All language subtitles for Life.Below.Zero.S10E08.720p.WEB-DL.x264-KangMus_track3_[eng]

♪ ♪

ANDY: I'm getting ready to
go moose hunting for a few
days and kind of just taking

the essentials, a tent,
a sleeping bag, little bit of
cookware, little bit of food.

I'm hoping the bulk of my
load when I come back is meat.

This time of year is all
about putting food up and
getting ready for winter

because once the snow flies
and once the temperatures
hit 20, 30 below zero,

hunting isn't
really that good.

Most of the time when
I'm looking for moose,

I hunt right out of
my own backyard here.

But one of the problems I've
been running into over the
last couple years is with lots

of boats going by and lots
of people going by, it
pushes the moose away from

the river where I
normally would hunt.

Rather than waiting for the
main hunting season and for
when the animals go into rut,

try and get a
moose nice and early.

I got to bring an extra
boat with me so I can travel
around in the back areas.

This little boat's
great for that.

It's new country
for me to go into.

It's going to be a bit of a
challenge for me to, to figure
out where to go, how to hunt.

For a lot of people, hunting
is a real passion for them.

They love to just get
out and walk around
in the woods and hunt,

and they really
get jazzed about it.

And that's great, but when
you live out here, hunting
is an integral part of life.

And without it, you
really can't survive.

You can't live as
a vegetarian out here.

Getting fish and getting
meat is absolutely essential
to just this lifestyle.

Getting a moose, it doesn't
come knocking on your door.

You got to go
out and find it.

(theme music plays)

♪ ♪

So, I think this is the
spot I, I want to camp out.

I've got a nice island here.

I'm seeing a fair amount
of shoreline where moose
could easily come out.

Go ahead, you can go out.

Good boys.

I'm about 35 miles
from Calico Bluff.

And, uh, I think I'll
get my tent set up and then
spend the rest of the day doing

a little bit of, uh, calling
and I do want to get out
and hike around a little bit

just to kind of
survey the area.

At this point in time,
it's all going to be
about luck and patience.

Every bit of red meat I can
get right now is insurance and
it's a stress reliever for me

because it allows me to
know that I don't have to worry

about that later in the season.

It's all based on economics.

Out here, the currency
is wildlife and resources.

The natural land and
the resources that it has,
is my job and my employer.

And that's what pays me
to be able to live here.

Something's beaten
down the grass here.

I don't know if that's a
moose or not but it sure looks
like the size of a moose.

(wood scraping)

(moose call)

That's all I want
to do right now.

What I'm hoping for is if
there's moose in these sloughs
or back on these flats,

just making sounds like a
moose hopefully will encourage
a few of them to kind of

investigate the area.

I'm just going to walk
around and go back to camp.

Got bear tracks right here.

That almost looks
like a grizzly track.

See how you see the
claws right here?

Usually you only see
that with a grizzly bear.

Luckily, he's heading that
way, my camp is this way.

I think that's a bear I really
don't want to tangle with.

At this point it's all going
to be about luck and patience.

Probably patience being
the more important of the two.

CHIP: There's nothing
like instant reward.

Instant gratification.

When you go
hunting, you either get
something or you don't.

AGNES: Okay,
shall we open it up?

-Yup. Overlap it.

-Yup.
-Are you going to fish with us?
-Yup.

-Carol we're just going
to get a section of this
net and then go set it.

-What are we going
to be fishing for?

-We are going to
be fishing for salmon,
yup you got that right.

NARRATOR: In Noorvik, the
Hailstones rely on the
surrounding waterways to

provide them with
vital resources.

This time of year, the family
must turn their attention
to harvesting salmon.

A key food source,
that will help them
survive the coming months.

-There's people starting
to catch quite a few salmon.

So, um it's about time to
put out some salmon nets.

Um, we could be the first,
but I'd rather have quantity
and quality all together.

There's been a lot of rain so
you get a lot of high water.

These rains will
sweep down to the ocean
and those fresh waters will

induce the salmon to come in.

So, all the conditions
are right now for
salmon to be showing up.

-Ready?
-Yea.

Someday, Carol, you'll
be able to handle
one of these yourself.

You know what I mean?

-Mm, hmm. Whoa.
-Leave it right there.

The thing is that we can get
a massive amount of them, but
only for a very short time.

Salmon to us are
seasonal because they
only come in, you know,

basically at one time of
year which is at summer.

And when they're
gone, they're gone.

Here in about a week or
so, there's a whole big
change that goes on.

The fact is
summer's half over.

It's already
starting to get dark.

Pretty soon we'll see stars,
maybe even in the next week.

So, we're going to
try and get ourselves
a fair amount of them.

We'll put some of them in the
freezer whole and keep them.

We'll dry some,
we'll half dry some.

And we'll make strips
and smoke the rest.

So, nothing's wasted there.
It's all good.

Let's go set this net, uh?

AGNES: Yup.

It's a real
beautiful day for fishing.

Um, we're going a few bends
away from town you can see
there's already a whole bunch

of fish racks lined
up along the beach.

So, we're just going to go a
bit farther away where um, we
can actually have some space.

-This is where you
want to go, right?

-Yes.
-Do you want me to
put it on the point?

Or do you want it,
where do you want it?

Should we go put it down here
where there's high, high bank?

-Yea, I think so,
probably. Yup.

-Let's go try that then.

Want to grab that?

Put it right over here
where the crack is.

One, two, three, go.

Okay.

-Want me to hit it?

-Uh, yeah if you want to.

Go for it. You're
strong. Just tap it.

-I'll tap it.

-We're going to use this
pole to tie the net to.

And we'll just go straight
out that way somewhere.

Straight out.

Your dad will drive and me and
you will feed it out, Carol.

-Yeah.

-And then we'll just
leave it here for the night

and then we'll just
pick this back up tomorrow.

-Okay, I'm going to
fire this baby up.

-Okay, we're going to
try and go straight out.

