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00:00:11,877 --> 00:00:16,720
NARRATOR: On this episode of
Life Below Zero,
it's every man for himself.

2
00:00:16,787 --> 00:00:20,226
Here in nature,
it's kill or be killed.

3
00:00:20,293 --> 00:00:22,565
NARRATOR: Sue confronts
her darkest fears.

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00:00:22,632 --> 00:00:24,335
SUE: It's a man killer.

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00:00:24,402 --> 00:00:27,207
It's gonna defend its life
with everything it's got
and it's got an arsenal.

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00:00:27,274 --> 00:00:29,846
NARRATOR: While Andy and Kate
spill blood for guts.

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00:00:29,913 --> 00:00:32,184
ANDY: We basically
have nothing stored
for the winter.

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00:00:32,251 --> 00:00:34,689
NARRATOR: The Hailstones
battle the coming freeze.

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00:00:34,756 --> 00:00:37,328
The ice can just form
and you lose your whole net.

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00:00:37,395 --> 00:00:40,935
NARRATOR: And Erik ventures
to the edge of Alaska
in search of food.

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00:00:52,859 --> 00:00:57,902
In a few short weeks,
Alaska will be held
in winter's deathly grip.

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00:00:57,969 --> 00:01:01,108
For the men and women
who choose to live here,
it's an urgent race

13
00:01:01,175 --> 00:01:03,914
to get prepared before
the freeze takes hold.

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00:01:03,981 --> 00:01:08,390
But in Kavik,
the bears are still weeks away
from hibernation.

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00:01:08,457 --> 00:01:12,499
My name is Susan Aikens
and I live on
the north slope of Alaska.

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00:01:12,566 --> 00:01:14,168
I'm the owner
of Kavik River Camp.

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It's a remote
fuelling station.

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For nine months
out of the year,
I'm 100% alone.

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The closest neighbours
that I do have
on a consistent basis

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00:01:22,417 --> 00:01:25,491
are the 83 grizzlies that live
within 10 miles from my camp.

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00:01:26,694 --> 00:01:28,664
Welcome to Kavik.

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NARRATOR: This year
the grizzlies are getting
too close for comfort.

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SUE: The bears are awake.

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I've had a couple of them
harassing camp.

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There was a bear
headed towards camp
last night.

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He got close.

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00:01:39,819 --> 00:01:41,824
We're talking
an inland grizzly.

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This is a top predator.
It's a man killer.

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It's gonna defend its life
with everything it's got,
and it's got an arsenal.

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I've been attacked.
I don't wanna be
attacked again.

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One of the biggest things
that I want to do right now

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is go out there,
do some target practise.

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Take a few shots and make sure
that I'm on target.

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I want the safety of knowing
if I point it, and I shoot,
it will go down.

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And it's a challenge for me.

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NARRATOR: Taking down
a 1,000-pound grizzly

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at 400 yards requires
a perfect shot.

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Nope.

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SUE: About five,
six years ago,

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a smart bear who was hiding,
reached out and snatched me

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00:02:24,241 --> 00:02:28,584
and drug me up into the tundra
just a few yards
from the tent.

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The hips were torn out
of the socket, you know,
discs spit out.

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I mean, you can still feel
here and here where his teeth
went into my head.

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00:02:39,606 --> 00:02:40,875
(RIFLE SHOTS)

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Imagine the sound it makes
when a bear's crunching
on your own head

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and has his jaws
on your throat.

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00:02:49,325 --> 00:02:50,928
You don't know if that's
your last minute.

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And it took 10 days for
somebody to find me,

49
00:02:56,573 --> 00:02:59,344
but has it changed me?
Yeah, some.

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I'm not gonna say
I'm more of a pussy now,

51
00:03:01,617 --> 00:03:04,623
but I accepted that
I may be bear crap any day.

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00:03:06,258 --> 00:03:08,564
You cannot live here
and do this without accepting

53
00:03:08,631 --> 00:03:10,266
your place in the food chain.

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There's the bottom.
There's the top.
And I'm somewhere around here.

55
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Well, let's go look at it.

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We got one here, one there.
It's good, it's good.

57
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I'm in the kill zone.
You got to remember, I mean,

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the can is this big, the bear
is gonna be this big

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00:03:33,213 --> 00:03:35,752
with a kill zone like that.

60
00:03:35,819 --> 00:03:37,388
No, I'm pleased with it.

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It is a mind pooch for me
to go and actively hunt
a bear.

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I mean, I need...
I want the meat.

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I want the hide.
I want the fat.

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00:03:49,546 --> 00:03:52,050
I'd like to find the one
that's harassing camp.

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So, it's time to get
a little bit more aggressive.

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00:03:55,925 --> 00:04:00,535
But in the back of my mind,
I've got a lot of memories
that are getting away.

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00:04:00,602 --> 00:04:02,270
So, it's a good thing.

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00:04:02,337 --> 00:04:04,341
Get back in the saddle
and see what happens.

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CHIP:
Subsistence is basically,
do-it-yourself.

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When you're subsistence
fishing, you're fishing for
your own needs, your own food.

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You're not buying it
from a store, it wasn't raised
in a factory.

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This is the way to go.

73
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We're not at the end
of the road,

74
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we're 300 miles away
from the end of the road.

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We fish, we trap, we hunt.

76
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I like being self-sufficient.

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I do what I do because it
doesn't matter who or where
you are.

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If you're a man, you can hunt.

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So I came up here in 1988
and I've decided
not to go anywhere.

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NARRATOR: With seven mouths
to feed at home

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00:04:49,966 --> 00:04:52,839
and elders to support
in their isolated village,

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Chip and Agnes Hailstone
depend on the land to provide
most of the food they eat.

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I've been waiting to do some
fishing, but I was expecting
to do it under the ice.

84
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I don't know if there's going
to be any whitefish at all,
but I might have a hope.

85
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CHIP: We're gonna use
our boat,

86
00:05:09,706 --> 00:05:12,044
we're gonna go put the nets
out until it starts to freeze.

87
00:05:12,111 --> 00:05:13,780
Once it starts to freeze,
we'll take the nets out.

88
00:05:13,847 --> 00:05:15,317
But the thing is,
that the fish are going by,

89
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regardless of it freezing
over or not.

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It doesn't matter
if the water's hard
or the water's soft.

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-AGNES: Wait! One, two...
-Same time. Ready?
One, two, three!

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00:05:24,168 --> 00:05:26,806
CHIP: My wife has a tradition
of fishing here all winter.

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Her dad grew up doing that
and her grandparents did that

94
00:05:29,344 --> 00:05:30,981
and the people before them
did that.

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00:05:31,048 --> 00:05:33,987
NARRATOR: Unusual weather
is disrupting
Chip and Agnes's ability

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00:05:34,054 --> 00:05:35,724
to find resources.

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Waiting is not an option.

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AGNES: This year
is totally different.

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00:05:40,233 --> 00:05:44,609
I guess it has to do with
global warming or something,
but our river's not frozen.

100
00:05:44,676 --> 00:05:48,349
It's like three weeks late
and it's still running.

101
00:05:48,416 --> 00:05:51,956
Usually we've come put
our nets out under the ice.

102
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But we didn't get a chance
to do that.

103
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It's sun shining
and the river's flowing

104
00:05:58,136 --> 00:06:02,444
when it should be cold
and dark and clear. (CHUCKLES)

105
00:06:02,511 --> 00:06:05,684
But the fish ain't waiting
for the ice to freeze.

106
00:06:05,751 --> 00:06:08,222
It's just like
freaking me out a little.

107
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AGNES: Okay, just about ready?

108
00:06:11,630 --> 00:06:15,002
CHIP: Mmm-hmm.
So are you ready to feed?

