All language subtitles for Mountain men - 9x03_track3_eng

♪

♪

‐Coming up on "Mountain Men"...

‐Just make sure I'm not gonna
fall through that thing.

‐Yeah.

Stay on that side
as much as you can.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

[ Howling ]

‐Oh, man. That cat's
way the heck up there.

She's a big, mature female,

one of the biggest
I've come across in a long time.

‐As I'm riding,
the tracks are getting fresher,

the blood is starting
to look fresher.

‐There's a frickin' wolf
right there.

Ha! Get on out of here!

Ha! Ya!

Get out of here! Whoa.

[ Gunshot ]

Whoa, girl.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa.

[ Wolf howls ]

♪

‐3,000 feet up

in Montana's
Tobacco Root Mountains...

‐There's lots of snow
on this north slope,

and I'm trying to find a spot

where that cat
actually exited on me.

‐...lion tracker Jake Herak
is on the hunt

for a cat
that struck his team and ran.

‐Look at right here.

I've got old lion tracks
in here,

and they've got
lots of snow in them.

On the first hunt
of the season...

Holy [bleep]!

Looks like that lion bit
straight through that collar.

That lion got in a big fight
with Henry

and ended up hurting him

and destroying
one of my GPS collars.

So after that run in,
I decided to name her Fang.

‐The fight with fang happened
in an area known as Hell's Gate,

a narrow corridor between the
mountains and the ranches below,

which is why
Jake's returned to push her

back up into the mountains
and away from the livestock.

‐This lion's
definitely top priority.

We've kind of got, uh,
revenge on our mind right now.

‐But to make the most
of this run,

Jake needs a fresh track.

‐This is actually
the second old track

that I've crossed just today.

‐His veteran dog Marlene

can pick up on scents
that are several days old.

But he's still training
6‐month‐old Trixy

how to lock in on a lion
and not get distracted.

[ Dog barks ]

‐Oh, [bleep].

Marlene liked that one.

Marlene and Trixy just
lined out on this track.

I can tell it's definitely
a fresh track,

so, uh, hopefully the girls
can get it caught up and, uh,

hopefully this is
the same cat we're after.

Kinda get a little payback
and, uh, teach it a lesson.

♪

Oh, it looks like Trixy got lost

and she's coming
right back down the backtrack.

Trixy, come on girl.

Oh, come on girl.

Get a little confused?

‐Just 30 minutes into the chase,

6‐month‐old Trixy returns.

‐It's not her fault.

She really doesn't know
what she's after just yet.

‐But while it's a training
opportunity for the young pup,

it's dangerous
for her teammate Marlene

who is now speeding after
an aggressive mountain lion

all on her own.

‐Come on, Trixy. Come on!

‐Marlene's running solo
right now

and that's
a big, big concern to me.

The last time I let go
on this problem cat,

it actually attacked
one of my dogs,

so I'm gonna kick it
in high gear.

I want her to
definitely have some backup.

♪

♪

‐In the foothills of Wyoming's
Wind River Mountains,

a western icon
is quietly making a comeback.

‐Here we go.

‐At an average weight
of 2,000 pounds,

the American Bison
is a force to be reckoned with.

‐Come on, now!

Come on, now! Yep!

‐35‐year‐old ranch‐hand
Josh Kirk

manages a herd
that's 200 strong...

and growing.

‐Right now, my number one job
is keeping these calves alive.

This is my livelihood.

With snow on the ground,
the grasses are going away,

and that means
I've got to feed them,

I've got to make sure
they're staying fed,

because as soon as that feed
runs out, they're gone.

‐If the bison
start to go hungry,

they'll get restless and wander,
which is why after every feed,

Josh has to get close
to the herd for a head count,

despite the personal risk.

[ Gear clacks ]

‐[ Sighs ]

I'm just gonna chill...

kinda remain where I'm at.

Watch my six a little bit.
Watch my back.

Bison are not like cows
or goats or horses.

They're dangerous. They're wild.
They are not domesticated.

Things can go downhill really,
really, really, really quick,

especially with
that bull right there.

Better get on now.

So, I'm up on this kinda plateau
here on this high point,

and it's a good time for me
to do my herd count.

I'm‐a start with
the ones at the bottom.

Counting bison is probably
one of the most chaotic things

that you can possibly do.

You have to count and recount.

‐When the bison
cluster in small groups

along the feed line,

it's easier and faster
to get an accurate count.

‐That can't be right.

I'm coming up short.

I'm gonna do a fence check.

'Cause I'm definitely
coming up short.

