♪ ♪
johnny: Whoa. Look at this.
Oh, my god.
That's, that's grizzly bear hair right there.
Look up here.
How powerful. It just shred through this.
This tree is gonna be dead.
But it's not, which tells me that this
is pretty, pretty fresh.
You know this happened semi-recently.
I'm not the only one in this neighborhood hunting.
Johnny: Just more sheds.
If all else fails, caribou should be around.
It's a good sign.
It's really good to see, you know,
what's in the neighborhood.
This is the arctic and it's a very unforgiving place.
I'm in a new territory.
This is new land for me.
It's important that I secure some food for, for the winter.
The stakes are a little bit higher here in alaska.
The odds are against me.
There's a lot of challenges that will be coming my way,
but I, I feel like I'm living the life that
I was born to live.
My name is johnny rolfe.
I grew up right outside chicago.
I spent as much time as I could outside,
running around a cornfield, the neighborhood forest.
It was hard to keep me inside.
I moved out to seattle for a job.
I worked at a three michelin-star restaurant.
But the city, it's a cold depressing place for me is how I felt.
Narrator: Several months ago,
johnny rolfe escaped city life and built a cabin for
himself and his dog, java, in the isolated brooks range.
This will be his first winter in the unknown territory.
Johnny: It's a moose scat, but it's a little old.
But, you know, if there was a moose here at one time,
there's probably a moose here again.
Let's keep, keep moving.
This is the first time I'm actually going out and exploring.
Any ground I cover today is new.
My goal overall is to be self-reliant.
I need to be prepared.
This is my food.
This is what's carrying me through the winter.
It's moose and caribou season right now.
It's such a short window of opportunity,
it's going to be a lot of work for me.
But I'm not looking for an easy out here.
Seeing a lot more caribou sign and I'm open to either.
I'm not just out here for moose.
I'm gonna capitalize on any of those opportunities.
Although it's open season for moose right now,
caribou's on the list as well.
I have to bring meat home.
And if I don't, well then, I'm just not going to make it.
Jessi: There's three things that are important out here,
and that's food, shelter, and water.
We need all three of those, absolutely, to survive out here.
That's right, you're gonna show me those mushrooms.
Chris: Fall in the cosna is about the best time out here,
but every season out here has its troubles.
Narrator: For chris and jessi morse,
living 100 miles from civilization means they need
to work for even the basic necessities for survival.
In order to have a constant source of clean water,
first, they must find and tap into a spring.
Chris: Water's always a complicated issue out here.
We got a lot of brush.
It's a deep bank.
There's a lot of bears this time of the year,
and it's got parasites, so you have to filter it and
you have to boil it.
So, you're always trying to be careful,
you're always trying to watch it.
There it is.
Oh, don't let it, you're holding me down.
You're holding me down!
We're always fighting some kind of danger trying
to get water.
Jessi: This way.
Chris: There should be a,
like a swamp pole out here somewhere that
I'm looking for.
Today we're gonna go wander around and we're going
to see if we can find a good spot to put a well in.
But to get a well in to the ground you got a bunch of pipe,
and you've got yourself a driving point.
This pitcher pump styles that you've seen it all the camp grounds,
that's what we're using for a well head.
Jessi: It's all looking pretty dry.
Chris: Yeah, if you start walking along and you start
seeing like water come up where we're stepping,
we'll try digging there and see what it looks like.
Let's just keep on cruising.
Jessi: Kind of swampy up in here.
Chris: All right, I can feel it underneath me squishing.
Jessi: Oh, I can hear it. Chris: Yeah.
Not only can I hear the water under my feet,
but I can actually see it squish up and around
my rubber boots.
To me that's a really good sign.
Here we go.
Let's see how deep this is.
But, I mean, this is a pretty big muck hole.
To me, seeing water here and digging into the ground and seeing water,
I feel like this might be our best chance.
Jessi: Wouldn't that be amazing?
This tiny little hole actually has like a spring or
something underneath it.
Chris: Give it a try?
Jessi: I think this is the spot.
Brittany: Living out here,
everyone has to learn to hunt for food.
It's necessary for us to learn these skills.
To be able to provide my family with,
with meat for the year.
Kaleb: We are heading out moose hunting.
It's overnight camping up to a high ridge.