109
00:06:15,069 --> 00:06:17,608
-I'm gonna go out.
-Yup!

110
00:06:23,687 --> 00:06:27,461
When you have your nets out
and it's not totally frozen,
the ice can just form

111
00:06:27,528 --> 00:06:32,905
and just come take your net
away and then you lose
your whole net.

112
00:06:32,972 --> 00:06:37,313
Yeah, it's a little bit risky,
but it's worth it.
The whitefish are worth it.

113
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Hopefully I'm not out here
wasting my time.

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-CHIP: Yeah, I'm just going
as slow as I can.
-Yup.

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Hold on!

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CHIP: You got time.

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Yee-hee!
I don't want it to rip my net.

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00:06:47,868 --> 00:06:49,204
There! Go ahead!

119
00:06:52,177 --> 00:06:53,312
Okay!

120
00:06:54,549 --> 00:06:56,352
I think that's
at the drop-off.

121
00:06:56,419 --> 00:06:59,090
-I can't hear you.
-That's good!

122
00:06:59,157 --> 00:07:00,728
-Should I go park the boat?
-AGNES: Yup!

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00:07:02,163 --> 00:07:04,134
-Thank you!
-Yup!

124
00:07:09,612 --> 00:07:12,685
Well, we're just gonna have to
leave it there
for a little bit

125
00:07:12,752 --> 00:07:17,928
and just come back later
and see how it's doing.
I hope I catch some fish.

126
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Sure wouldn't mind
a real good load of fish.

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ERIK: My choice in life
to live out in the bush

128
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and do the things that I do.

129
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All it is, is a choice.

130
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It's an unbelievable life
I get to live. I feel
very fortunate every day.

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My name is Erik Salitan,
I'm a registered
guide outfitter.

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I live in the Arctic of Alaska
in the village of Wiseman.

133
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Right now I'm in Iliamna,
Alaska, just finishing up
my coastal brown bear season.

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NARRATOR: With his
guiding season over,

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00:07:58,610 --> 00:08:00,847
Erik plans to make the most
of his remaining time

136
00:08:00,914 --> 00:08:05,490
in the southern part
of the state to stock up
for winter.

137
00:08:05,557 --> 00:08:06,659
ERIK: The guiding season
is over,

138
00:08:06,726 --> 00:08:09,731
and I'm happy just to unwind
here, and look forward

139
00:08:09,798 --> 00:08:11,702
to just doing a little
personal hunting of my own

140
00:08:11,769 --> 00:08:14,542
and get ready for
winter trapping season,
which is my passion.

141
00:08:18,817 --> 00:08:22,458
Alaska has more
brown bear, grizzly bears
than ever in recorded history.

142
00:08:22,525 --> 00:08:26,833
There's an estimated 35,000 to
40,000 bears in the state
of Alaska.

143
00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:30,707
Here on the Alaska peninsula,
is one bear
every square mile.

144
00:08:30,774 --> 00:08:33,413
Whereas up in the Brooks Range
where I live year round,

145
00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:35,984
it's up to one every
50 square miles.

146
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So there's a lot more
bears here.

147
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While I was out stretching
my legs, I discovered here
a bear-killed bear.

148
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So right at the base of this
big mound you can see
the carcass

149
00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,745
of the smaller brown bear
that the larger bear killed.

150
00:08:49,812 --> 00:08:54,555
The bottom line is,
here in nature,
it's kill or be killed.

151
00:08:54,622 --> 00:08:57,928
That's a more than respectably
sized paw.

152
00:08:57,995 --> 00:09:00,467
You wouldn't want that
to tear into you.

153
00:09:00,534 --> 00:09:03,339
That was probably a
7.5 to 8' bear.

154
00:09:03,406 --> 00:09:05,309
And this was the loser.

155
00:09:05,376 --> 00:09:08,817
The big bear, he weighed more
than twice what this bear did.

156
00:09:08,884 --> 00:09:11,655
There's a pelvis right here
and the spine of the bear.

157
00:09:11,722 --> 00:09:13,726
That bear,
he entirely consumed him.

158
00:09:13,793 --> 00:09:19,137
He's actually cracked open
the skull to get the brains,
he's ate the tongue out of it.

159
00:09:19,204 --> 00:09:21,576
I mean, he's really
just chewed it all to heck.

160
00:09:21,643 --> 00:09:24,014
I mean,
this is freaking awesome.

161
00:09:25,517 --> 00:09:28,188
Nothing gets me more excited
than to come out

162
00:09:28,255 --> 00:09:30,394
and to see this kind of things
in the natural world.

163
00:09:30,461 --> 00:09:32,163
I mean, a true 10' bear.

164
00:09:32,230 --> 00:09:35,871
He killed this, you know,
4 or 500 pound bear,
and he ate him.

165
00:09:35,938 --> 00:09:37,340
And that's awesome!

166
00:09:40,814 --> 00:09:42,083
ANDY: No matter how much
you prepare,

167
00:09:42,150 --> 00:09:44,354
it seems like you're never
prepared for winter.

168
00:09:44,421 --> 00:09:46,692
And when it comes,
it comes with vengeance.

169
00:09:46,759 --> 00:09:48,863
And it comes fast.
And it comes hard.

170
00:10:02,423 --> 00:10:08,235
My name is Andy Bassich,
I live about 15 miles
downriver from Eagle, Alaska.

171
00:10:08,302 --> 00:10:10,673
I like being as independent
as I can.

172
00:10:10,740 --> 00:10:16,586
Everything you see around
here, I did pretty much solo
or with the help from Kate.

173
00:10:16,653 --> 00:10:22,129
I'm gonna pull the bulldozer
up, I want to hook the bridle
onto the chain there.

174
00:10:22,196 --> 00:10:26,439
These days are jam-packed
full of work, work, work.

175
00:10:26,506 --> 00:10:29,110
We're only two people,
but we can get it done.

176
00:10:29,177 --> 00:10:33,118
Living out in remote areas,
you rely on
the natural resources.

177
00:10:33,185 --> 00:10:36,492
And for us fishing for
chum salmon is probably

178
00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:38,563
the most important thing
we do every year.

179
00:10:38,630 --> 00:10:41,603
It feeds our dogs
for 365 days.

180
00:10:41,670 --> 00:10:47,380
I depend on them for safe
transportation, companionship,
and to protect us.

181
00:10:47,447 --> 00:10:51,822
A day or two ago we just fed
out the last stick of fish
to the dogs.

182
00:10:51,889 --> 00:10:55,997
Right now the total focus
in my mind is getting
that fish wheel in the river

183
00:10:56,064 --> 00:10:58,970
and starting to turn it
and getting slimy with fish.

184
00:11:00,874 --> 00:11:03,412
It's kind of
an automatic fishing machine.

185
00:11:03,479 --> 00:11:08,288
It's an ancient design,
brought over to North America
during the Gold Rush of 1896.

186
00:11:09,390 --> 00:11:10,760
It's relentless.

187
00:11:10,827 --> 00:11:14,601
There's no motors,
it's all by the power
of the river.

188
00:11:14,668 --> 00:11:18,242
I could stick
this fish wheel in
and I'll catch 500 fish a day.

189
00:11:21,516 --> 00:11:23,953
I've built a lot
of fish wheels over the years.

190
00:11:24,020 --> 00:11:28,430
This wheel here was the result
of 30 years of building them

191
00:11:28,497 --> 00:11:32,103
and seeing what works,
what holds up,
and what doesn't hold up.

192
00:11:32,170 --> 00:11:35,677
Pushing this fish wheel in
is a bit of a challenge.

193
00:11:35,744 --> 00:11:39,184
It's not really designed
to be twisted or turned
at all.