Ah, man.

[ Grunts ]

‐Each bison is worth $6,000

to the rancher who pays Josh
to protect his assets.

‐I am the protector of the herd.

That's a huge job.

And when bison go missing,

then that's a huge loss
for the ranch.

So, all the responsibility,
all the stress

is on me to keep them safe.

‐The perimeter of
the 3,000‐acre bison pasture

is lined with a wire fence

that's powered by
7,000 volts of electricity.

It's designed
to keep the bison in...

‐Golly.

‐...and the predators out.

[ Car door shuts ]

‐Ugh!

There's definitely been a bison

that's come in
straight through the fence.

You can see the tracks
right here,

right where it went out
and headed that way.

Judging by these tracks,
could have been out for a day.

[ Sighs ]

‐After a quick fix to keep

the rest
of the herd corralled...

‐All right.

Try to turn it back on here.

We're hot. [ Sighs ]

‐Josh needs to start tracking
the lost bison

before it's too late.

‐These tracks are just going
right outside this fence,

straight that way
into no man's land.

I mean, you got wolves
and mountain lions.

It's definitely
a recipe for disaster.

I'm gonna get my horse
saddled up

and I got to hit this range
and just start trackin' him.

And somehow, hopefully, I can
bring this beast back home.

♪

♪

‐In North Carolina,

keeping his corner
of the mountains wild

has saddled Eustace Conway
with a hefty debt

that he and apprentice,
Raleigh Avery,

will be scrambling
all winter to pay off.

‐We're gettin' it there,
Raleigh.

‐Fortunately,
when the weather turns

and the temperatures drop,
they have a side business

they can tap
for some quick cash.

‐Let's see if we can load up
some of that.

‐In the Appalachian Mountains,

where many rural people still
heat their homes with firewood,

a single cord can bring in
as much as $400.

‐This is my personal stash,
but my goodness,

I need the money
to make that payment.

‐Yeah.

‐Part of my strategy
for raising money

is to let the land
pay for itself.

This firewood
is coming off the land,

so the very land I'm paying for
is paying for itself.

‐Every truck load
will help Eustace chip away

at the $50,000 balloon payment
that's due in the spring.

But for every buyer in the area,

there's usually
twice as many sellers,

so Eustace has no time
to waste getting to town.

‐Well, let's see
if we can get this one out.

We'll come back
and get some more.

♪

Startin' to get cold now that
that storm's moved through.

‐Yeah, it is.

‐Speakin' of the storm
moving through, look at that.

‐When heavy rains blew
through the area two days ago,

it left a lot of damage
in it's wake,

and a century‐old wooden bridge

that connects Turtle Island
to the outside world

appears to have taken
a major hit.

‐There's shingles everywhere,
huh?

‐Yeah. It looks like that wind
ripped up the roof a little bit.

‐High winds ripped dozens
of shingles from the roof

and the swollen river ravaged
the bridge's dirt roadbed.

‐Hit this bridge hard.

You can see all the way
down through there.

This is sunk way down.

‐From where you're standing,
to where I'm standing,

it's just sloping off
down into the creek.

‐We just have to get through ‐‐
we have to get through today.

It looks like it might be
safe enough to drive.

‐The condition of the bridge
is not ideal

for Eustace's 2,000 pound load,

but it's the only road to town.

‐Tell you what, let's, uh...

[Sighs]...try it.

[ Engine revs ]

♪

Just make sure I'm not gonna
fall through that thing.

‐Yeah. Stay on that side
as much as you can.

Just ease on in.

♪

‐In the Blue Ridge Mountains...

‐Whoa, whoa, whoa!

‐...Eustace is on the edge...

‐This bridge
is gonna give out under you.

‐...of a dangerous collapse.

‐Back up, back up.

[ Engine revs ]

Whew.

‐Raleigh stopped me
right in my tracks,

'cause apparently, he saw it
movin', like sinkin' down.

This bridge is my main way
to civilization.

If I wanna sell some firewood,

I've gotta go through
this bridge.

I wonder if that storm
washed out the underpinnin'.

‐I see some supports
down on this side,

but over here
there's nothing under it.

And it looks like
the log is cracked.

‐Does it look like
if we jacked it up right there

and put something underneath it,
it would bring it back up?

‐Right, even if we lift it up
a little bit,

we can stick
something up under there

and just keep it
from going down any more.

‐To repair
the broken foundation,

they need to lift the bridge
at least a foot.

But weighing in at more
than six tons,

it'll be difficult
to do by hand.

‐We could try just gettin'
a big lever

and just see
if we can jack it up.