I'm sure the current
is going to take us.

Carol, all you got to do is
throw yours that way and try
to get it out on the side of.

Throw it, Carol.
Throw it far.

Throw it.
Looking straight, uh?

Keep on, we're doing
a good job, Carol.

-Yup, just keep going
ladies. Keep going.

-Awesome. Just throw that
right in, Carol it's fine.

Pull the tarp.
That last.

-Hold onto that rope
and straighten this
net as best you can.

-Okay. Go ahead,
it's tight, Carol.

-Look, we got a fish already.

-Oh look, Carol!
There's a fish.

-Alright, right off the bat.
There's two fish in the net now.

Let's go get them and go home.

-Wow look,
that's a silver?
-That's a silver.

-Holy cow. Woah.
-Ah, yup.

I think this is a good
start to the season alright.

Down here on the bottom
there's one jerking.

-Yee! This is awesome.
-Oh, here's a big chum.

-Woo! This is fun.
-This is fun.

-Haven't even had this net
out for more than five minutes
and we already got six fish.

Let it go, Carol.

It's going to keep
fishing all night long.

-Let's go home.
-Watch your motor, Chip.

-We'll go
eat some fish.
-Call it a day.

-Let this net do its thing
and we'll go do ours.

-Yup. Yee!

GLENN: There's no one
looking out for you.

You got to look out
for yourself out here.

Out here it's up to you.

Not a single fly
egg on this meat.

I left this little scrap of
meat out here this afternoon
just to see if there are any

more flies at all around
that lay eggs on meat.

I don't like to hunt
before the flies go away.

If there's still flies
around that lay eggs on meat,
I might end up with maggots.

But I can see that the
flies are definitely gone.

There's not one single
fly egg on this meat.

That's good.

It's time to
go moose hunting.

I'll need my rifle,
some extra ammunition.

My knife and I got a
few clothes and small
items in my backpack.

And my antler, that's all
I need to hunt a moose.

Moose is the most
important animal.

If I get a moose, that equals
food security right there.

If I get one, that's hundreds
of pounds of meat for me to
get through the winter with.

I won't have another chance
at a moose until next fall.

So, it's very important
that I find one.

The way I hunt is to
walk around the lake.

Every day, four or five
miles a day walking through
the woods calling moose,

listening for moose,
looking for moose.

There's no certainty.

Sometimes it can take
ten days before I get
a shot at a moose.

It can be very difficult.

Once winter sets in, it's
really hard to find enough
fat out here to survive.

I won't have another chance
at a moose until next fall.

So, it's very important
that I find one.

Here's a big moose
track right here.

Moose came through
there and tore up all
that moss with its hoof,

planted it right there.

It's headed this way.

I need to be careful where I
start calling moose because
if I call a moose into

an area that it's going
to be hard to get the moose
out of after I shoot it,

that's real bad.

(scraping wood)

A lot of times if there's
a moose nearby, after
you scrape like that,

you'll hear him grunt or
you'll hear him scrape.

I just heard a moose grunt.

I see a moose.

He definitely hears me,
he's looking this way.

I want to try and
get him in closer.

(scraping wood)

He's turning his head.

He turned back this way.

I got to keep making
little moose noises.

Keep him thinking that
I'm a moose over here.

(moose calls)

(scraping wood)

He's being very cautious.

I've only heard him
grunt once and he's not
racking his antlers.

(moose call)

He's moving further
away from the lake.

Looks like he's out of here.

I'm not going to get
that moose right now.

But that's what moose
hunting's all about.

Stalking them.

Typically, I'll have a
number of encounters like
this before I get one.

That's exciting.

That's moose hunting
for you, right there.

SUE: You do what you
have to do to ensure
your own survival.

What I want to do right
now is head down the road.

I'm going to go to
a little place I call Bear
Creek and Caribou Crossing.

I want to build a blind or
an area I can get behind and
wait for the animals to cross.

NARRATOR: As the summer wanes
in Kavik, now is the time
for Sue Aikens to stock pile

meat to survive
the months ahead.

Today, she's heading out
to hunt for caribou as they
migrate through the region.

This will be her final
chance to harvest an animal
before dark winter arrives

and freezes the tundra.

-I have to pick an area
that I know they go through.

This is all just
part of my new plan.

Hunt more efficiently.
Hunt within your means.

Hunting is such an
integral part of my life.

And it's not the
slaughtering of an animal.

It's the satisfaction
of providing for myself.

I still need to eat.

Caribou to me is the
tastiest meat on the planet.

But I still don't have enough
to get me through the winter.

The goal is, I need to fill
my freezer or I have to find
another way to get food.

There's some bear poopie.

And we're getting
close to Bear Creek.

Here's the first big
ol' pile of bear poopie
I've seen all year.

I want to get out,
just take a look.

See how fresh it is.

That's definitely todays.

No doubt about that.

And probably, this morning's.

The animals tend not to make a
lot of mistakes in where they
go hunting and where they're

looking for their food.

So, if he's here as well,
that, that bodes well
for the, uh, migration.

Bears are all
about the ambush.

This is a good location.

Got my knife, got my axe.

Let's see.

I do not want to disturb
really anything this way
that's going to help hide me.

So, I may have to go
over there and get some of the
tall pieces and weave them in.

I'm taking live willow
plants, I'm weaving
other willow branches in,

in an effort to mask
being able to see me.

That way I
can be successful at having
animals approach me closer.

My blind is not here
to guarantee me a hunt.

My blind is to guarantee
that I'm less visible.

I think it's looking really
good from all angles.

But I'm making strips so
that I can go measure out
50 yards this direction,

this direction, this
direction, that direction.

And the animals will go,
what the hell is that?

Well that's kind of different.

And they are so curious.

So, by marking
out my territory,

I may also be drawing
in that which I'm seeking.

I want to get inside.

Verify that I can see
and, uh, go from there.