We really need to get a moose.
Our freezer's empty.
We're gonna leave the kids up at grandma
and grandpa's house.
I get to bring my wife,
who I have never actually gone hunting with,
so this will be a first for us.
Brittany: Okay. You ready for some practicing?
Kaleb: Yeah, this looks like a good spot.
Brittany: Yeah?
Shall we shoot these jugs?
Kaleb: Yeah.
Those looks like about the size of, of a moose liver.
Brittany: Moose liver.
Kaleb: My name is kaleb rowland.
I live in mccarthy, alaska
with my wife, brittany, and two children,
gilbert and elovie.
I really do enjoy life out here with my wife and my children.
I grew up out here.
Being able to go do whatever you want, whenever you want.
I need a shop built...
I just do it.
My kids have the freedom out here to just roam.
This is a beautiful place to enjoy.
I'm just happy.
I'm content with where my life is now.
So, who's going first?
Brittany: I think I wanna shoot first.
I think if I see yours go kaboom,
I'm going to chicken out on shooting.
Shooting a gun is both exciting and thrilling and
also a little bit terrifying.
The last time I shot a gun was about 10 years ago.
(gunshot)
kaleb: Okay.
You wanna have it up on your shoulder here,
and then you wanna, yeah.
Brittany: While kaleb usually goes out to hunt,
I've been busy raising my babies at home.
(gunshot)
well, this time, I'm going with him because
it's hunting season.
You only have a short window to actually be able
to hunt a moose.
We have to do it now or we won't have meat for the year.
Being able to provide for our family, and also have,
essentially, a couple days of a date night,
we're very excited about that.
We need to start the winter off with a full freezer.
Michael: I'm just like a kid sometimes.
I just keep curiously wanting to push forward.
What's around the next bend? What's around the next bend?
Until finally, I make it to my destination.
I gotta confirm the zero on my small game gun.
I can use it for camp food.
I've shot rough grouse,
spruce grouse, snowshoe hare, beaver.
I've put away a lot of food with this little gun.
Narrator: With winter on the horizon and the season
for hunting moose coming to a close,
nomadic wanderer michael manzo is setting out
in hopes of stockpiling vital meat to survive
the harsh months ahead.
Michael: That's what I like to see.
There's my group right there and I'm hitting black.
Time to get up the river.
You know, every time I head out hunting,
I always like to see new territory.
I can't remember the last time I've hunted the
same river twice.
Back in 2010 when I got back from my third one-year tour
in the iraq war, I was pretty jaded.
It was a harsh time to be me and it was a harsh time for
people to be close to me.
And I come out here.
This place, it'll humble you.
It reminds you that no matter how chaotic the world can be,
the man-made fabricated world, this landscape will always be
uncomplicated and beautiful.
The hard day on the river is better than a
great day in the city.
We made it all the way down here to the mouth
of the nation river.
This is a small, technical, troublesome river.
And this is the way I like it.
Keeps you on your toes.
We got this cut bank right here.
Dang.
This cottonwood is just blocking the whole darn river.
That sucker threatens to capsize
everything I've earned.
I'm gonna go ahead and pull over here.
And that's blocking the whole river flow.
I'm gonna go ahead and check this out,
see if I can get this boat around this.
Holy (bleep)!
This water is swift.
I could barely walk out here.
But I have enough depth here, almost up to my knees,
where I can run my boat right up against the side of this
sweeper and try like heck to get around it.
But I gotta cut hard and I gotta cut quick to
get around this shoal.
These sweepers, sitting there like that with all this
rushing water up underneath it,
threatens to tangle you up and capsize you.
♪ ♪
everything I've earned.
Dang.
I hope I don't encounter any more sweepers like that.
Oh, man, that's a perfect camp spot.
This right here, this sandy stuff always leaves a signature.
Right here is a wolf track.
There's a creek over here, so I'm going to walk around
all the sand and just keep my eyes peeled,
see what I can see.
Big wolf.
Moose.
There's a nipped willow and it regrew.
It tells me that there are cows, calves,
possibly a young bull, feeding around this area.
I see a big load of willow brush right here,
piled up here by the beavers.
So, I'm liking this spot.
Get my camp setup.
And I don't have no time to waste.
Got a big job ahead of me.