194
00:11:39,251 --> 00:11:41,220
We're going down over
a pretty steep bank,

195
00:11:41,287 --> 00:11:44,628
so there's gonna be a lot
of weight, a lot of momentum.

196
00:11:44,695 --> 00:11:48,736
If it gives out as I'm trying
to pull it down
into the river, I'm screwed.

197
00:11:48,803 --> 00:11:53,980
So we have to go slow
and Kate will be my
second pair of eyes here

198
00:11:54,047 --> 00:11:57,521
to kind of listen and watch,
and hopefully we'll get it
in the water.

199
00:11:58,356 --> 00:11:59,424
Without any damage.

200
00:12:05,403 --> 00:12:07,908
Damn it! Fuckin' eh!

201
00:12:07,975 --> 00:12:10,614
NARRATOR: Andy and Kate
must successfully launch
their fish wheel

202
00:12:10,681 --> 00:12:14,387
into the Yukon to catch
a year's supply of food
for their dogs.

203
00:12:14,454 --> 00:12:16,658
They cannot risk damaging it.

204
00:12:16,725 --> 00:12:19,397
ANDY: This isn't working
worth a shit.

205
00:12:27,814 --> 00:12:29,784
There's a lot on my shoulders
right now.

206
00:12:29,851 --> 00:12:31,588
I've got to start fishing.

207
00:12:31,655 --> 00:12:34,227
We basically have nothing
stored for the winter.

208
00:12:36,899 --> 00:12:40,172
Andy's taking
the bracing off
the fish wheel now

209
00:12:40,239 --> 00:12:43,545
and pretty soon we'll see
those baskets turn.

210
00:12:43,612 --> 00:12:47,219
Without this fish wheel,
I don't think that we could
afford to live down here.

211
00:12:47,286 --> 00:12:49,925
Twenty-five dogs is a lot
of mouths to feed.

212
00:12:49,992 --> 00:12:53,833
So it saves us thousands
of dollars a year
in dog food alone.

213
00:12:53,900 --> 00:12:59,912
A year's supply of salmon
for 25 dogs and two adults,
you do the math.

214
00:13:00,681 --> 00:13:02,316
Are we ready to roll?

215
00:13:02,383 --> 00:13:04,253
-ANDY: I think so.
-All right!

216
00:13:05,323 --> 00:13:07,226
Fish! Fish! Fish!

217
00:13:07,293 --> 00:13:08,863
Here we go!

218
00:13:09,699 --> 00:13:11,334
Yoo-hoo!

219
00:13:13,539 --> 00:13:15,142
(KATE LAUGHS)

220
00:13:15,209 --> 00:13:16,712
Feeling pretty good!

221
00:13:19,584 --> 00:13:23,659
So right now, the current
of the river is pushing
this thing, making it turn.

222
00:13:23,726 --> 00:13:27,199
Basically like a giant
water wheel with scoops.

223
00:13:27,266 --> 00:13:30,807
Fish are gonna swim upstream
and the scoop
will pick them up.

224
00:13:30,874 --> 00:13:35,215
And they'll come up in the air
and the fish come sliding out
into the box.

225
00:13:35,282 --> 00:13:36,819
And then they're dog food.

226
00:13:38,623 --> 00:13:43,399
I think the most important
thing in my life
is independence and freedom.

227
00:13:43,466 --> 00:13:46,304
There's very few places left
in the world
where you can go live

228
00:13:46,371 --> 00:13:50,212
and carve out a life
for yourself and do it
on your own terms.

229
00:13:50,279 --> 00:13:53,018
And that's why I work
the way I do to live here.

230
00:13:53,085 --> 00:13:54,554
That it for the night?

231
00:13:54,621 --> 00:13:57,694
-I want to go
get my tape measure.
-Fish!

232
00:13:57,761 --> 00:14:00,667
We got fish! (LAUGHS)

233
00:14:07,982 --> 00:14:10,653
It's a good thing.

234
00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:15,396
I think the run's happening
right now, we're kind of
missing out on it.

235
00:14:15,463 --> 00:14:18,769
So it's good we're getting
the wheel in now.

236
00:14:18,836 --> 00:14:23,445
This girl's got
a lot of buddies out there.

237
00:14:23,512 --> 00:14:26,050
CHIP: Our deal is to be
out here
and to get what we can.

238
00:14:27,419 --> 00:14:29,758
We don't survive here,
we live.

239
00:14:42,684 --> 00:14:46,290
AGNES: We're just about
to check our net
down the river.

240
00:14:46,357 --> 00:14:48,763
We set our net yesterday.

241
00:14:48,830 --> 00:14:51,635
Knowing if, when the ice
gets a little thicker,

242
00:14:51,702 --> 00:14:55,543
then it just could take my net
away, but it's just now
starting to freeze

243
00:14:55,610 --> 00:14:58,080
so hopefully there's still
whitefish.

244
00:14:58,147 --> 00:15:00,987
And hopefully there's still
fish with eggs in them.

245
00:15:02,958 --> 00:15:06,799
Hee! I'm so excited about
what's in the net.

246
00:15:07,634 --> 00:15:09,370
-Start it?
-CHIP: Yeah.

247
00:15:13,446 --> 00:15:14,815
(ENGINE SPUTTERS)

248
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:18,789
AGNES: Hee, frozen?

249
00:15:18,856 --> 00:15:20,593
CHIP: Frozen.

250
00:15:20,660 --> 00:15:22,363
AGNES: We could...
(SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE)

251
00:15:22,430 --> 00:15:24,501
CHIP: Yup.

252
00:15:24,568 --> 00:15:28,274
AGNES: Let us go that way
until it starts thawing out.

253
00:15:28,341 --> 00:15:30,547
CHIP: This time of year,
everything's freezing.

254
00:15:30,614 --> 00:15:33,151
My lower unit there,
I ran it clear of water

255
00:15:33,218 --> 00:15:34,855
as best I could
when I ran it last.

256
00:15:34,922 --> 00:15:38,797
But now it's full of ice,
and it won't turn.

257
00:15:38,926 --> 00:15:41,100
And we could make it turn,
but our biggest
problem is that

258
00:15:41,167 --> 00:15:43,238
the impeller in the pump
will strip.

259
00:15:43,305 --> 00:15:44,708
So I don't feel like
damaging it.

260
00:15:44,775 --> 00:15:47,045
That's why we didn't
fire up the motor.

261
00:15:47,112 --> 00:15:49,885
We should just
start breaking all this.

262
00:15:57,901 --> 00:16:00,272
CHIP: Catch it! Catch it!
You got the hook?

263
00:16:00,707 --> 00:16:01,775
(GRUNTS)

264
00:16:07,086 --> 00:16:09,624
AGNES: Oh, look a whitefish!

265
00:16:09,691 --> 00:16:11,895
I think that's a whitefish.
Yay!

266
00:16:11,962 --> 00:16:14,801
-One, and it has eggs!
-Oh! It's full of eggs, too!

267
00:16:14,868 --> 00:16:16,505
-(AGNES LAUGHS)
-CHIP: Yeah, right!

268
00:16:16,572 --> 00:16:18,240
Another one with eggs!

269
00:16:18,307 --> 00:16:20,345
I'm so happy
I could keep fishing!

270
00:16:20,412 --> 00:16:24,120
CHIP: According to some folks,
the animal spirit will return,
so folks up here say catch.

271
00:16:24,187 --> 00:16:26,858
They say catch 'cause
they're utilising it, not
'cause they're killing it.

272
00:16:26,925 --> 00:16:29,531
Death is a permanent thing.

273
00:16:29,598 --> 00:16:33,071
Death is like if you
wasted it, if you killed it,
threw it away.