Like right there, that huge rock
would make a good fulcrum.

‐A sturdy fulcrum
is the first requirement

for a makeshift lever system.

‐Yeah, that's a beauty.

Put it on top
of that one and that one.

‐Yep.
‐See how it will bridge that?

And that could be
the foundation for our fulcrum.

All right, now wiggle it
and see how stable it is.

That's pretty good.

Let's see if we can find a lever

up through here somewhere,
Raleigh.

I just started looking for
a straight section of a tree.

‐The straighter the tree,

the more effective
the lever will be.

‐That one that's hanging up
over there, up on that hillside?

‐Yeah.
‐It looks like it's got promise.

‐Okay.

‐And the longer it is, the more
weight it will be able to lift.

[ Saw whirs ]

‐About ready?
‐Yeah.

[ Saw buzzes ]

♪

‐Tapering the ends
of the 30‐foot poplar

makes it easier
to slide under the bridge.

‐All right, maybe we can
pull it into place.

Ready? One, two, three.

One, two, three.

We got it underneath there,
but pick It up

and put it right over there
just see what ‐‐ what we get.

Now go down...

‐Oh yeah, we got
some movement here.

Yeah, it's movin' there,
Raleigh. I can see it.

Keep goin'.

Start bringing it down.

There you go.

Perfect.

I think we're on
to somethin' here.

Let me just put
something solid under it.

[ Crack ]

Ah, God!

♪

‐Winter is in full swing
across Montana's Yaak Valley,

throwing a wrench in the works

of Tom Oar's
successful trapping business.

‐Trapping's been tough, man.

Bunch of sets out and...

‐This kind of weather
just ain't good.

‐His apprentice and partner,
Sean McAfee,

has come up empty
for the last two weeks

on their most productive line.

‐Conditions, uh, changing
pretty quickly now, Tom.

‐Yep, it's freezing up,
isn't it?

‐Yeah.

‐And with subfreezing
temperatures

soon to make accessing
local ponds and rivers

more difficult,

Sean's seeking
Tom's expert advice

to salvage their season
before it's too late.

‐And here's that first set here.

‐Oh, well,
there ain't nothing in it.

‐Nothing in it.
‐Nothing in it.

‐Just kinda been the story
of that trap right there.

‐Let me slip down in this.

‐We can probably
just pull it though, huh?

‐Yep. I think we ‐‐ it's gonna
be froze in tomorrow.

The rivers and all the waters
are starting to freeze over.

Once the water starts freezing,

well, now the beaver
can't step on the trap anymore

because there's a layer of ice
over the trap,

so he can't even get on it
and step on it.

‐Let's do it then. Let's pull it
and find something new here.

‐Yeah.

‐Trapping under the ice
is possible,

but it requires
different equipment

and a different strategy.

Plus, there's no point
in doubling down

on an area
that's not producing.

‐Another set
right in here, Mr. Tom.

‐Oh yeah, I see it.

[ Sighs ]

‐Beaver pelts are
one of Tom's biggest sellers,

which means if they
don't drum up a plan B soon,

their whole season
could be in jeopardy.

‐I know a place we can go.
‐Okay.

‐The biggest thing
in our favor, Sean,

is that it's kinda spring fed...

‐Uh‐huh.

‐...so it's always
the last thing to freeze.

‐Okay.
‐The only thing is... [Exhales]

...it's so far back in there
we'll have to spend the night.

‐Okay.
‐There's a cabin, though.

‐Okay. Let's do it.

‐All right.

‐When you work
for somebody like Tom

who has
that kind of experience ‐‐

you know,
he's been trapping beaver

longer than I've been alive.

So, it just helps
to give you confirmation on

all ‐‐ all right.
It's ‐‐ It's time to ch‐‐

change what we're doin' here.

‐It's been years since Tom's
made the 15‐mile trek

to this spot, and it's a gamble
to try and run a line

so deep in the woods.

But since it was high yield
in the past,

he's hoping the journey
will be worth the effort.

‐It'll be an adventure.
‐Yeah.

‐You stick with me, buddy.

I'll k‐‐ I'll keep you
in lots of adventures.

‐[ Chuckles ]

[ Engines rev ]

♪

‐High up
in the Montana mountains,

at Hell's Gate...

‐Oh, [bleep].

Ooh‐ooh.

Look what we got here.

Got us an elk.

Got multiple lion tracks
all over.

‐Jake Herak
and his youngest dog, Trixy,

are pushing deeper
into the lion's den.

‐This thing's definitely
freshly chewed on here.