♪ ♪

Woah. Woah,
woah, woah, woah.

I got a grizz.
I got a grizz. Oh.

SUE: Woah. Woah,
woah, woah, woah.

I got a grizz.
I got a grizz. Oh.

He is standing.

The grizzly is
standing up, looking.

He does not see me at all.

He's a good size, he's white.

He's really light colored.

He doesn't see me he's
down on all fours.

He's moving now.

He's headed straight
for Bear Creek.

There's some
vindication right there.

That's the biggest
mama jamma I got out here.

Man, he's just, look at him
he's just eating some berries.

Digging on, being a bear.

Steadily moving.

He did not see me.

My blind works.

That's a nice
grizzly. Good size.

Beautiful specimen.

It's not legal to
shoot a bear right now.

Bear Creek is right there.

Caribou Crossing
is right here.

He's looking to
ambush something.

He must have an inkling that
caribou are coming in or he
wouldn't be down here looking.

A lot of mixed emotions
about the bears.

We may butt heads
at some point, but they are
majestic, amazing creatures.

They don't come in until they
know their animals are here.

So, somewhere around,
the caribou are coming in.

It's, it's a good sign.

But now it's time to
quit talking and it's
time to start hunting.

It's not bear season,
but it is caribou season.

I'm just going to grab
my rifle and take a little
walk up river and if I have

an opportunity with
these geese I'll take it.

I did bring my 22-magnum
because I assumed I probably
would see some geese

or something maybe
worthwhile for camp food.

I'm just going to walk
really nice and slow.

Don't look
threatening to them.

They can be pretty spooky.

They're all going in
for a meal off that nice
green grass up there.

Oh man, this is a long shot.

At least 150 yards.

And the wind's blowing
pretty hard too.

(gunshot)

There they go.
Nothing. Damn it.

Well I, I got about
as close as I thought
I could get to them.

Still 150 yards out.
Wind's blowing.

I aimed about 4 inches
high, 5 inches high.

But I think I
still hit low.

I kind of shot where
there was 2 or 3 of them.

Kind of lined up.

But, uh, obviously a miss.
I didn't see anything flounder.

I didn't see anything
drop and I don't see
anything on the ground.

So, I think I'm just
going to get back
down onto the beach.

Continue my, uh,
look for moose.

It's fun, fun
little stalk.

Unsuccessful at this
point but there might
be a round two.

Right now, the top of
the first inning it's,
uh, Canada Geese one.

Andy zero.

GLENN: It's up to me.
What I want to do.

What risks I want to take.

How I want to live.

Out here, it's still free.

(scraping wood)

(moose call)

Sound like a bull moose.
Look like a bull moose.
Act like a bull moose.

NARRATOR: Glenn is
hunting for bull moose.

A resource he depends
on for almost half
his yearly food supply.

He's stalking a bull that
he spotted not far from camp.

But getting close enough to
take a shot is a difficult
task with such wary prey.

-I got to be careful.

I got to stay behind trees and
just let him see this antler.

If I want a chance with
this moose, I'm going to
have to move further

from the lake because he's
not coming over here.

♪ ♪

When you're hunting
you just never know
what's going to happen.

There he is.

I'll try and get a shot here.

(scraping brush)

♪ ♪

(gun saftey click)

♪ ♪

(gun saftey click)

GLENN: He figured out
something was up.

He's out of here.

Usually, once they take
off like that, you don't
get them to come back.

That was a nice bull too.

I've got a feeling
about this moose.

He might hang out in this
area and I might get another
chance today, tomorrow.

Sometimes it happens this way.

So, I'll keep circling around
the lake in that direction.

Hopefully, with a little
luck, I can get closer to him.

He knows I'm out here.

He's already heard me,
and I've heard him.

It's just a matter of how
we interact with each other.

Whether or not I can
end up close enough
to him to get a shot.

ANDY: Seems like no matter
how much you get done, you're
never ahead of the game.

You're always
playing catch up.

So, yeah.

Got up this morning and went
back to my calling station
just 50 yards behind me here.

I saw these very fresh tracks.

These are definitely
from last night or very
early this morning.

It's a pretty good size bull.

At least it's good to
see some fresh sign here.

And I know that there's
some moose definitely
near the area.

So, my call is working.

I guess I just missed him
in the middle of the night.

Two ships
passing in the dark.

NARRATOR: Andy is hunting
for moose, an animal
that will provide him with

red meat for
the coming winter.

But an influx of hunters
along the Yukon River has
forced him into new territory.

And finding a moose
before the season closes
is a daunting task.

-This is a whole new
area for me to hunt.

And so, for me
this year, um, I'm really
hoping I can get a moose.

But this is also
an opportunity just
to learn where to go

and where not to go.

I've only been here
a day, that's nothing
for moose hunting.

I've still got to
maintain patience but I,
I can't just sit and camp

and wait and wait and wait.

I, I feel like I have
to get out and at least
explore a little bit more.

So, I'm gonna go out with
my boat right now and just
do a nice quiet float down

the river and, uh, just
see what's out there.

Bears, moose, just
kind of stay optimistic.

And just wait for
that opportunity.

It's always amazing to me
how you don't hear or see
anything and then boom,

like a flash the moose
is just standing there.

So, even when it
seems bleak and there's
nothing going on.

That could change
at any second.

It's a lot of good moose
and bear country back there.

I'd just love to see a black
bear walking the beach too.

Think I'll do a little
bit of scouting in
this area right here.

It's a big open slough
that goes around this
bend down the Yukon.

That's definitely from
today or last night.

(moose call)

It's hard not to get
disappointed but at the same
time I also know through

experience one could walk
out in like two seconds.

And just step
right out of the brush.

So, even though it's a
little demoralizing and
a little frustrating,

I still have to be
pretty vigilant.

Just can't believe I'm
not seeing anything down
that giant slough there.

All right.
I think back to camp.

A little disappointing
that I didn't connect.