274
00:16:33,138 --> 00:16:34,407
This was well worth our time.

275
00:16:34,474 --> 00:16:37,212
We got the egg-laden
whitefish that we wanted.

276
00:16:37,279 --> 00:16:39,618
We don't got a whole bunch of
them, but we didn't put out
a big net.

277
00:16:39,685 --> 00:16:41,988
We're opportunists,
but we also know
what to look for.

278
00:16:42,055 --> 00:16:44,126
This wasn't like something
that came up unexpectedly,

279
00:16:44,193 --> 00:16:46,631
this is something
we've anticipated
and waited for.

280
00:16:46,698 --> 00:16:50,271
AGNES: Good to know,
there's still whitefish
with eggs in the river.

281
00:16:50,338 --> 00:16:51,809
Look at that!

282
00:16:52,811 --> 00:16:53,913
Oh!

283
00:16:54,847 --> 00:16:57,319
That's beyond
kissing a goddamn fish.

284
00:16:57,386 --> 00:17:00,593
-Check it out, look
how much there is!
-I see! I see you're just...

285
00:17:00,660 --> 00:17:02,764
Man, I want to eat those,
just not like that, but...

286
00:17:02,831 --> 00:17:03,866
AGNES: Mmm.

287
00:17:03,933 --> 00:17:05,769
CHIP: My crazy Inupiaq wife.

288
00:17:05,836 --> 00:17:08,542
AGNES: Fish eggs, fish eggs,
eat them up, yum!

289
00:17:12,951 --> 00:17:15,021
ERIK: When I go out
into the woods,
I'm confident to know

290
00:17:15,088 --> 00:17:19,096
that I'm gonna be prepared
and ready to do battle
with nature.

291
00:17:32,022 --> 00:17:35,095
NARRATOR: Erik is on
the search for
a delicacy impossible to find

292
00:17:35,162 --> 00:17:38,436
at his home in Wiseman,
black-tailed deer.

293
00:17:38,503 --> 00:17:44,113
But to get one, he'll have to
fly to a remote area of
Kodiak Island.

294
00:17:44,180 --> 00:17:46,819
-Hey! What's going on, Taj?
Good to see you man.
-Hey, Erik, how's it going?

295
00:17:46,886 --> 00:17:48,755
-Ready to go out hunting?
-Let's do it.

296
00:17:48,822 --> 00:17:49,991
Where you fixing on going?

297
00:17:50,058 --> 00:17:51,895
Well, we're gonna go to
the south end of the island.

298
00:17:51,962 --> 00:17:55,836
There's a couple beaches
down there. Tide is low,
and we'll get in.

299
00:17:55,903 --> 00:17:56,905
Should be a good spot
for you.

300
00:17:56,972 --> 00:17:58,140
Cool. Let's go have
a look around.

301
00:17:58,207 --> 00:18:00,913
Kodiak Island is very similar
to the Alaska peninsula

302
00:18:00,980 --> 00:18:03,519
where I do my guiding
for coastal brown bears.

303
00:18:03,586 --> 00:18:06,758
The weather here is awful in
general and you need to be

304
00:18:06,825 --> 00:18:08,895
really careful about
what days you chose to fly.

305
00:18:08,962 --> 00:18:12,904
We better get out of here
'cause the weather's
gonna be coming in.

306
00:18:12,971 --> 00:18:14,874
Let's roll.

307
00:18:14,941 --> 00:18:19,216
In this country here,
if the weather is good,
you better go.

308
00:18:19,283 --> 00:18:21,187
'Cause you never know when
it's gonna get bad again.

309
00:18:21,655 --> 00:18:23,459
(ENGINE STARTS)

310
00:18:43,565 --> 00:18:45,903
(TAJ SPEAKING)

311
00:19:00,836 --> 00:19:04,039
NARRATOR: If the pilot
misjudges the terrain,
the plane could hit

312
00:19:04,106 --> 00:19:07,547
hidden boulders and holes
or get stuck in the mud.

313
00:19:19,537 --> 00:19:21,073
ERIK: Another good one, man!

314
00:19:21,140 --> 00:19:22,710
TAJ: Easy money!

315
00:19:22,777 --> 00:19:24,179
ERIK: Easy money.

316
00:19:28,054 --> 00:19:29,724
All right, buddy.
Hey, thanks a lot for the
ride.

317
00:19:29,791 --> 00:19:32,397
-No problem.
-Are you sure you dropped me
off in a real spot?

318
00:19:32,464 --> 00:19:34,700
-Well, we'll find out.
-Is this the camping spot
or the hunting spot?

319
00:19:34,767 --> 00:19:36,571
-We'll find out.
How good of a hunter are you?
-Okay.

320
00:19:36,638 --> 00:19:38,642
Uh-oh! Uh-oh!

321
00:19:41,314 --> 00:19:46,892
I'm out here on a beach
in Kodiak, and I got
a pile of stuff.

322
00:19:46,959 --> 00:19:50,366
I'm gonna hike around and find
a good camping spot
away from the tide,

323
00:19:50,433 --> 00:19:52,403
protected from the wind
and the weather,

324
00:19:52,470 --> 00:19:55,008
and then I'm gonna
pack my gear over there

325
00:19:55,075 --> 00:19:56,110
and get my camp set up.

326
00:19:59,717 --> 00:20:02,790
This is gonna be my home
away from home for a while.

327
00:20:02,857 --> 00:20:04,627
We're just throwing up
our bomb shelter here,

328
00:20:04,694 --> 00:20:07,332
you always want to set up
your tent as soon as
you get to your camp.

329
00:20:07,399 --> 00:20:10,338
I mean, it was pretty good
weather when we got here
but already

330
00:20:10,405 --> 00:20:14,212
you can see on the horizon
there's some...
Something ugly coming.

331
00:20:14,279 --> 00:20:16,785
Setting my tent up here,
I really can't help it

332
00:20:16,852 --> 00:20:19,891
'cause I had to get out
of the wind,
but there's a bear trail.

333
00:20:19,958 --> 00:20:23,832
So when I tie down my flaps
I'll have a little
alarm system with my...

334
00:20:23,899 --> 00:20:26,504
With my tie downs if
a bear comes through.

335
00:20:27,105 --> 00:20:28,241
Trip on my tent.

336
00:20:30,178 --> 00:20:31,380
It's known to happen.

337
00:20:33,552 --> 00:20:36,858
Comfort is subjective.
It's a matter of perception.

338
00:20:36,925 --> 00:20:40,365
I think excessive comfort
is detrimental to
one's character.

339
00:20:41,768 --> 00:20:44,139
Here in Alaska,
they have the same day
airborne law,

340
00:20:44,206 --> 00:20:46,911
but you may hunt deer
the same day you fly,

341
00:20:46,978 --> 00:20:49,817
so if a deer comes out
onto the tidal flat
or something,

342
00:20:49,884 --> 00:20:51,755
we'll be eating
venison tonight.

343
00:20:55,662 --> 00:20:57,666
It's raining
pretty good here, but,

344
00:20:57,733 --> 00:21:00,204
just more in the interest of
stretching the legs
than anything,

345
00:21:00,271 --> 00:21:04,112
I'm gonna go and do
a little walk around and
see if I can't spot a deer.

346
00:21:05,916 --> 00:21:09,957
NARRATOR: Erik's hunt starts
on the beach, where the tracks
of the deer he is hunting

347
00:21:10,024 --> 00:21:13,699
and the many bears
on the island are most
easily spotted.

348
00:21:15,168 --> 00:21:18,341
(SOFTLY)
There's a track, a deer track
along the beach.

349
00:21:23,150 --> 00:21:27,224
Just working my way
along the shore here,
really quiet.