I'll bet you Marlene came up and
kicked this cat off this kill.

‐They're racing to catch up
with Marlene,

Jake's 2‐year‐old lead dog,

who's now facing
a killer lion one‐on‐one.

‐Come on, Trixy, let's go!

Let's go!

‐Lions are really
resourceful animals

and they won't waste
any meat, so...

And they'll come back
to this multiple times.

So, we're definitely gonna need
to push this cat up the mountain

and, uh, in hopes that she goes
after some game up higher.

‐Jake's following Marlene's
tracks up the mountain,

but there's no way to know
for sure how far behind he is.

‐Holy crap, what a mess.

There's a bunch of dead fall
all over the damn place.

Come on, Trixy.

‐Every minute Jake spends

navigating
the treacherous terrain

widens the gap
between him and Marlene.

‐You can see right here where
this cat took one hop, two hops,

then it took about
a eight‐and‐a‐half‐foot jump

before it touched down on the
other side of the creek there.

These dogs can't jump six
or eight feet like these cats,

and it's no surprise
to me that it ‐‐

this water didn't stop Marlene.

She'll swim a river if she knows
that cat's on the other side.

‐But with temperatures
below zero,

he's not taking any chances
with 6‐month‐old Trixy.

‐Go ahead, Trixy.

Oh!

That was close.

All right, I've just made it
across that crick.

Fang's still on the loose, so we
need to get up there with her.

Come on, Trixy.

[ Dog howls ]

‐In the Tobacco Root
Mountains...

‐You can hear her right now,
she's blowing up.

‐...Jake's finally closing in
on his lead dog, Marlene...

‐She's definitely
treed this cat.

‐...hoping she's treed the cat

that took a swipe
at his dog Henry

in yesterday's encounter.

‐Get down, get down.
There it is right there.

I can't tell
what exact cat that is,

but she's definitely
got a cat in the tree.

Oh, [bleep]. Look at that.

Trixy's lining out.

She definitely hears Marlene
hammering down the head.

Um, this is gonna be pretty cool
to see what she does.

‐6‐month‐old pup Trixy
is still in training,

but her instincts are on point.

‐Oh, [bleep] yeah. There you go.

You can hear her right now.
She's blowing up.

Uh, I need to get up
here real quietly

and, uh, get to the tree.

[ Marlene howls ]

Good girl, Mar Mar!

[ Howling continues ]

Oh, man.

That cat definitely
didn't like Marlene.

It's, uh, way the heck up there.

Good girl, Mar Mar!

Mar Mar.

Good girl, good girl!

Good girl!

Female!

You can definitely
see that black dot's

right at the base of it,

so that means
that it's a female.

‐In addition to
a cat's relative size,

a black spot of fur directly
under the base of the tail,

rather than
several inches below,

is a sign
that it's a female cat.

‐Good dog!

‐But she's not nearly as big
as the one that injured Henry ‐‐

the one he calls Fang.

‐This is
a totally new cat to me.

So, new cats mean more problems.

More problems
means I got more work.

Marlene did a hell
of a job today by herself.

I, uh, having high hopes of
her and Trixy treeing this cat,

but she ended up solo,
and, uh, she got it done.

Trixy.

Trixy didn't do bad today, it's
pretty typical of a young pup.

Just, uh,
it's all part of training.

It takes a lot of work
and a lot of dedication

to make a good dog.

Come on, Mar Mar!
Hey, let's go!

‐The day was a success, but with
Fang still on the loose,

Jake's work in Hell's Gate
isn't over yet.

‐There ain't no way in Hell
we're leaving this job

until we get
Fang pushed up off the mountain.

♪

♪

‐You ready for some coffee?
‐Yeah, sounds great.

‐From their
Ozark Mountain forge,

Jason and Mary Hawk
provide for their growing clan.

But the living
is only as good as the work,

and so far,
they're both on the upswing.

‐You know,
we've been really fortunate.

The business is hoppin'.

We've got a ton of orders
for knives.

So the goal this year,
it's about producing.

‐To help keep up
with the demand,

Mary spent the summer
getting a crash course

in the basics of blacksmithing.

‐Will you grab me that, uh,
little pad and paper?

And I'll show you something.
‐Okay.

‐Now it's time for her
to prove her skills

with her first solo forge
of a frontier belt knife.

‐Our frontier belt knife is
one of our most popular models.

And if I can get
this pattern down

and be producing them
in a good way,

Jason can focus
on his custom knives.

‐Jason is a master blacksmith
with a reputation for quality.