But at the same time,
it's good to know that
the calling's getting some

attention out there.

And sometimes this is the
hardest part because you know
that there's stuff around,

but you got to be patient.

You got to stick
to your game plan.

You start changing
up your game plan and
usually it's not good.

Not gonna give up,
just change the strategy.

CHIP: If you live
by the if's and the
what's and the maybe's,

you'd die as a hunter
or a fisher person.

♪ ♪

Let's go check this net, ah?

AGNES: I can't wait to
see what's in there.

I hope we catch a lot of fish.

We brought one tub,
hopefully we at least
get a tub. Maybe two.

-Maybe. Well,
today we're going to go
up and go check our net.

Um, it's got a
lot of high water.

So, there should be fishing.

But one of the things
that happens during high
water is a lot of debris

comes down the river.

So, you know, we may
have a log in the net.

We call them fish sticks.

Another thing
that could happen is we
could have tons of fish.

Another thing that could
happen, we could have no fish.

And since we don't know what's
happening until we get there,
we're on our way to find out.

Let's have a look, ah?

-Oh, wow.

CHIP: Let's
have a look, ah?

AGNES: That's a log.

-We got a log in it, yup.

Well, it's high water.
And that's what happens.

Wow, that sure swept
it aside didn't it?

AGNES: This dirt really
just shifted the net, ah?

Cause when we put it out,
we put it out straight
that way and then.

CHIP: Yeah. So, we'll have
to reset the net, alright?

With all the junk and debris
that's coming down the river.

The weight of all that stuff
took the net to the side.

So, straightening the net
out is pretty important too
because it gives us, you know,

more, more working room to
the net than it does it is the
way it's sitting right now.

So, we'll straighten the
net out and carry on.

Yup, we got a beaver.

-Oh, is there a beaver?

-Yup.
-Oh, wow.

-Yeah, he chewed
through the float line.

You get a nice one inch line.

-Wow. Cut short.
-We got a beaver.

This would be just what we
call an incidental catch.

Sometimes you'll get diving
birds like grebes or loons.

They'll get in there.

Sometimes the
occasional duck.

Sometimes a muskrat.
Sometimes a beaver.

Tell you the truth, that's
probably the first beaver
we've ever caught in the net.

That's kind of the
way nature works, huh?

All this junk comes
down the river.

Gets caught in our net
because the high water's
bringing in all these salmon

from the ocean
right over there.

And we catch beaver.

Oh, he didn't go easy, did he?

-Nope.
-This beaver
won't go to waste.

We'll just save the
skin, tan it later, and
I'll boil this meat up for

the dogs and feed them.

A dog gotta eat.

-You pull that way,
Carol, I go this way.

-Well, nets have to be
constantly maintained.

It's like a trap.

You have to keep
constantly checking a trap.

Well, a net is made
to catch things.

And you have to constantly
keep your fish fresh.

You have to keep the
crap out of the net, all
the junk and debris that's

coming down the river.

And you, you want to keep
up on what your work is.

You don't want to
get overloaded.

-Oh, that looks
a lot better.

-It's cleared
on the back end.

Ready to start checking?

-Yeah.
-Oh, there's a salmon for you.

Well, this guy's wrapped up.
Oh, there's a couple of them.

-There's one by
you somewhere, mom.
-Right on, fish.

Oh, check it out.
A green head.

What is that?

-Oh, ocean fresh,
whatever it is.

-Wow.
-That's it should be.

-Wow, we
got good dinner.
-Look at.

-Well, it's
nice when we go out, put
out our nets and there's

a salmon there already here.

-Look at this one.

-Oh yeah, we'll munch that
guy down for dinner, ah?

-Yea this looks
like dinner to me.

-Where does it go?
-Yee!

-There's a whitefish
for you, still alive.

Look at that.

-My first salmon. Wow,
that's a big whitefish.

-I'm glad we started fishing.
-I'm glad we started too.

-Our first days of
fishing here this summer,
turned out pretty good.

We've got four good salmon,
a whitefish and a beaver.

Well, what can you
say, you set a net
and you catch things.

Put your life vest on, bun,
we're going to just go home.

We're not going
to cut fish here.

We'll have salmon for dinner
and we'll just throw the
other ones in a freezer, ah?

-Uh-huh.
-I'll skin that beaver out.

It all adds up and
tomorrow will add up and
the next day will add up

and the next
day will add up.

-Yup.
-It's just kind of like
the first, first go around.

And the net's
nicely adjusted, so.

-Yup.

CHIP: What can we do
but go home and go have
a good salmon dinner, ah?

AGNES: Yee!

JESSIE: Anything that
can happen will happen.

And I'm just gonna be
prepared for anything.

(barking)

Tobias, load up.

Let's get a move on
downriver, buddy.

Who knows what
awaits us down there?

NARRATOR: In Nenana,
Jessie Holmes and his
team of sled dogs survive by

harvesting the resources
along the region's waterways.

This time of year,
stock piling food for the
coming winter is crucial.

And today he's headed
downriver in search of
new areas to catch fish and

scout the wildlife.

-I'm gonna head
out to one of my favorite
spots on the river and

do some exploring.

Gotta be traveling down
the Tanana River 35 miles
and then cutting north up

into the Tolovana River.

I call it God's country.

It's one of my favorite
places in the world.

I come out here to fish.

I come out here to
live off the land.

That's what I do.

When I'm traveling out of the
woods, I eat out of the woods.

That's how I get by.

Getting down here to have
a look, go do some fishing.

It ain't just a joyride for
me, but I couldn't think of
anything better to be doing

with my time right now.

For me this is what living
out here is all about.

Getting out and
being out in the country
and seeing new sites

and learning
each bend of the river.

Just beautiful country.

You never know what you're
going to see out here.

There's a moose
right over there.

That's so cool.

I love seeing
animals out here.

It feels great to be out
in the country, already
seeing animals moving.