350
00:21:27,291 --> 00:21:30,899
Walking on the beach
where I can keep
a pretty low profile.

351
00:21:30,966 --> 00:21:32,202
I'm hoping here about dark,

352
00:21:32,269 --> 00:21:34,339
I'll be able to walk up on
Sitka black-tailed buck.

353
00:21:34,406 --> 00:21:36,210
But we'll see what happens.

354
00:21:45,261 --> 00:21:48,267
I'm gonna have to pull
the plug here for the night.

355
00:21:48,334 --> 00:21:54,413
Tide's coming in, it's making
my beach really small
and it's getting dark.

356
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,254
The tide comes in too much
on me, I won't be able
to walk the beach home

357
00:21:58,321 --> 00:22:01,528
and I'd have to deal with
quite a few miles of brush
and cliffs here in the dark,

358
00:22:01,595 --> 00:22:07,739
so I'm gonna start moving
back towards camp and get down
that beach before,

359
00:22:07,806 --> 00:22:09,811
before the tide gets
all the way back in.

360
00:22:14,453 --> 00:22:18,695
ANDY: There's very few places
left in the world where you
can go live on your own terms.

361
00:22:18,762 --> 00:22:21,400
This is one place that
you can still do that.

362
00:22:22,469 --> 00:22:25,542
My goal in my life is to
die here.

363
00:22:25,609 --> 00:22:28,748
You have to want to
live this way.

364
00:22:42,309 --> 00:22:46,918
ANDY: It's a shitty day on
the Yukon, second day of
fishing and

365
00:22:46,985 --> 00:22:48,922
it's not a very pleasant day
to be cutting fish.

366
00:22:48,989 --> 00:22:50,825
It's not a very good day
for drying fish,

367
00:22:50,892 --> 00:22:53,263
but it's a day
that has to be done.

368
00:22:53,330 --> 00:22:56,504
I've got a lot of fish
to hang in the next five
or 10 days

369
00:22:56,571 --> 00:22:59,175
and no matter what
Mother Nature throws at you,
you've got to get out there

370
00:22:59,242 --> 00:23:01,647
and do it when it's time
to do it.

371
00:23:01,714 --> 00:23:06,457
Well, it looks like the boxes
are overflowing.
Fish are flopping out.

372
00:23:06,958 --> 00:23:08,227
(LAUGHS)

373
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:12,335
Welcome to my world.

374
00:23:15,241 --> 00:23:18,648
The fish wheels
are really wet all the time
because of the splashing.

375
00:23:18,715 --> 00:23:20,819
The snow is very wet
and very slippery,

376
00:23:20,886 --> 00:23:22,923
so I've got to be
extra careful today

377
00:23:22,990 --> 00:23:26,898
walking around on the wheel.
When you're by yourself
you can't take chances.

378
00:23:26,965 --> 00:23:30,939
And there's nobody out there
to help me if I fall in
or smack my head.

379
00:23:31,006 --> 00:23:33,344
There's no 911 out here.

380
00:23:33,411 --> 00:23:36,951
Fish wheels are not
incredibly efficient,

381
00:23:37,018 --> 00:23:39,189
but they're
absolutely relentless.

382
00:23:39,256 --> 00:23:44,533
They run 24/7, they catch
everything that swims
underneath of them.

383
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:49,977
And my life here would be
a lot harder if I had to catch
all these fish with a net.

384
00:23:50,044 --> 00:23:54,587
So how's this for putting
fish on ice
right out of the water, huh?

385
00:23:56,323 --> 00:23:57,358
(LAUGHS)

386
00:23:58,861 --> 00:24:01,934
The Seattle fish market's got
nothing on me.

387
00:24:02,001 --> 00:24:04,940
I'm totally self-taught.
I've never gone to school
for anything.

388
00:24:05,007 --> 00:24:08,113
I've never really had
any close mentors
to teach me things.

389
00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:10,084
I just kind of figure it out
as I go.

390
00:24:10,151 --> 00:24:13,491
You kind of become
a Jack of all trades
living this lifestyle.

391
00:24:13,558 --> 00:24:15,896
But I enjoy that.
I love inventing things.

392
00:24:15,963 --> 00:24:18,535
This lifestyle allows me
to do that,

393
00:24:18,602 --> 00:24:21,574
pretty much unencumbered by
anybody or any other thing.

394
00:24:21,641 --> 00:24:24,212
It's a very satisfying way of
living for me.

395
00:24:26,818 --> 00:24:32,161
So there's 360 fish
in the boat, probably another
80 in the box here.

396
00:24:33,063 --> 00:24:35,702
I'll go cut these and
hang them,

397
00:24:35,769 --> 00:24:38,306
come back, finish out
this evening.

398
00:24:38,373 --> 00:24:42,983
Probably about 400, 450 fish
by the end of the day.

399
00:24:43,050 --> 00:24:46,256
That'll be a good start.
It's time to go cut fish.

400
00:24:51,867 --> 00:24:53,505
SUE: Bear hunting is intense.

401
00:24:53,572 --> 00:24:57,646
You can't go with half
your head, you've got to go
fully in the game.

402
00:25:05,896 --> 00:25:09,135
Bears hibernate.
That's what they do
during the winter.

403
00:25:09,202 --> 00:25:13,343
However, right now,
we have this unusual,

404
00:25:13,410 --> 00:25:15,749
really high temperature
warm-up.

405
00:25:15,816 --> 00:25:19,088
Well, they're still awake.
It's too warm for them
to go to bed.

406
00:25:19,857 --> 00:25:23,029
But their food source is gone.

407
00:25:23,096 --> 00:25:27,004
If a bear decides that
I look like a Scooby Snack,
I need to protect myself.

408
00:25:27,071 --> 00:25:30,512
As long as it is within
the season, I will actively
pursue that bear.

409
00:25:30,579 --> 00:25:33,050
I know there's one somewhere
real close to camp,

410
00:25:33,117 --> 00:25:34,753
I need to be
a little proactive.

411
00:25:34,820 --> 00:25:36,189
(STARTS ENGINE)

412
00:25:36,791 --> 00:25:37,793
So...

413
00:25:40,197 --> 00:25:43,303
Bear, zero. Sue, zero.
We'll see where we stand
at the end of the day.

414
00:25:46,143 --> 00:25:49,181
Little bit worried.
I haven't gone out

415
00:25:49,248 --> 00:25:53,123
and actively gone after a bear
in a lot of years.
Not since I got munched.

416
00:25:53,190 --> 00:25:55,160
If I'm gonna be effective
at doing this,

417
00:25:55,227 --> 00:25:59,034
I need to get over my
thought process on the attack,

418
00:25:59,101 --> 00:26:01,105
and get back
on the attack myself.

419
00:26:01,172 --> 00:26:04,379
It'll be good therapy.
Sue's tundra therapy.

420
00:26:04,446 --> 00:26:07,920
How to survive a bear attack
and then go back on
the attack.

421
00:26:17,338 --> 00:26:19,643
Cool, cool.

422
00:26:19,710 --> 00:26:24,251
Well, this is,
this is a good sign.
I mean, good and bad.

423
00:26:24,318 --> 00:26:29,128
This is definitely bear poopy.
This might be the one
that's been hassling camp.

424
00:26:29,195 --> 00:26:33,738
Cool. Well, got something
to keep our eyes out for,
that's for darn sure.

425
00:26:33,805 --> 00:26:35,542
We'll go see
if I can find him.

426
00:26:46,931 --> 00:26:48,133
Oh, look at that.

427
00:26:50,404 --> 00:26:54,212
It's not huge, but I...
And it's not defined.