Kaleb: Alaska forces me to overcome weakness.
Because you adapt and overcome to whatever
situation you're in.
Kaleb: I think this looks like a great place to put our tent.
We'll have a little bit of a view.
Brittany: Yeah.
Kaleb: Let's, let's get this show rolling.
Narrator: Kaleb and brittany rowland have located
a site for their hunting camp 15 miles away from mccarthy.
Harvesting a large animal could bring the family enough
meat to fill their empty freezer and feed them through
the harsh winter ahead.
Kaleb: Just like that we have us a home.
It's got our moose call.
It's got our emergency gear.
Brittany: Does the moose call, isn't that like cheating?
Kaleb: No.
Basically, you're just convincing the moose that you're a hot date.
Brittany: Well, I guess that's what everyone does on,
on tinder and stuff like that.
Kaleb: Right?
Brittany: They lie about who they are...
Kaleb: Yup. Brittany: To get a mate.
(animal call)
kaleb: Moose call.
Brittany: You're going to have a good hike glassing for a bit.
Kaleb: Yup.
Brittany: I am going to go and rest in there and you can scoot.
Have lots of fun.
Love you.
Kaleb: Love ya.
Brittany: Do you want a kiss? Kaleb: I always want a kiss.
Brittany: Bye. Kaleb: Will see ya.
Growing up out here, hunting has always been a really
important part of our life.
It's been a part of me since as long as I can remember.
I always love that feeling of "it's moose season now."
time to go hunt.
(animal call)
johnny: I like to exercise my pioneer spirit and
I like to go explore places that people have never been.
That, to me, is adventure. It's living life.
Johnny: Just kinda snacking and grazing as I go.
I'm not out here hunting blueberries,
I'm out here hunting moose, so I gotta get moving.
When I was 10 years old I, I got a national park
picture book and all these parks looked so awesome in there,
but as soon as I went to the alaska page,
it was profound.
I said, "I need to get there, I belong."
yeah. It's a grizzly.
He's hungry. So am I.
We're getting close to the river.
I, I, it's gotta be somewhere up here and I know
that bears like to hang out by the rivers.
The river that I'm walking to is the, kind of,
the ultimate goal of this trip.
It's something that I'd been wanting to walk to
since coming out here.
I've hunted quite a bit in my time.
But I've actually never hunted out here in alaska for large game.
In order to be successful, I just have to apply my hard
work ethic and any skill set that I have learned.
It's going to be a tough winter otherwise.
I'm tired, I'm a little wet, I'm hungry, but I made it.
More beautiful than I thought it would be.
There's all, all sorts of different tracks in here,
I see moose tracks, I see a bear print,
but it's awesome seeing these wolf tracks.
It's important for me to know my competition.
We're competing for the same food source.
So, if they're here that means they're fed.
So, if they can get fed, all I have to do is find
the animal so I can get fed.
Rivers here are, are essentially the veins of the land.
There's life and it's pulsing through them.
It's, it's majestic.
You know, I'm pretty, pretty stoked about this location because I,
it's just a giant playground for me to explore
and everywhere I go there's something that
grabs my attention.
You know, animal signs, plant life.
I saw a wolf sign.
I saw a lot of grizzly bear sign.
And just because I didn't see a caribou or moose today,
it doesn't mean that I won't see one tomorrow.
I just gotta keep trying and keep at it.
I am walking home empty-handed.
It's a little bittersweet for me.
The river was the most beautiful place that I've seen
since I've been out here.
One thing I've learned about myself is I'm very observant.
When I come out to nature there's noises and there's
sights to be seen.
Birds, animals, beautiful sunsets,
mountains and landscapes.
This is stuff that I wanna see.
Caribou right there.
When I'm living in a city, it's the exact same thing.
I notice everything around me.
I hear every car honk, I hear every door shut,
ads, buy this, buy that.
It, it's, it drains me. It absolutely drains me.
So, I moved to alaska.
So I found a place where I'm at peace.
♪ ♪
(gunshot)
johnny: (bleep).
(gunshot)
another one.
(gunshot)
and I'm out of ammo.
(bleep).
We're gonna go find out if I hit one.
This is a bull here.
It's a neck shot.
Went down real clean.
That's what I'm all about out here.