It's a good sign.

It's going to be interesting
to get out here and see what
else we're going to see.

That's not something
I'm hunting and I didn't
stop because I just like

to watch the animals as well.

You learn something from
watching what the animals do

and that's what
I'm out here doing.

Got to train your eyes to
see things quick or otherwise
you miss your opportunity.

So, when I'm out
here, I'm looking for
animals all the time.

I love coming downriver.

Every mile you get
downriver it just gets
wilder and wilder.

There's a little cooler
water coming in here.

This might be a spot
where I can catch some pike.

Right now, I'd be just
happy getting something
to eat for the night.

Pike are a pretty
aggressive fish and they
really strike at things, so.

They see that flashy
lure going through there,
if they're out there,

they'll hit it.

Last cast and then
I'm heading up river.

See if I can't catch some
fish up at the mouth of the
next river that comes in here.

Time to head on.

Get a gate on,
get upriver and ah, get
a little further out.

The further we go, the
further we get out and
I love that feeling.

I'm going to keep heading on
up north and try to make some
time before evening comes.

That way I can catch some fish
and get myself a good camp up.

For me, this is just
all about exploring and
getting more intimate with

the country
that's around me.

I don't want to be
restricted to a small area
of Nenana where I live.

I want to go out and
know the country like
the back of my hand.

ANDY: Mother Nature
will provide.

It's just a matter of
time, effort and patience.

♪ ♪

I don't get a moose
this morning, I'm gonna
have to head on back.

I'm running out of rabbits
to pull out of my hat here.

I've tried calling,
I've walked sloughs.

I've tried going upstream
of camp, downstream of camp.

It's been pretty
bleak out here.

Woke up to a lot of
fog on the river this morning
and when this fog lifts

it's time to get out
and look for that moose.

I'm going to head back
downriver and float.

The fog just cleared.

I can see downriver along
the banks pretty well now.

Been kind of a
frustrating hunt.

Up to this point
a few fresh signs
but no live animals.

Ah, probably floated about
12 miles from camp right here.

Last night I went about four
miles upstream from camp.

So, I've covered 16,
18 miles of the river.

These old bones don't
pack the way they used to.

Ten, 15 years ago I
wouldn't have even hesitated
to go back a quarter mile

or half mile off the river.

Nowadays I kind of want to
see something at least within

a couple hundred
yards of the river.

And I'm just not
seeing anything.

Oh, there's a black bear.

ANDY: Oh, there's
a black bear.

♪ ♪

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

So, I'm gonna turn
around and land and then
approach cautiously.

♪ ♪

Oh, there he is right there.

He didn't go far.

That's a pretty good
size paw on him.

It's all about timing.

The timing was
finally good for me.

And I'll see if I can't
this, get this guy back to
camp and process him there.

Hey boys.
How's my boys?

See if I can get this
big bad boy out of here.

One of the things
about hunting up in
Alaska is you never know

what you're going to get.

You may go out for a moose
and end up with a bear.

You may go out for a beaver
and end up with some ducks.

You, you just don't know
what you're going to get.

I have a lot of
respect for the animals
that feed me out here.

And if I'm going
to take that life I want
it to be taken efficiently

and cleanly and with as
much, much respect as I can.

Not too many places you
can just go to this for
yourself and by yourself.

That's why I live out here.

Here you go, buddy.

Yeah, you're so
gentleman-like.

Let's get a
bear on the boat.

Well, he's a lot easier to
get in the boat this time
than he was the first time.

Come on, Shilling.

Atta boy.
Good boy.

In the boat, good
boy, in the boat.

We have quite a load.

I got to get this home
and get it quartered up and
butchered and in the freezer.

It's always good to
come home with something
to eat in the boat.

Life is pretty good
along the Yukon River.

CHIP: You can always
hope and wish.

You can even pray.

It's all the same
thing, you know?

Any day, even if I don't
catch a thing is a great day.

AGNES: Well this
is gonna be fun.

-Let's hope so.

I hope we don't have
any logs or any beavers
in the boat again.

Only way to find out
is getting there.

So, shall we go?

-Yup.
-Oh, I'd love to
catch a lot of fish.

Have them like jump
right in the boat.

Not have to touch a
net, none of that crap,
that'd be awesome.

But they don't do that, so
why I want to go pick a net.

Hopefully, there's not a
bunch of sticks, there's
a bunch of salmon.

Yesterday had a whole
bunch of debris.

Log came into it, all
kinds of other junk.

We streamlined it,
adjusted it, hopefully
that won't happen today.

But we don't know
until we go see.

So, when we go see,
that's when we'll know.

-Looks pretty good, ah?
-Yup, doesn't look as
bad as yesterday.

-Yeah. Wow there's no even
sticks or logs. Right on.

-Oh, this is way better
than having a beaver.

-Oh, look there seems like
there's fish right there, ah?

-Something's in there.
-Awesome. All we got to
do is check the net, ah?

-Check the net.
-Whoa.

-Right there's a fish,
right there in front of you.

-Oh.
-One for the tub.

-Oh, look at that.
-Oh, that's a nice chum.

-Wow, it's heavy.
-Oh, there's two of them.

-Oh three, wow.
-Whoa, look at that, dad.

-Hey, look
that whitefish.
-Wow.

-So, we got
a pink, we got chums,
we got a silver,

and we got one, maybe
more whitefish coming up.

Ah yup, I think
this is a good start
to the season alright.

Let's keep checking.

That was the end of the net,
and I've seen them caught
in the very last one before.

Yup.

I don't see
any new ones in the net.

So, why don't
we go over here and you
ladies cut these fish up

and I'll start a
fire here pretty quick.

And we've got some coals.
We'll munch one of them, ah?

-Hmm. The first fish
is always the best fish.

Especially the first
salmon of the year.

-Eating this salmon's
kind of reminds me of having
turkey at Thanksgiving

or having the first
goose of the spring time.