428
00:26:54,279 --> 00:27:00,123
But you've got, toes...
One, two, claws.
A 6 to 8" paw.

429
00:27:00,190 --> 00:27:04,365
It's definitely a bear track.
Definitely going that way.

430
00:27:07,706 --> 00:27:13,082
I've had that bear, caught her
running through camp.

431
00:27:13,149 --> 00:27:15,788
You can't be staying
too far away.

432
00:27:15,855 --> 00:27:18,761
When you're actively
hunting a predator,
this is one of the things,

433
00:27:18,828 --> 00:27:20,865
if I can't see them
walking around,

434
00:27:20,932 --> 00:27:24,673
I've been here long enough,
I know they are around.

435
00:27:24,740 --> 00:27:28,814
So I can go from stalking to
being stalked in a heartbeat.

436
00:27:28,881 --> 00:27:31,820
It lets you know
there are animals

437
00:27:31,887 --> 00:27:35,628
that by for no other reason,
just, it's their nature,

438
00:27:36,196 --> 00:27:37,198
can take you out.

439
00:27:37,999 --> 00:27:39,837
You gotta keep on your toes.

440
00:27:41,006 --> 00:27:42,308
I think I see something.

441
00:27:45,648 --> 00:27:47,786
The bear is somewhere
over here.

442
00:27:50,492 --> 00:27:52,462
He's going away from us.

443
00:27:53,665 --> 00:27:55,134
I need to get closer.

444
00:27:55,201 --> 00:27:56,637
(BREATHES DEEPLY)

445
00:28:01,379 --> 00:28:03,885
When you see a bear, you run.
You don't walk.

446
00:28:05,021 --> 00:28:07,424
You gain ground
as fast as you can.

447
00:28:08,962 --> 00:28:10,431
(BREATHING HEAVILY)

448
00:28:13,605 --> 00:28:17,679
He's behind that knoll.
726 yards.

449
00:28:17,746 --> 00:28:20,050
I'd like to try and close
the distance.

450
00:28:20,117 --> 00:28:22,789
See that dark lump
on the next dry patch?

451
00:28:22,856 --> 00:28:25,127
I'd like to get there.

452
00:28:25,194 --> 00:28:26,396
It's a little spooky,
you know,

453
00:28:26,463 --> 00:28:28,834
because you're really
pushing a situation where

454
00:28:28,901 --> 00:28:33,544
you are trying to sneak up
on the apex predator.

455
00:28:33,611 --> 00:28:35,013
You don't have anywhere
to hide.

456
00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:38,688
The minute you're seen,
it's game on.

457
00:28:39,355 --> 00:28:42,027
(WHISPERING)

458
00:28:46,770 --> 00:28:48,407
ANDY: It's nothing
for the faint of heart.

459
00:28:48,474 --> 00:28:52,548
It's a dirty job,
it's a slimy job,
it's a bloody job.

460
00:28:52,615 --> 00:28:56,189
KATE: We're gonna be up to
our eyeballs in blood, guts
and gore.

461
00:28:56,256 --> 00:28:57,424
ANDY: But we love it.

462
00:29:09,650 --> 00:29:12,187
KATE: Oh, yeah. It's a real
blast of a way to spend a day.

463
00:29:12,254 --> 00:29:14,425
I can't feel
my fingers any more.

464
00:29:14,492 --> 00:29:17,264
ANDY: I'm doing what we call
whole fish.

465
00:29:17,331 --> 00:29:20,270
I'm basically just sticking
the knife in

466
00:29:20,337 --> 00:29:22,442
right at the lateral line
on the fish.

467
00:29:22,509 --> 00:29:23,744
There's a line right here
on them.

468
00:29:23,811 --> 00:29:26,483
That's right about
where their backbone is.

469
00:29:26,550 --> 00:29:30,892
I go right below the backbone,
and then we just hang them
on a pole like that.

470
00:29:30,959 --> 00:29:34,599
So they'll just hang on
a pole like this.
It opens them up,

471
00:29:34,666 --> 00:29:39,041
they dehydrate a little bit in
the winter, but not a lot.

472
00:29:39,108 --> 00:29:42,080
The advantage to that
is that this fish won't
dry out a lot,

473
00:29:42,147 --> 00:29:45,421
so it'll have a lot of
moisture in it, lot of water.

474
00:29:45,488 --> 00:29:47,626
One of the biggest challenges
with the dogs is

475
00:29:47,693 --> 00:29:50,330
keeping them hydrated
when it's real cold out.

476
00:29:50,397 --> 00:29:53,069
So feeding them this
does two things.

477
00:29:53,136 --> 00:29:57,110
It gives them something like
a giant popsicle to chew on,

478
00:29:57,177 --> 00:30:00,183
and two, it puts a lot of
water into them.

479
00:30:00,250 --> 00:30:04,058
When we're cutting fish,
all this is costing me
is 10 gallons of fuel,

480
00:30:05,227 --> 00:30:07,364
and a bunch of labour
and a bunch of calories.

481
00:30:09,670 --> 00:30:14,813
Right now we're gonna be
doing about 360 fish.

482
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,718
I have to handle them once
from the fish wheel into
the boat,

483
00:30:17,785 --> 00:30:22,261
and once from the boat into
the tractor, and one more time
onto the rack.

484
00:30:22,328 --> 00:30:26,135
So for every fish I pick up
or catch out of the wheel,

485
00:30:26,202 --> 00:30:29,108
I've got to handle it a
minimum of three times.

486
00:30:29,175 --> 00:30:30,945
You start doing the math,
it's a lot of work.

487
00:30:31,681 --> 00:30:33,417
It's a lot of handling.

488
00:30:33,484 --> 00:30:37,959
And I will say one thing about
fishing season, it definitely
gets you into shape.

489
00:30:39,362 --> 00:30:42,735
I don't have to pay anything
to go to a gym and work out.

490
00:30:43,871 --> 00:30:46,710
My workout's every day here
with these fish.

491
00:30:48,447 --> 00:30:52,120
I don't mind doing this.
It's kind of meditative.

492
00:30:52,187 --> 00:30:57,599
A lot of times,
you can just kinda... I just
tend to go into daydreams,

493
00:30:57,666 --> 00:31:03,444
or I start creating
blueprints of my next project
in my head while I'm working.

494
00:31:03,511 --> 00:31:06,081
It's the best job of
the whole year for me.

495
00:31:06,148 --> 00:31:10,290
I love cutting fish.
I love utilising the resource.

496
00:31:10,357 --> 00:31:13,930
I love providing for myself
and for Kate and my dogs.

497
00:31:13,997 --> 00:31:16,335
And that's a really
satisfying thing for me.

498
00:31:18,974 --> 00:31:22,515
ERIK: What sends people
packing out of Alaska
is their mind.

499
00:31:22,582 --> 00:31:24,919
There's isolation,
there's darkness,

500
00:31:24,986 --> 00:31:28,494
there's inclement weather,
extreme temperatures.

501
00:31:30,698 --> 00:31:32,569
That's what eliminates people.

502
00:31:43,089 --> 00:31:44,993
I'm down here on
Kodiak Island,

503
00:31:45,060 --> 00:31:47,598
hunting
Sitka black-tailed deer.

504
00:31:47,665 --> 00:31:51,338
Live here in this maritime
environment on the ocean,
great eating animal,

505
00:31:51,405 --> 00:31:53,109
lot of fun to hunt.

506
00:31:53,176 --> 00:31:57,217
We don't have much snow yet
here in Kodiak, so most of
the deer are up high, but,

507
00:31:57,284 --> 00:31:58,988
I'm hoping I'm gonna be
able to glass one up

508
00:31:59,055 --> 00:32:00,958
and put a stalk on here
before evening.

