entire afternoon immersed in great joy. The men, with Sean’s help, began meticulously processing and cataloging the antlers.

Meanwhile, the women gathered in the kitchen, enthusiastically discussing tonight’s full venison feast menu with Irena.

Lin Yu’an, on the other hand, found the logistics manager "Fat Chef" Jack and gave him a pleasantly surprising order:

"Jack, take the two elk hind legs and the whole rib rack we brought back today to the fireplace veranda."

"Then inform all the brothers on duty and resting, dinner starts at seven o’clock sharp. Tell them tonight, there are no bosses and employees, only a family celebrating victory together."

"Yes, boss!" Fat Chef Jack’s face instantly beamed with a bright smile, knowing this would be a night that would excite all the staff.

In the evening, the grand barbecue feast unfolded thoroughly at the fireplace veranda outside the Eagle’s Nest and the adjacent open snowfield.

On the long dining table by the veranda, laid exquisite dishes prepared by Irena for Robert, the mothers, and children.

There was venison steak seared with the freshest tenderloins, and rich flavored pâté made from the deer heart and liver.

But the real revelry was outside the veranda.

In the snow outside the veranda, security teams and cowboys lit several large bonfires.

Fat Chef Jack and his team had already brought out several giant trailer-mounted stainless steel barbecue pits from the warehouse.

These behemoths, resembling small train engines, integrated massive charcoal grills, independent smoke boxes, and warming cabinets, serving as the ultimate tool for hosting large outdoor parties.

At that moment, the lids of the grills were open, and the two elk hind legs, weighing over a hundred pounds combined, had already been marinated with Jack’s secret spices and were set on the enormous grill rack.