-Yup.
-I was craving food when
I was stuck in that jail.

Oh man, like you
wouldn't believe.

-I kind of figure because
once I knew you were getting
out of jail and coming home

and I figured you'd really
want a real fresh something,
so me, Mary and Carol went out

and go do a goose hunt
before you came home.

-Yeah, it was
a good taste.
-Yup.

-It's been cool
since I got home.

-Even the muskrat
hunt was awesome, ah?

-It was alright,
yeah, they got enough
to even make a parka.

I was impressed with them.

-Pretty cool, Qutan. She,
she shoot real quick, ah?

-Yup.
-Yeah.

You guys get better
and there's a lot
more muskrats around.

We got to have some ducks too.

-Yup.
-All those weeks
later too, ah?

-Mm-hmm. Even fishing,
yeah that was fun, Carol.

-Yeah.

-If you ever go down south
to the lower 48, that's
how everyone fishes.

-One by one.
-That's why I,
yeah, one by one.

I thought that's
how you would, ah.

-One fish?
-You'd have, want
to have a lot of fun.

There's all kinds of way
to catch a fish, babe.

If I can show you
as many ways to catch
a fish as possible.

You'll always eat.
It's really how it works.

You're going to have to
put out effort no matter
what you do in your life.

When you grow up,
you're going to have
to be responsible

and you're going
to have to work.

But if you work around
here, it takes, it
doesn't take much money,

but it takes a lot of work.

If you go down south,
it takes a lot of work to
make a lot of money to get

to do the
things you want to do.

Here, you can just
skip the money and go
directly to the fish.

You don't have
to pay $10 a pound.

-Wow good dinner.
-Yeah.

-Now that we're, we're well
fed and our fire's about burnt
out and our fish are all cut.

-It's starting to
dim, we might even
see some stars soon.

-Yup. It's starting
to get night, evening.

Winter's just about here.

GLENN: Out here, you just have
to rely on your intuition and
your knowledge of the land.

♪ ♪

I see moose.

I got to stay behind the
tree here out of view.

There are two moose down
there in the distance.

They're feeding.

The big bulls aren't
feeding this time of year.

And they've got no antlers.

But this is very good,
because that means there's
a bull not far away.

(distant moose call)

There, I hear him.
I just heard the bull.

So, all I have to
do now is get close
enough to get a shot.

There's a big inlet here in
the lake, so I have to walk
quite a long ways around it.

Try to come in from
that direction, act
like a bull moose.

Challenge that other bull,
and hopefully he'll come
and try to chase me off.

♪ ♪

There he is.
He's got cows with him.

This one's going to be tricky.
I've got to challenge him.

(scraping brush)

He's looking at me.

(scraping brush)

(moose call)

He's coming.
He's coming this way.

He's right behind the bushes.
I don't have a shot.

(gunshot echos)

♪ ♪

GLENN: There he is.
He's coming.

He's coming this way.

He's right behind the
bushes, I don't have a shot.

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

He's down.

The last thing I want
is to wound a moose
and have him run off.

I got my moose.

First thing I'm going to do is
cut this up into pieces that
I can actually move around.

It's all about
meat preservation.

I want to put as much
meat on the table as I
can out of this moose.

It's another fall.
And that's what
I do every fall.

I go out and I hunt moose.

It's the biggest thing
for me in the whole year.

In terms of getting
food, there's nothing
like getting a moose.

Because when I pull
that trigger, that's six
months food right there.

I got things under
control here.

I got the guts out.

This meat's not
going to spoil now.

I got to get my
canoe, get my sled.

Come back over here and
move this moose home.

If I didn't have the sled,
I'd have to carry all
that weight on my back.

What an awesome hunt.

I walked 13 or 14 miles
looking for this moose.

Connected with it right
here, and now all I got
to do is get it home.

The more effort it takes to
get that meat, the better
it tastes when I eat it.

It's getting really late.

It's getting really dark.

I got to bring one
more load in the sled.

And then my first canoe
load will be all ready.

This will be my
last load tonight.

Come back over tomorrow
for the rest of the meat.

Time to head back
to the canoe.

Even though I've had
a lot of success moose
hunting, you never know.

It's hunting.
It's not guaranteed.

There's always a chance that
you'll come home empty handed.

So, when I get a moose,
it always feels good.

Time to get home.

ANDY: Benefits me mentally,
physically, and economically.

Going to a grocery store and
you buy a little bucket of
vegetables and it's 30 bucks.

I can come out here
and pick this for free.

It's time to pick
tomatoes and peppers.

Get a bunch of
my, ah, my vegetables
picked and dehydrated

and blanched and frozen.

The greenhouse produced
really well this year.

Now, it's time to
reap the harvest.

NARRATOR: After harvesting a
bear along the Yukon River,

Andy has returned home
to gather vegetables
from his garden.

With winter
approaching, the crop
must be preserved along

with the bear meat to
last through the freeze.

-I still have a lot
of tomatoes growing
up, up high here.

And I want to get them
dehydrating and it's starting
to get a little bit colder.

Got to really start thinking
about doing some of my final
harvest on some of these.

It's always really hard for
me to give up the gardening
at the end of the year.

You know, when it gets to
this point, I know it's only
a couple weeks or a week away

from things freezing
or the vegetables
being fully matured.

It's really only the
really fresh stuff that
I get to eat all year.

There's nothing
like fresh tomato.

Nothing like it.

Fresh tomatoes, fresh
green beans, fresh peas.

But it's like a
jungle in here, it's really
fun for me to come in and

see all the fruit growing.

Put a lot of time and effort
into the garden this year.

Probably more than
I've done in a while.

And it's paying off.

But it's, it's
a pretty big time consumer
to, to grow garden

and greenhouse
this prolific.

Takes a lot of time.

A lot of perseverance.

I always like putting up
food for multiple years.

You never know what might
happen in this world and so
it's smart to dehydrate and

blanch and freeze
and can and pickle.