Mary's work
will have to measure up

before they're able to sell
her blade under the Hawk name.

‐The forge is yours.
‐Ah, thanks.

I...I'm a little nervous
because, uh, this is my first,

uh, knife build
all the way through.

‐The first step is to heat
the steel to 1,500 degrees,

hot enough to make it pliable
and ready to be shaped.

‐So, I'm just drawing out
the handle.

When it's thick is the best time
to really pound on it

and move some metal.

And the faster you can get it
back in when it loses the heat,

the faster it can heat up
and the less fuel is wasted.

‐Honing the blade down
to an eighth of an inch

requires an expert touch ‐‐

something Mary
is still developing.

‐So, right now, I'm ‐‐
my blows are a lot lighter

because this steel
is a lot thinner.

‐With the blade roughly shaped,

the next step
is to create a beveled edge ‐‐

precision work
that is even more difficult.

‐I just need to be able to...
get this right.

We'll see.

It's...

Okay.

♪

Oh.

Um...

Jay?

‐It's twisted.

‐Is it fixable?

‐[ Sighs heavily ]

♪

‐Whoa. Whoa.

[ Clicks tongue ]

There's definitely
some tracks over here.

‐Josh Kirk is 10 miles deep

into Wyoming's
Wind River mountains...

tracking a rogue prized bison.

‐Looks like this bison's
going right up in this canyon.

‐It's been three hours
since Josh discovered tracks

headed straight
into the high hills ‐‐

dangerous country
for an animal without a herd.

‐This canyon goes into
some of the wildest country

that's out here.

I mean, it just goes on and on
for hundreds of miles.

It's just
nothing but wilderness.

‐These mountains are home to
wolves, black bears, and lions,

all powerful enough
to take down a single bison

if given the chance.

‐Come on, girl. What is that?

We got somethin' right here.
Hang on.

Oh, yeah.

There's a bunch of blood
right here, and this is fresh.

Whoa.

Definitely a wolf track here.

This is not what I want to see.

[ Quietly ] Oh, man.

[ Normal voice ] [Bleep].

Come on, girl.

Come on.

As I'm riding,
the tracks are getting fresher,

the blood is starting
to look fresher.

At this point,
I don't know what to expect.

Come on.

♪

There's a frickin' wolf
right there.

Ha! Get on out of here!

Ha! Ya! Ya!

Get out of here!

Ya!

♪

♪

‐Ha! Get on out of here!

Ya! Get out of here!

There's a wolf right there.

Ya! Whoa.

Whoa.

[ Grunts ]

[ Gunshot, horse neighs ]

Whoa, girl. Ho, ho, ho, ho.

Whoa. Come on, girl.

Easy.

[ Breathes heavily ]

I missed him.

[ Horse snorts ]

‐Josh managed to scare off
the lone wolf...

‐[ Pants ]
‐...but the damage is done.

‐God, I'm so pissed.

[ Sighs ]

[ Breathes heavily ]

This is a 3‐year‐old animal.

It's my responsibility
to take care of them,

and when I lose a bison,
it's tough.

It can be really, really tough.

Thousands of dollars
just laying here.

‐With so much of the carcass
untouched,

Josh changes gears quickly
to salvage what he can.

‐I've got it semi‐away
from this gut pile,

so, I'm gonna try to
get this guy s‐‐ skinned up.

‐Bison meat is worth
$10 per pound,

so every part that Josh is able
to save is money in the bank.

‐I've got to get the skin off

because I've got to
get this meat cooled down.

‐The faster Josh can
break down the animal,

the less likely it will rot.

But just cutting through
the half‐inch hide

is an hour‐long job.

‐The hide is thick.

These animals are made
to go through winter.

‐It takes three hours
to complete the salvage job,

and by the time he's finished...
‐[ Grunts ]

‐...Josh has run out of
enough daylight

to make
the eight‐mile trip home.

‐It's startin' to get cold.

I need to get a fire going.
I need to get a camp started.

Last thing I wanna do
is be stuck on a wolf kill

in the middle
of the freaking night

without a shelter,
without a fire.

I was not expecting
to have to skin a bison

and have to salvage all this.

I'm gonna be here all night
whether I wanna be or not.

I'm limited with my gear.

I have no sleeping bag.

I don't have no blanket.

So now I've got to improvise.

The wind's definitely
starting to pick up.

It's gonna be
getting cold tonight.

♪

♪

‐In North Carolina...

‐It's too dang heavy.
It broke the f‐‐ lever.

‐...a feat of
extreme heavy lifting...

goes south.