I gotta get to work.
The sun's going down.
I don't wanna be caught out here,
predators and all that.
Gonna grab the sled,
and that way I can pull this caribou out.
Chris: We got our banks eroding out.
Surrounded by bears and wolves.
We have a lot of parasites in the water here.
But it's just another day on the cosna.
Jessi: And those are your tools right there.
Chris: Today jess and I are gonna try to put a well in.
We haven't had fresh water out here in years.
Everything we get for water is either harvested from
a dirty lake or coming out of a funky river.
I'd love for some clean groundwater.
Nice.
I've got my sand-point.
It's about a three-foot-long chunk of metal with some mesh
screen inside of it.
And what that's gonna do is as the sand and rocks pack up against it,
it's gonna filter that out and hopefully give us some
nice, clean water.
Just stick this, you know, up on there.
There's that. Hold that.
Once we get this into the ground,
I'm gonna use my post pounder,
and I'm just gonna heave on this thing and try to
get it set into the ground.
We don't wanna get the well all the way down and then not
be able to bring water up,
because it's not coming out of the ground.
We pretty much have one shot at this.
All right, well. Go get it put in?
Jessi: Let's go do this!
Find ourselves some water.
Chris: You know, I've never put anything like a well in before.
I'm totally out of my element here.
As far as I know, in all the homesteads that have ever been out here,
there has never been a successful well.
But I feel like I am gonna be that guy.
(grunting)
oh, man, I hope this works.
Do you wanna hand me that?
Jessi: Yup.
Strewn it on.
That's it.
Chris: Is it going down?
Jessi: Oh, wow! Yeah! Look at that!
Chris: It's still going down?
(metal clang)
jessi: No. Chris: Dang. Jessi: Nada.
Chris: Yeah, I feel like I just hit a hard spot.
(grunting)
jessi: It's not moving at all, chris.
Chris: Man, my elbows hurt.
Jessi: Okay.
What do you think?
Chris: I think I'm going to pound on this.
♪ ♪
(metal clang)
jessi: Nothing.
Chris: Just when you think you're getting somewhere.
Well, you know, what's four feet down?
Jessi: Four feet. Chris: Permafrost. Jessi: Permafrost.
Chris: So.
Jessi: I was hoping that this wouldn't have so much permafrost,
because it's been in this wide area with this water,
you know, melting it for the last six months.
Chris: That's what I was hoping for, too.
Jessi: And we can't pull it back out to try anywhere else.
There's no way to.
Chris: Oh, it's in there.
Jessi: Yeah. I don't think it's...
Chris: I'm gonna wreck my shoulder before we
get this thing drove.
Okay.
Jessi: Lame.
Chris: Maybe we can build like an a-frame.
Jessi: And then attach a rope and a pulley to something heavy?
Chris: Yeah. I'm trying to think here.
So, if we build ourselves like a tripod,
we could leave this on top, maybe, and just drop a log on it.
Jessi: Yeah?
Chris: I think if we put our heads together, we'll get it.
Jessi: We're gonna do this, love.
Michael: I enjoy new territory.
You always learn something new.
Will they be easy miles? I don't know.
But that's the great mystery of life.
Michael: I see a couple of beavers swimming around.
Now that I got my tent all packed up,
I need a fresh load of camp meat.
This might be the perfect opportunity.
I'm gonna go ahead, drop this stuff in my tent,
jump in the boat,
scoot over there across the river and see if
I can't get a beaver.
Beaver meat is a very rich fatty meat,
just super food.
It really is.
These animals, they work non-stop.
You see these caches of willow brush that they stash.
They're just hard-working animals.
And that food, it really does give you a boost of
energy out here.
I've been keeping my eyes on that pile of willow
that them beaver been putting away.
And now that it's getting close to evening,
I see more activity over there.
This is a good camp. A lot of resources here.
I just spooked a beaver off the pile.
I'm gonna let the beaver settle in and
I'm just gonna wait.
(splash)
(gunshot)
wee bit of a miss.
It went right over the top of his head.
Moving animal.
Little too far away.
I've seen about three or four beavers contributing
to this pile.
Oh, there he is.
Son of a beaver.
(gunshot)
right over there.
There's a beaver right there.
(gunshot)
all right. I hit him perfectly.