'Cause it's all food that you
can eat for years to come.

Oh, that's a nice one there.

Look at that.

I feel really lucky to
live in a place where I
can grow food like this.

There are a lot of
places in Alaska you just
really can't garden like

you can right here.

It's just a really
enjoyable thing for me.

Like my life here, what's
going on in this greenhouse is

100% dependent upon the sun.

When the sun's out, it's
warm, the plants are growing.

When the sun starts to
fade, the days get shorter.

They start winding down.

I have to crack it up, and
then I'm winding down for some
of my winter month activities.

You know, gardening, it's one
of those things in life, if
it's, if it's your passion,

it's not really work.

When I come in here, it's
very therapeutic for me.

It's almost um, meditative
to come into my greenhouse,
pick, pick plants, pick weeds,

water, fertilize, and just
see how the plants are doing.

I'm a firm believer
that the more time you
spend with your plants,

the more they produce for you.

I think they feed off of your
energy and obviously they
love your carbon dioxides.

Yeah, you definitely
won't find this in
ah, the local markets.

Look at that baby.

That's a cabbage.

Man, I'm guessing that's
probably a 12-pound cabbage
right there, maybe more.

For me, this is ah,
pretty nice big cabbage.

I love it.

Nothing like, hard
work and good food.

SUE: I'm the protector
of the tundra, not the
ruiner of the tundra.

I think I still have
a really good shot at
waiting to get something.

Not a guarantee
to shoot something, just
a guarantee to stay hidden

and see if it shows up.

So, I'm going to go inside.

NARRATOR: Sue is
hunting for caribou.

A key food source to help
her survive winter ahead.

To keep her hidden from the
animals, Sue has built a blind
using harvested materials.

But caribou migrate
quickly and she must
be prepared for the moment

they cross her path.

SUE: I'm going to have
to have my eyes open.

My camp doesn't move,
but the caribou migrate.

If they go five miles that
direction, I'll never see it,
never know it, and I'm done.

So, it's a fine line between
waiting for the next one, not
because I have a big rack.

I'm looking for
a better booty.

I need the meat.

But if I wait too long or
pass up too much, no meat.

You can't eat
good intentions.

I just got out of spending
some time in the blind.

Um, did not see
any caribou close.

The new me is going
to be patient and I'm
going to learn patience.

Did this work?

Absolutely.

A bear stood up,
didn't see me.

Went out that way
doing his bear thing.

But it's getting
later at night.

I have a bear in
between me and home.

So, buyer beware.

Get myself home before
I lose the advantage.

It's time to go home.

There's a dynamic
element to being here.

And maybe it takes a dynamic
person to want to be here.

During the summer in
Alaska, you are 24 hours
a day on the clock.

The camp was mighty run
down when I got here.

This is now going into
my 16th year here.

I'm learning, I'm
growing, I'm changing,
I'm fluid, and I'm happy.

I'm working faster,
harder, smarter, that's
what I like about it here.

It's always a challenge.

It's always a big
learning curve.

I don't know what comes next.

But I'm going to go into it
balls to the walls, flames in
my hair, and full speed ahead.

May not be a perfect
plan but it's my plan.

JESSIE: I'm an animal too.

I got to eat to get by.

And I want to be part
of this system, not
observing it always.

I like watching the animals,
but I also like eating them.

♪ ♪

We just hit the
Tolovana River, this
was where I was headed.

Now I'm going to head up the
river and look for myself a
fishing spot and camp spot.

I got my eyes wide open
for opportunity right now.

NARRATOR: Jessie is searching
the Tolovana River for new
fishing grounds in hopes of

securing protein to
survive the coming winter.

With temperatures already
dropping, this is his last
chance to stockpile food along

the winter before the
freeze overtakes the
land and waterways.

-Wow, that's a huge eagle.

There's all kinds of
stuff going on out here.

Look he's going
up into that tree.

How cool is that?

Always awesome to see
any kind of wildlife.

Good omen to
see those eagles.

Ah, so beautiful out here.

That's why I travel
so far to get here.

Once you're out here,
it's like heaven.

Alright, right here's where
the river comes in and I'm
going to stop here and fish.

See if I can't catch myself
something for dinner.

Oh, they're jumping.

Yup this is a good spot.

Sure, I'd like to catch pike
after pike after pike but
really all I need is one pike

One pike makes me
breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Got one alright.
He's fighting.

That's a good sign he
might be a good size one.

Oh, that's a great fish.

Make sure he doesn't get away.

♪ ♪

He ain't yours until
he's in the net.

JESSIE: He's fighting.

Make sure he
doesn't get away.

He ain't yours until he's
in the net and on the shore.

There we go.
Got our first fish.

That's a nice size
eating fish right there.

Yeah, Tobias. We got
a nice fish for dinner.

I don't want to get
bit by these guys.

They got monstrous teeth.

Sorry there, little fella.

You're going to make
a fine, fine meal.

Nice one.

Well, it's hard to stop
fishing but it's getting
dark out and I got my fish.

No use being greedy anyways.

I got my
meal for the night.

When I'm traveling out in the
woods, I eat out of the woods.

Got a nice
fish there to eat.

Life is good.

Looks like I got a
good spot to camp here.

A little opening in
here and looks like a
great spot to set up.

Yup, this place has all the
elements of a good camp to me.

Nice game trail
going through it.

♪ ♪

That's a beautiful
bull right there.

This will be a great little
area for me to come back in
for hunting in the future.

That's about the tastiest
animal in the woods right now.

You got to keep your eyes
peeled all the time when
you're out here because you

never know when you're
going to see something.

That is so beautiful.

God, I love it out here.

This is what I come down here
for, I can see what kind of
resources are out and so far,

I've seen a lot of animals.

Don't you mess with
that moose, Tobias.

The way to be a successful
moose hunter is knowing the
country you're going into and

knowing the animal.