509
00:32:01,025 --> 00:32:04,064
The tide's gone out,
and feeling good.

510
00:32:04,131 --> 00:32:07,137
The weather's a little bit
better than it's been
in the last couple days,

511
00:32:07,204 --> 00:32:11,813
and hopefully we'll have some
success to avenge
yesterday's failure.

512
00:32:17,190 --> 00:32:18,961
(WHISPERS)
I just spotted a deer.

513
00:32:19,829 --> 00:32:22,067
It's really far away though.

514
00:32:22,134 --> 00:32:27,745
It's gonna be a real push
if I can get him
before dark, but,

515
00:32:27,812 --> 00:32:31,052
I've never been afraid of
a challenge,
so let's let her rip, huh?

516
00:32:35,326 --> 00:32:40,771
I'm trying to run a little bit
over a mile here up this hill
to intercept him.

517
00:32:40,838 --> 00:32:42,709
I just see one deer up there.

518
00:32:43,376 --> 00:32:44,445
(EXHALES DEEPLY)

519
00:32:44,512 --> 00:32:47,250
It's the only deer
I saw today.

520
00:32:47,317 --> 00:32:51,325
I'm taking a lot of chances
crossing the open, but,

521
00:32:51,392 --> 00:32:53,664
if I'm not aggressive,
I don't have a chance.

522
00:32:55,601 --> 00:32:57,405
Hopefully he's still there.

523
00:32:57,472 --> 00:32:59,275
If he's still there,
we'll be able to see him

524
00:32:59,342 --> 00:33:00,611
right over the top here.

525
00:33:26,062 --> 00:33:28,567
Sounded like a hit.

526
00:33:30,103 --> 00:33:31,506
Yeah, I got him.

527
00:33:31,573 --> 00:33:34,412
I do have visual confirmation.
I can see the white belly
of the deer.

528
00:33:34,479 --> 00:33:36,650
The deer is down.
The deer is dead.

529
00:33:37,618 --> 00:33:39,255
I'm gonna need to rush
over here.

530
00:33:39,322 --> 00:33:41,793
I'm fighting darkness,
I'm fighting tide,

531
00:33:41,860 --> 00:33:44,197
and I've already seen
a couple bears
on this hillside tonight.

532
00:33:44,264 --> 00:33:47,337
So I'm not gonna
slap myself on the back
too much.

533
00:33:47,404 --> 00:33:49,542
I'm gonna get over there,
cut this deer up,
and get home.

534
00:33:50,978 --> 00:33:54,486
I was able to take this nice
young Sitka black-tailed buck.

535
00:33:56,355 --> 00:33:59,929
He's got a spike there.
Young buck.

536
00:33:59,996 --> 00:34:03,135
We got a hole right where
it counts.

537
00:34:03,202 --> 00:34:06,208
A lot of people ask me
why I hunt, why I do this

538
00:34:06,275 --> 00:34:10,484
and why I'm running up
the side of the hill
in the dark here,

539
00:34:10,551 --> 00:34:14,659
tides screwing around,
and bears screwing around
and the weather.

540
00:34:14,726 --> 00:34:18,099
How could you not love
this place? I mean, look out
on the ocean here,

541
00:34:19,034 --> 00:34:20,437
look up in the mountains.

542
00:34:21,339 --> 00:34:23,108
What's better than this?

543
00:34:23,175 --> 00:34:26,716
I'm just gonna go ahead
and leave the skin on here.

544
00:34:26,783 --> 00:34:30,357
It's a natural game bag and
I can skin this out later.

545
00:34:30,424 --> 00:34:33,295
But for right now, I'm just
gonna get off this mountain
in a hurry,

546
00:34:33,362 --> 00:34:36,636
'cause I got to beat any
bears that are gonna
come around.

547
00:34:36,703 --> 00:34:39,240
They're not that fun to
play with in the dark

548
00:34:39,307 --> 00:34:41,746
when you're out on the
hillside by yourself using
a headlamp,

549
00:34:42,548 --> 00:34:43,884
trying to butcher a deer.

550
00:34:47,925 --> 00:34:52,401
I grew up hunting deer,
and just being out here

551
00:34:52,468 --> 00:34:56,041
and smelling this deer
as I butcher it, it takes me
right back to my childhood.

552
00:34:58,312 --> 00:35:00,451
I've butchered a lot of
white tails

553
00:35:01,686 --> 00:35:04,726
in a lot darker conditions
than this. (CHUCKLES)

554
00:35:07,765 --> 00:35:08,867
Well...

555
00:35:10,403 --> 00:35:12,608
That's one
Sitka black-tailed buck

556
00:35:13,677 --> 00:35:15,079
in a backpack,

557
00:35:15,848 --> 00:35:17,017
on the side of a mountain,

558
00:35:17,785 --> 00:35:18,787
above a beach,

559
00:35:19,789 --> 00:35:21,191
a long ways from camp.

560
00:35:22,327 --> 00:35:24,532
There we go.
(CHEERS EXCITEDLY)

561
00:35:25,934 --> 00:35:27,838
We got to... (WHOOSHES)
Go down through all
this brush,

562
00:35:27,905 --> 00:35:29,708
down the side of the hill

563
00:35:29,775 --> 00:35:32,346
and then about 5, 6 miles
down the beach.

564
00:35:32,413 --> 00:35:35,921
So there's only one way
to get there,

565
00:35:35,988 --> 00:35:37,491
that's one foot in front of
the other.

566
00:35:38,526 --> 00:35:40,029
Tally Ho!
Waidmannsheil.

567
00:35:44,439 --> 00:35:46,008
CHIP: There's killers
and there's accomplices.

568
00:35:46,075 --> 00:35:47,745
That's really what this world
boils down to.

569
00:35:47,812 --> 00:35:51,051
It all leads to death.
We have to kill to eat.
That's how it goes.

570
00:36:00,604 --> 00:36:05,246
AGNES: It's real important
for me to teach my girls
all the stuff that I know,

571
00:36:05,313 --> 00:36:07,651
or what I've learned from
my parents, or my aunts,

572
00:36:07,718 --> 00:36:09,555
or my brothers and sisters.

573
00:36:11,893 --> 00:36:15,500
I really like
this cutting board for fish
'cause I can cut

574
00:36:15,567 --> 00:36:19,708
anywhere on the board, and all
the gunk flows that way.

575
00:36:19,775 --> 00:36:22,448
We eat all different kinds of
fish all year,

576
00:36:22,515 --> 00:36:26,889
and there's all different
types of ways we cut them
and prepare them.

577
00:36:26,956 --> 00:36:30,898
After I scale them,
Idi, I try to clean them up
a little bit

578
00:36:30,965 --> 00:36:33,470
because I'm not going to
wash them.

579
00:36:33,537 --> 00:36:37,343
Ooh, this one's fat.
Let me just get the
stomach out.

580
00:36:37,410 --> 00:36:41,385
These are the eggs,
they're the best parts
of the fish.

581
00:36:42,488 --> 00:36:44,392
I still have a lot
to learn, but,

582
00:36:44,459 --> 00:36:47,397
someday, I think I will be
able to manage my own camp,

583
00:36:47,464 --> 00:36:50,302
be able to live the way
my parents, and their parents,

584
00:36:50,369 --> 00:36:53,476
and everybody else
before them did.

585
00:36:53,543 --> 00:36:57,918
My girls have the real
good opportunity to learn
a real lot.

586
00:36:57,985 --> 00:37:01,960
If they don't get it from
someplace like me
or my husband,

587
00:37:02,027 --> 00:37:05,266
they could lose it,
but we're not going to let
that happen.

588
00:37:11,947 --> 00:37:14,050
SUE: They're top predators,
I'm not.