He hasn't resurfaced.
Shot him once, hit him clean.
Dove back down under water. I lost him.
Hit him clean, he dove back down underwater.
I lost him.
That's very discouraging to wound a beaver.
It's a valuable, valuable animal.
Food and fur for mitts.
But the only thing I can do now is try to get
over my discouragement.
It's been a long day, so maybe I might try again
tomorrow for some camp meat.
These animals, and they're kind of reminiscent
of this landscape.
It's a really harsh place all year long.
And just put yourself in that beaver's paws.
Think about if you took a bullet and you were with the
program enough to continue to fight for your life.
And I respect these animals in the utmost.
The sorrowful possibility of crippling an animal and losing it,
it is a really hard thing to digest.
Today might not be my day.
Wait. Wait. There is a leg.
That's gotta be my beaver right there.
There it is.
I got discouraged.
And there it is, that big beaver finally let loose right here.
Finally gave way.
Oh, my goodness, that's a big one!
(grunts)
I'm gonna go ahead and head back to camp and skin this,
save that hide,
and get to processing the meat off this.
You know, every time I skin a beaver,
I think about one of these old river guys that, you know,
when I was pretty green in this country,
and I was real thin,
on my last notch in my belt and he showed me
right quick how to put away a beaver for good,
palatable food.
Even though that was a long, long time ago,
every time I skin a beaver,
I remember that valuable lesson.
All right, I got the meat and the liver,
and the hide all separated from the entrails.
Whoo! Long day.
Now I think it's time to get a good night's rest.
Brittany: We're not just going out there and
guaranteed anything.
It is called "hunting". It's not called "shooting".
Kaleb: I very possibly see a set of moose antlers.
See the mountain?
Brittany: Uh-huh. Kaleb: There's that bowl?
I see two white paddles,
they're about the correct distance apart,
but I gotta get closer to tell.
It's all the way at the end.
I'm excited to go on this hike out the ridge.
I'm excited to see what we see.
I maybe saw a moose out there,
but I couldn't tell.
So, we're just gonna get out there.
We're gonna get eyes on it.
Brittany: Ah, how much farther do we have?
Kaleb: Eh, it's a little over a mile. Ups and downs and...
Brittany: Okay.
I'm trying to have a great attitude 'cause I love the
idea that kaleb and I are going out on this date
and this adventure.
But I won't lie, it is not easy.
All right, let me just like.
Kaleb: It's just right here.
Brittany: Sounds good.
Kaleb: You're doing great.
Just, just don't think about the journey,
just one foot in front of the other.
I think I see the moose.
Brittany: So, why don't you head over there?
This has definitely not been an easy trip,
especially for me.
I'm really proud of myself on everything that I've done
and I know that kaleb is too and I'm also
very grateful to have a little rest right now and
really excited to see what happens next.
Kaleb: Got fooled by a shed.
It made me think that there was a moose there.
(animal call)
I've sat up here for an hour.
Getting to be time to head back.
I gotta give brittany a little more time to get down the mountain.
So, start heading back.
Not getting a moose on this hunt is a bummer.
But getting to be out here with my wife and
enjoy each other's company, makes it all worthwhile.
Brittany: How's this for a date night?
Kaleb: It's awesome.
Brittany: Not many people get to go out and do s'mores
on a camp stove.
Kaleb: Nope, mmm-mmm, you might have to clean
my beard off.
Brittany: You ready to go to bed?
Kaleb: Most definitely.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna break camp,
load up, and head out.
Brittany: Sounds good to me.
Chris: Jessi and I are unique.
We work hard together and we persevere through everything.
We don't give up.
When the land pushes you, you just push back.
Chris: These birch trees are real skinny.
Be able to cut that one down for us real quick.
Jessi: Okay.
Narrator: In order to secure clean groundwater,
chris and jessi are attempting to install a
water pump deep in the permafrost.
They must use a lever and pulley system
in order to create enough force and get to the clean water
deep below the surface.
Jessi: So that orange rope has to be able to hold
the whole contraption, right?
Chris: Yeah. But it's, um... Jessi: 550?
Chris: It's 550 cord, so it's pretty tough.
Jessi: Okay.
Chris: If it breaks, we'll figure something else out.
Jessi: I'd say chris is more wild thinking.