Anytime I'm watching
the animal and watching how
it's acting what it's doing,

the places it's traveling,
that gives me an advantage
when I come out here hunting.

It's a really promising sign.

I'm going to leave this
guy to his business and
not disturb him any.

Tobias. Good boy.
Good job today.

Yeah. It was
a great day.

I headed out from Nenana,
went to the pike fishing
hole and got a pike.

That's what I'm going to
cook up for dinner and saw
lots of animals and wildlife

and good country
along the way.

It was a great day for me.

And this is a good
season for me so far.

I feel like I'm well
prepared for everything.

The way I'm getting to get out
here and enjoy my life more.

I just like going out and
living off the land and
being nature's friend.

So, I mean, it feels really
good to me to do these things.

It's what I like doing.

That's why I moved to Alaska,
'cause I can spend the rest
of my life exploring out here.

I'm very excited for
the upcoming winter.

I know that I'm going to
be able to spend more time out
on the trail training with the

dogs and goals to
win the Iditarod.

So, I'm going to have
to be out there putting
everything on the line.

I just keep setting
my goals higher.

Constant improvement.
Constant growth.

Constant challenging myself.
Pushing myself to be better.

Good, clean food.

Living the dream.

GLENN: Go out here with
just a rifle and a knife
and a few other tools,

walk around the
lake, it doesn't get
any better than that.

Time to get back over
to the kill site.

I got a lot more meat
over there to get.

Move the rest of the meat
down to shoreline today.

And then canoe
it back to camp.

Yesterday morning I finally
connected with a big bull.

But he was
a long ways away.

About a two mile
walk from my camp.

Way over on the other
side of the lake.

I shot him right
around sunrise.

I butchered him yesterday.

Cut him all up in
pieces I could move.

But last night, I couldn't
get all the meat back.

It got really late and dark.

I had to stop and
get some rest.

Now I'm headed back over.

I got to get the
rest of the meat.

Whenever I'm going back to
a kill site, the main thing
I'm thinking about is bears.

If there's a bear around,
I want to be very careful.

When you're hunting
alone, you can't stay with
the meat all the time.

I have to transport
it a long distance.

And while I'm transporting
meat, the rest of the meat's
sitting there by itself.

There's nothing I
can do about that.

There's the meat. I
can see it. It looks good.

I don't see any signs
that anything's been here.

Everything looks just
like I left it last night.

No problems.
That's what I was hoping for.

Maybe seven loads of meat
left to move down to the lake.

It's a long walk, so I
go to get started on it.

By leaving the hide right
on the meat like this,
it protects the meat.

It keeps it a lot cleaner.

If I had skinned this moose
and all the meat was exposed,
when I'm moving it around,

little twigs, dirt, grass
and stuff get on it.

And I got to pick all that
off or trim the crust.

This way, it really
protects the meat.

Only got a couple more loads
to drag over to the canoe.

♪ ♪

One more load accomplished.

Alright, time for
the final load.

The only thing I'm leaving
here is this pile of
guts, this scrap of hide.

Scavengers will come along
and clean all that up.

Nothing goes to waste.

The ground right here is
going to be licked cleaned.

A grizzly bear, pack of
wolves, wolverine, something
will come and get it.

They always do.

Alright, I got to
move this head.

There's fat behind the eyes.

There's a nice brain
in there to eat.

This is coming with me.

I have to see if I can
get up with this thing.

This is a heavy moose head.

There, I got it.
That's good.

I want this head.

I got to get this
head over to the canoe
and paddle it on home.

I walked 13 or 14 miles over
3 days looking for this moose.

Connected with it right here.

And now, all I got
to do is get it home.

There. Made
it back to camp.

What a great spring and
summer it's been up here
in the Brooks Range.

It's just been a great
journey these last days.

Walking through these
mountains completely free.

Just to get out and
travel a path you've
never traveled before.

Maybe make a path no one's
ever traveled before.

I feel alive out here.

I've got the time and
I've got the country.

The possibilities
are limitless.

All the meat back in camp.

My whole moose. Woo.

That was a lot of work.

What an awesome hunt.

I'm going to sleep
good tonight.

ANDY: Everybody has
a personal journey.

I think the real trick
in life is discovering what
that personal journey is

and then going for it.

Here you go
bud, smell that. Mmm.

You're going to be my best
friend today, aren't you?

NARRATOR: Andy has
successfully harvested a black
bear along the Yukon River to

ensure that he and his sled
dogs have enough protein
for the winter ahead.

Processing the animal
to keep the meat
preserved is critical.

-Oh, this is going to
be some good sausage.

The death of a bear means
a good quality life to me.

All the things that
I harvest out here become
really important food to me,

and a good quality of life.

And that's why
I live out here.

Ah, ah, ah.

You can smell, but
you can't steal.

You want a little piece?

Oh, you guys know
so well what to do.

And you have to be very
patient when you do this.

Nice and easy. Easy. Easy.

Oh, that was good.

After I get all this done,
I've got to still continue
to hunt as much as I can.

I always consider bear
and moose my two, ah,
sustainable resources.

Reliable resources.

The vast majority of time,
when you're hunting, you don't
come home with anything.

I feel lucky that
I got this bear.

It just goes to show you, you
got to keep your spirits up,
keep plugging away even when

it seems that there's
nothing out there, and
then the payoff comes.

Every time I come down
to the banks of the Yukon
River and fix myself a meal,

I feel really thankful
that I was able to,
at a fairly young age,

make a decision that
this is what I wanted to
do and to stick with it.

I've learned how to
feed myself here.

I've learned how to build the
shelters I need to live here.

I've developed a life
here that's sustainable.

And ah, I've learned how to
do that and live comfortable
at the same time.

I think a person should
measure their quality of life,
not by how much money they

have or how many
possessions they have.

They should measure the
quality of their life by how
much time they have to do the

things that they love to do.

I feel like I'm a rich
man living out here.