589
00:37:14,117 --> 00:37:17,825
As a human being,
I am bred to be
at total disadvantage

590
00:37:17,892 --> 00:37:19,027
for survival here.

591
00:37:27,010 --> 00:37:30,349
NARRATOR: Six years after
being attacked by a grizzly,

592
00:37:30,416 --> 00:37:33,857
Sue is going head-to-head
with her tundra nemesis.

593
00:37:37,130 --> 00:37:39,167
(WHISPERS) 386.

594
00:37:41,906 --> 00:37:43,844
I'd like to close
the distance more,

595
00:37:43,911 --> 00:37:45,714
but I'm fucking afraid
he's gonna see us.

596
00:37:51,292 --> 00:37:52,293
(COUGHS)

597
00:37:53,597 --> 00:37:57,069
Shit. He heard me cough.
He just turned.

598
00:37:57,136 --> 00:38:00,443
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Shit.

599
00:38:00,510 --> 00:38:02,715
I gave it away.
He's looking right at us.

600
00:38:08,493 --> 00:38:10,630
I'm getting ready in case
he charges.

601
00:38:12,367 --> 00:38:14,004
First shot's critical.

602
00:38:14,071 --> 00:38:17,811
You're gonna make him mad.
A bear can charge
40 miles an hour.

603
00:38:17,878 --> 00:38:19,915
They are top, top predators.

604
00:38:21,418 --> 00:38:26,094
I can't see him. I lost sight.
I have no fucking clue where
he is.

605
00:38:27,196 --> 00:38:28,198
Oh, shit.

606
00:38:31,004 --> 00:38:32,006
(RIFLE SHOTS)

607
00:38:36,114 --> 00:38:37,316
(RIFLE SHOTS)

608
00:38:41,526 --> 00:38:42,528
I'm shaking.

609
00:38:47,738 --> 00:38:49,074
(EXHALES DEEPLY)

610
00:38:54,852 --> 00:38:57,190
Thank you.
Thank you, brother bear.

611
00:38:59,661 --> 00:39:06,475
That is a big thing for me
to actively pursue a bear.

612
00:39:06,542 --> 00:39:10,149
Proud of myself for doing it
and overcoming some fears,

613
00:39:10,216 --> 00:39:11,819
especially as he was
getting closer.

614
00:39:11,886 --> 00:39:15,726
But I also protected camp.
I did this to protect me,

615
00:39:15,793 --> 00:39:19,033
so my little grandkids could
still visit and see me.

616
00:39:20,002 --> 00:39:21,739
And I really appreciate...

617
00:39:22,508 --> 00:39:24,110
Appreciate the moment.

618
00:39:33,796 --> 00:39:40,109
I'm going fire, just in case.
He could just be
too injured to walk.

619
00:39:52,066 --> 00:39:54,404
Well, here's your kill shot.

620
00:39:54,471 --> 00:39:58,846
This is not a case of let's go
out and get the biggest,
baddest bear on the planet.

621
00:39:58,913 --> 00:40:03,589
This was a case of,
I knew I had a bear that was
coming around through camp,

622
00:40:03,656 --> 00:40:07,697
harassing,
getting into things.

623
00:40:07,764 --> 00:40:11,739
This could very well...
I mean, it's within 5, 6 miles
of my home.

624
00:40:12,674 --> 00:40:13,743
He was headed back there.

625
00:40:14,545 --> 00:40:15,614
This...

626
00:40:18,418 --> 00:40:20,322
...brings back a lot of
memories, man.

627
00:40:21,024 --> 00:40:24,932
This is a mature boar, but...

628
00:40:28,607 --> 00:40:32,246
That can kill you.

629
00:40:32,313 --> 00:40:35,587
I don't take
the taking of life lightly.

630
00:40:35,654 --> 00:40:39,294
I absolutely respect every
single thing about this guy,

631
00:40:40,731 --> 00:40:44,070
and I accepted
a long time ago
that something like this...

632
00:40:44,137 --> 00:40:46,274
I might be the one
laying there. Not him.

633
00:40:47,678 --> 00:40:48,946
Thank you, bear.

634
00:40:50,282 --> 00:40:52,253
Your spirit will not
go to waste.

635
00:40:53,689 --> 00:40:56,462
You'll bring
warmth, nutrition.

636
00:41:01,672 --> 00:41:05,112
I'm grateful for it,
but for perspective,

637
00:41:05,179 --> 00:41:07,249
this is definitely not
the end of the war.

638
00:41:07,316 --> 00:41:11,024
This is one skirmish
in the battle on the Arctic.

639
00:41:12,059 --> 00:41:13,429
It's not over.

640
00:41:17,136 --> 00:41:21,077
ANDY: Life is very physical
when you live out in the bush.

641
00:41:21,144 --> 00:41:25,152
If you're not willing to put
in the physical activity
out here,

642
00:41:25,219 --> 00:41:26,922
you're not gonna do
very well.

643
00:41:32,868 --> 00:41:34,772
(DOGS HOWLING)

644
00:41:36,509 --> 00:41:37,911
What do you think, Prance?

645
00:41:40,082 --> 00:41:42,621
This looks pretty good.

646
00:41:42,688 --> 00:41:46,060
Everybody's gonna get fish
tonight. Ohh, boy.

647
00:41:46,127 --> 00:41:49,834
This is the first fish
of the year for the dogs.

648
00:41:49,901 --> 00:41:54,511
Fish wheel's fishing good,
catching 500, 600
fish a day.

649
00:41:54,578 --> 00:41:57,917
As soon as this fish
starts coming in, we pour
the fish to them.

650
00:41:57,984 --> 00:42:00,956
It's got a lot of good oils,
lot of protein,
lot of fats in it.

651
00:42:01,023 --> 00:42:03,463
It really makes for
healthy animals.

652
00:42:03,530 --> 00:42:07,136
We've got a dog right now.
He's 16 years old
and he's still doing great.

653
00:42:07,203 --> 00:42:11,612
You know, I think living on
this fish their whole life
really extends their life.

654
00:42:11,679 --> 00:42:15,820
Mmm, look at that.
That's going to make you
nice and fat.

655
00:42:15,887 --> 00:42:17,757
ANDY: These fish are
critically important to us.

656
00:42:17,824 --> 00:42:20,463
This is the most important job
of the year for me.

657
00:42:20,530 --> 00:42:24,003
Taking care of our dogs and
making sure they have
high quality food.

658
00:42:24,070 --> 00:42:27,777
It's my job to keep them
in shape, to train them,
and to feed them,

659
00:42:27,844 --> 00:42:29,481
and make sure
that their health is good.

660
00:42:29,548 --> 00:42:33,856
Their job is to do the work
that I ask them to do.

661
00:42:36,428 --> 00:42:39,233
It's about 700 on the rack
right now.

662
00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:41,939
Probably be putting
another 700 on tomorrow.

663
00:42:42,540 --> 00:42:44,109
And, uh...

664
00:42:44,176 --> 00:42:48,018
Now it's just a matter of time
and calories to cut fish,
put fish on the rack.

665
00:42:49,955 --> 00:42:52,093
And get a year's worth
of fish.

666
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:55,165
And guys like this fat boy
will have food the rest
of the year.

667
00:42:55,232 --> 00:42:57,504
Won't you big guy? Huh?

668
00:42:58,440 --> 00:42:59,741
Gilligan, can you sit?

669
00:43:00,910 --> 00:43:03,816
You're a good sitter.
There you go, fat boy.

670
00:43:08,659 --> 00:43:12,399
It's like a symphony
of slurping up
when it's like this.

671
00:43:13,101 --> 00:43:14,403
(DOG WHINING)