‐How bad is it?
‐Oh, it's bad.

‐But with only one way
in and one way out

of Turtle Island, Eustace
and Raleigh aren't giving up

until the bridge is repaired

and they're back in business
delivering firewood.

‐It broke where I had it,
like, sawed down.

We could just not saw it down.

That's what I'm thinkin'.

My best guess on the way
to deal with this lever breakin'

is to make it stronger,

and the only way
I can use it stronger

is just the full size.

One, two, three. [ Grunts ]

‐To wedge the full thickness
of the log under the bridge,

Eustace has to reduce
the height of the rock fulcrum,

giving him less leverage
for the job.

‐Can you get it out of there?
‐Yeah, I got it.

‐All right, see if you can
lift it up in there, Raleigh.

‐[ Grunting ]

‐Whoa, yeah. That's it.

All right. Now take him on down.

‐[ Exhales sharply ]

‐Let me just see what I can do
by myself on this.

If I can stand up
on this thing...

Whew.

Feel like I'm steering a ‐‐
a boat here.

But what I'm doing
on the end of this lever

is putting as much weight
as I can on it

and what Raleigh's doing
at the other end,

is he's puttin' the rocks
up underneath it.

What about now?

‐Oh, yeah. It went further.

Just keep on bouncin'.

‐[ Grunting ]
‐Every time you bounce,

this rock squeezes in.

All right, hold off.

It's there.

[ Sighs ]

‐I believe we've
got it done, Raleigh.

[ Laughter ]

‐Reinforcing
the bridge foundation

takes care of one job,

but the roadbed
is still unstable,

with one side
partly washed away.

‐If we can just get
this shored up,

maybe throw some rocks
in these big holes...

‐Uh‐huh.
‐...maybe build this up

a little bit,

then I think we can
get through this.

‐A 12‐foot poplar log
acts as a new curb

and locks in a fresh layer
of rock and dirt.

♪

‐[ Grunts ]

♪

‐I believe we about
got this thing, Raleigh.

‐Yeah, I'd drive over it.

‐Well, let's go
deliver some firewood.

We're gonna get in the truck
and drive on out on this bridge

and see what moves.

Well, you watch,
and we'll see what happens.

‐Just come through slow.
‐Okay.

♪

♪

How's it lookin' there,
Raleigh?

‐It's lookin' good.

Come on through.

♪

‐Yew!

How did it look?

‐Didn't move at all.
‐Right on.

‐That's what I'm talking about.
‐Yeah!

‐We fixed it.

At long last, we're gonna get
this load of firewood delivered.

My life's mission
is to keep this land

a wild and sacred place.

So I'm just gonna keep goin' and
goin' at it till we get there.

♪

[ Engine revs ]

‐In the remote backwoods
of Montana's Yaak Valley,

Tom Oar and Sean McAfee are
racing against the deep freeze.

‐It's very rough country.

‐After having struck out
on their local line,

they're on the hunt
for better trapping grounds

in the high country.

And the only way to get there
is to cross the Yaak River...

‐There be the river there, eh?

‐...if the ice
is strong enough to hold them.

‐What do you think of that ice?

‐I don't know. It don't look
real thick right there.

‐Some open water there, huh?
‐Yep.

Maybe we should walk out
there first, huh?

We're a long ways from home.

This is gonna be
a pretty dangerous situation.

‐Probing the ice assesses
its thickness and strength,

but it's impossible to be sure
that it's frozen over evenly.

‐I don't know about getting
across anywhere else there.

This looks like the spot
right here, buddy.

‐You don't want to go
across on ice slow.

All right.

It gives it more chance to
break out from underneath you.

So, big thing is, get on it
and run across that ice

and shoot up that other bank
on the other side to dry land.

You ready?
‐Yes sir.

‐Here we go.

[ Engine revs ]

♪

♪

‐Hold up!

‐Damn it.

‐In Montana's
treacherous backcountry...

[ Engine revs ]

‐Ooh! Ah.

‐...Tom's been bested
by the ice and snow.

‐She's stuck, isn't she?

[Bleep].

I thought I had enough speed

to make it up
the other bank and ‐‐

but it was a little bit
too steep.

Almost made it
to the top of the bank,

and then that was it.
I was stuck.

‐The snow machine slammed
into the bank at full speed.

‐There's one ski.

‐And though it hasn't
sustained any damage,

it's not going anywhere.

‐Ooh. Huh.
That sucker's packed in there.

‐Yeah.

‐How in the Hell
are we gonna get this out?