He really thinks out of the box.
But I take my time and I'm more, like,
of a precise thinker.
Chris is more experimental and,
"ah, we'll just, we'll just throw some stuff
together until it works."
chris: That looks pretty good.
Jessi: But this is kind of a sketchy project.
So, the next part is we need to find the big weight
to put up there, right?
Chris: Yeah, I'm gonna go cut one down, cut it up,
drill some holes in it.
We'll hang it and then we'll pound.
Jessi: Okay. Chris: Okay. Jessi: Let's do it.
Chris: We're already running ragged out here.
I've got this pulley tied up here,
I feel like it's level.
We can't stop, we have to keep moving forward.
We have too much to get done and not enough time.
See, I'm not a professional knot-tier by any means.
You don't look enthused.
Jessi: I'm deep in thought, my love.
Things happen and you get really tired, so,
I'm nervous watching him because something might happen.
Chris: Let's put the pounder on and see what we get, huh?
Okay.
I'll lift with the pulley, you try to guide.
Jessi: Are you going to be able to lift that all by yourself?
Chris: I'm gonna have to.
Jessi: I'm constantly worried about him,
but I know I have incredible faith in him,
but things happen out here.
Chris: Okay. And a pick, and a knock. And a pick, and a knock.
Hold that post.
Jessi: Ah, this is some sketchy bush-crafting.
Okay.
Chris: Okay.
Jessi: Whoa! Chris: What's going on?
Jessi: You're pulling up way too high, so like,
I can't even hold it.
Chris: Okay.
I'm, I'm, you just gotta talk to me.
I thought once we put this up,
we would be pushing through the permafrost,
but damn, it's hard.
Okay. Got it. Let's just keep after it.
(thud)
jessi: Whoa!
A! Did we just break it?
Chris: Yup.
Jessi: So, the paracord broke?
Chris: Yeah, the pulley must be sharp.
Jessi: Wow. 550 cord, and it was double, right?
Chris: Yeah. I'm surprised it broke.
It all hit, it broke all at once, too.
Jessi: I'm glad it went that way.
Chris: Yeah.
I fell backwards pretty fast.
I double tied it with this 550-pound strength cord.
I really thought it was gonna be good enough.
But we realized how close we came to hurting ourselves.
The edge of the pulley is slightly sharp,
it must have cut through.
Okay.
I found this old wad of rope,
it's gotta be from the '80s.
It's like what you'd find at a, a kid's swing set,
but I feel like it's gonna be tougher than the 550 cord.
This rope doesn't like to tie knots real well.
Jessi: I don't trust that yellow rope.
I just don't.
Chris: Well, what do you want me to do about it?
Well, we'll find out pretty quick if it's gonna break.
Just make sure to get out of the way.
Jessi: I think that it's trash,
but it's chris' treasure,
so I guess we're just gonna go with it,
and I'm going to really keep my eyes on it...
Whoa.
Because I don't trust it.
Okay.
Chris: Okay.
Jessi: Come on, water well.
Bring us some water.
It's like a genie.
Chris: That's slamming good.
I can see it going down.
Jessi: We're doing it.
Chris: I mean, it's moving.
Look at that!
We gotta be at least, what, six feet into permafrost?
Jessi: Yeah.
Chris: We're really moving.
Jessi: Okay. All my muscles are crying.
I mean, I'm so worn out from drilling this well
into the ground.
Chris: I'm feeling like we're almost there.
What do you say, like, a couple more inches and I think
we're going to be good?
Let's knock this out.
We're coming into home stretch.
Jessi: Five!
Chris: I don't have much left to give.
Jessi: Four!
Chris: My arms are burning, my core is burning.
Jessi: Three!
Chris: I'm hitting it with everything I have.
Jessi: Two!
One more.
Chris: This is it. I'm getting water.
Jessi: Okay!
Chris: Down to the ground.
Oh.
Jessi: Oh, god. Chris: Oh. Wow.
I feel like we did it, man.
We're starting to move.
We gotta be through that permafrost.
And the only thing left to do is to try to put
that well head on and see if we can get some water to come up.
Can try it.
Jessi: That's the only way to test it,
is to test it, right?
Chris: Yeah. And if we don't get water.
Jessi: Keep drilling. Chris: Keep drilling.