‐Without a reverse gear,
the only way to move

the 500‐pounder
is with muscle power.

‐I got the back.
‐One, two, three.

‐[ Grunts ]
‐[ Grunts ]

♪

‐[ Grunts ]
‐[ Grunts ]

‐Why don't we try again
without the trailer

and I'll pull
the trailer up there?

‐For his second run at the hill,

Tom's shedding
the weight of the trailer

and circling around again
to build momentum.

[ Engine revs ]

♪

‐Whoa.
‐[ Laughs ]

You made it.

‐[ Sighs ] Whew.

All righty.

‐Four miles deeper
into the bush,

Tom and Sean arrive
at their destination

with little daylight left

to find out
if they've beaten the freeze.

‐These ponds are spring fed,

so the spring‐fed water
is warmer.

This could be our last chance
of being al‐‐

able to trap beaver
before everything freezes.

[ Sighs ]

‐Looks promising, man.
‐Yep.

‐The river is still open water
and not only flowing,

it's also teaming
with signs of beaver activity.

‐Got to be a beaver
around here somewhere.

See all the sticks sticking
up out of the water there?

‐Sure do.
‐Yep.

‐Tom zeroes in on a beaver dam

that should be a high‐traffic
zone for the animals.

‐Probably put in
about three traps here.

‐Okay.

‐The first trap that I put in
is a‐a foothold trap.

It's baited with beaver castor.

It's a‐a call lure
to call them to that spot.

And just put it right there,
and we'll have one set done.

All right.

Second set I thought

I'll put in
the middle of the dam.

Ooh.

We're gonna put
the third trap there...

‐Oh, okay. Yep, right ‐‐
‐...right in that center.

‐Right there.
‐Got it.

Three sets.

I think you found us
a little honey hole there.

‐We're not all done yet.

We still got
a lot of work to do.

♪

♪

‐Let me see that. [ Sighs ]

‐I really muffed it up.

‐In the Ozarks,
Mary's trying to prove

she's ready to join
the family business...

‐Yeah you did.

That's a twist.

‐But she's run into trouble
on her first solo job.

‐Okay, one of the things is...
‐Yeah.

‐...if you're gonna make blades

you're gonna learn
to straighten them.

‐For me, and ‐‐ this is one of
the most challenging things.

Everything going out
needs to be perfect.

‐We don't want to spot heat this

as much as we want to
get the whole thing rolling.

‐Yeah.

‐So we're just gonna
kind of...

heat it and let it
come up to temp for a minute.

If we can
get this straightened out,

then it'll be fine.

But if we can't
get it straightened out,

then we start over.

First thing we're gonna do
is we're gonna take out

the majority of it.

Get it back to true.
‐Rather than hammering it?

‐Then we'll hammer it back true.

‐Okay.

‐The challenge
is to straighten the twist

without overworking the metal,

which will make it
too brittle to cut.

‐And bend it back this way.
‐Gentle, gentle.

Yep.

You can see right now
the spine's there.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐But that ‐‐ that edge is...

‐Oh, I see that.
‐...womp, womp, womp.

‐Could I get that out
with the hammer?

‐You can.

A little bit better, but...

‐Okay.
‐...super gentle.

Not much on your strikes at all.

Not much on your heat at all.

Okay.

‐All right.
‐You give that a run.

I'll be right back.
‐Okay.

[ Door squeals ]

♪

I think it's good.

‐With the blade back on track,

Mary's next step is
to file the metal and reheat it

to prepare for the quench ‐‐

the part of the process
that proves

whether the steel
will hold or fail.

‐All right, looks good.

Heel in first,
get this all heated up.

All right, I'm‐a let that
sit for a second.

Grab my oil out.

[ Sighs ]

‐Quenching steel in hot oil

brings the metal
back to room temperature

and locks in it's hardness.

‐I'm a little concerned.

Sometimes when a blade is
twisted in the forging process,

the crystalline structure
sometimes remembers that twist.

And so, when I quench,
we'll be able to see

whether or not
that twist ruined the blade.

[ Door squeals ]

‐Hey, babe.
‐[ Sighs ] How you doing?

‐All right.
Just, uh, about ready to quench.

‐Okay.

If she didn't get the twist out,

it'll amplify in that quench.

‐All right.

One, two, three.

[ Sizzling ]

‐In the Ozarks,
it's Mary's moment of truth

to see whether or not
she's single‐handedly

forged her first blade
worthy of the Hawk name.

‐If something goes wrong
with this quench,

we're gonna have
to start from scratch.

‐Huh, yeah.

‐How's it look?
‐Looks pretty straight.

What do you think?

‐That looks good.

We want the true test.

[ Scratching ]

‐The teeth of a file
will dig into softer steel,

but if they
don't grip the blade,

it means the hardness
is just right.

‐All right.
‐All right, oh.

‐It's looking good now.

‐All right. [ Sighs ]

It is a big relief to see
that that knife survived.

I feel good. I feel confident.

I can do this.

♪

[ Banging ]
[ Door shuts ]

‐Oh, it's getting cold
out there. [ Sighs ]

‐You get it all together?
‐Yeah.

‐Let me see.
‐Check it out.

‐It's looking pretty good.
‐Is it good?

‐Yeah.

This is a milestone.

This frontier belt knife,
she's got in the bag.

Now it's an opportunity for me
to focus on some other things,

so that's huge.

That's a ‐‐
That's a hell of a job, babe.

This is a big deal.

‐Despite all of
my setbacks today,

I really feel like
I can do this.

I can forge this knife and
finish it all the way through.

And I'm proud
to see it go out the door.

♪

♪

‐This looks good, Sean.
‐All right.

‐Tom and Sean are using
the last moments of daylight

to take full advantage
of the beaver trapping grounds

they've just uncovered.

‐Conibear set?
‐Yeah.

‐All right.

‐Conibear,
it's a 10‐inch square trap,

springs on both sides.

The beaver swims through it
and it clamps down on them.

It goes off kind of like
a mousetrap does.

‐They've already set three traps
around a beaver dam.

Now, further downstream,

the conibear traps
could snare another catch

as it travels up the river.

‐You gonna drive this one in?

‐Yep. Go ahead.

‐Their job done...
‐After you, mister.

‐Here we go.

‐...Tom and Sean
head back to camp for the night

in the nearby trapper's cabin.

They will let their traps
soak until morning.

‐Home sweet home.
‐Made her.

‐Though they've been lucky
so far,

if the traps fail
to produce tonight,

their prospects for a good haul
this season will sink.

‐We ought to be able to pick up
a couple beavers, anyhow.

‐I would think so.

‐Pulling beaver
in the dead of winter

is especially difficult,

and they can use all
the head start they can get

before this river freezes, too.

‐We've put out five traps
and normally you,

with beaver,
you usually catch about half.

‐Yeah. Half your sets?

‐Yeah.
‐Yeah.

‐I mean, so we outta catch
two, maybe three.

But the only thing
we can hope for is that ‐‐

from that warm spring water...
‐Yeah.

‐...if that spring water
keeps it from freezing.

‐Right. Yeah.
‐Hopefully tomorrow at this time

we'll be skinnin'. Huh?

‐Hopefully.

♪

‐It's 30 minutes until sundown
in the Wind River Mountains.

And with three hundred pounds
of bison meat on the line,

Josh Kirk isn't going anywhere.

‐The temperature's
dropping fast,

and I have no sleeping bag,
I don't have no blanket.

All I've got is this bison.

Right now, my main focus
is to get this hide off,

so I can make it
through the night.

‐Bison hides
are rare and valuable.

But in a survival situation
like this,

they're also life savers.

‐This hide,
it's gonna protect me.

It's gonna be my shelter
from the storm.

It's what I'm gonna wrap up,

and it's
what's gonna keep me warm

through this winter‐cold night.

Got the bison by the tail.

Ooh‐aah!

[ Grunting ]

I feel accomplished right now.

I was able to minimize
a complete loss.

Tomorrow's another day.

I got to figure out
how to pack all this meat out,

get it processed.

I'm gonna sleep
with my pistol on me,

just to hopefully
keep the wolves at bay,

any predators that come in.

Just wanna make it
through the night.

If my eyes open in the morning,

then, uh, that's gonna be
the first day's blessing.

[ Howling ]

‐Next time on "Mountain Men"...

‐She's got a lot of weight
on her back.

It's like
pilgrim's progress here.

Just trying to get home.

I'm tired, she's tired,
but we have to get back.

We have to save this meat.

‐Welcome to your
first day of school, bud.

Go! Yeah, yeah.

When they're young like this,

they're the most dangerous,
just 'cause they don't know.

[ Horse neighs ]

‐Woah. Woah, woah!

Woah!

‐Hang on, Harry!

‐The goal this year,
it's about producing.

Focusing on our most popular
products that we're putting out.

‐Ah, [bleep].

[ Rumbling ]
[Bleep] it!

Ah, [bleep].

‐You okay?
‐No. Ugh.

‐What happened?