Kaleb: I'm not one to take failure laying down,
as it were.
That's how I grew up, that's how I am as an adult.
I strive for success.
I just spotted a moose down there.
He's about a half a mile away.
This one is for real a moose, because it's moving.
Even though we made a valiant effort on the moose hunt,
it's important to me to just keep trying.
Brittany is watching the kids and I'm gonna continue on
up the mountain.
I know there's bears, there's moose.
There's all sorts of game up there.
I'm not gonna stop until I succeed.
Boy, he is in the most impossible brush right now.
Problem is I can't get down there to pull him out.
It's not ethical, it's not morally right to just shoot
something and leave it in the field, so,
knowing that I can get it out before I pull the trigger is
vitally important.
I think he bedded down, the little stinker.
Ah!
Well, this is hunting.
I'm not always guaranteed a successful outcome.
Oh, wow.
There's a bear out there,
he's about 300 yards away right now,
which is too far for me to shoot.
I think I'm gonna go after him.
I gotta go way up and around, though.
The wind predominantly is going up the valley,
so I should be able to effectively sneak up
on him that way.
Moose was the target on this hunt,
but it's fall time,
and its black bear hunting season.
Targets of opportunity is the name of the game
when you're harvesting meat for the freezer.
He keeps getting closer.
♪ ♪
(gunshot)
kaleb: He's going.
All right.
I got him.
He is done.
This black bear is probably the biggest bear
I've ever harvested.
Up in the high country, man, those bears are fat.
They've been packing on the pounds for months now,
and as long as they're awake, they eat.
Dirt, twigs, berries,
they somehow turn that into fat.
Blows me away.
If I ate the way they did, I'd have a stomachache.
This is where he rolled.
I can see blood.
Little bits and pieces of blood in the brush.
So, I just gotta follow his trajectory down into
the creek bottom and I'll be able to find him.
I see the bear down there, so I'm gonna move in on him
really carefully.
He is certified dead.
Brittany: Kids! It's daddy!
Whoa.
What did daddy get?
Well, that was successful.
Kaleb: Yeah. Finally.
Brittany: Yay!
Even if it's not a moose, but I think that this will do
nicely in our freezer.
Kaleb: Yeah.
It'll ought to fill it up real nice.
This is a big bear, too.
There's a lot of meat on him.
Brittany: Yeah, how much meat do you think?
Gilbert: 14 pounds.
Kaleb: 60 pounds, probably.
Brittany: 60 pounds? That'll be good.
Gilbert: 14. Brittany: 14?
Gilbert: No, 45. Brittany: 45?
So, gilbert's guess is 45.
Elovie: My guess is a 1,012.
Brittany: Kaleb's is 60.
How many?
Elovie: My guess is 1,012.
Brittany: 1,012? Okay, and I think.
Kaleb: Wow! That's ambitious.
Shall I go to the shop and skin him out?
Brittany: I think that sounds great.
Ellie wants to go. Go hop on the four-wheeler.
Kaleb: Go clean my four-wheeler off?
Brittany: I'll take your bike.
Kaleb: Now the work begins.
Even though my goal in going out on this hunt was to
get a moose, I really just needed to get some meat for
our family to eat.
Not very many people have the opportunity to just
walk out their door and go hunting.
To harvest a black bear to put away meat for the winter,
I'm eternally grateful for it.
This was a great weekend with my wife.
We got to connect and struggle and frustrate and laugh and
just enjoy each other.
♪ they said we can be heroes ♪
♪ save the world from itself ♪ ♪
michael: This beaver reminds me that no matter how
complicated your life might be, you know,
you gotta keep pushing forward,
you gotta keep moving.
So this is a good day to get that beaver hide all stretched
out so it doesn't spoil in the warmth.
When you do stretch out the hide, you can almost get,
like, a perfect circle.
Having literally fought for my life on occasion,
I can honestly say that I understand that beaver's spirit,
that he would just fight to the very end.
I think him and I had a little bit in common.
♪ we're standing on a fault line ♪
♪ we're standing on a fault line ♪♪
chris: If I can't get this pump to work,
I don't know if there's another way to get water out
of this well.
Oh, come on.
Pull it up. Pull it up.
I can feel it getting pressure.
Jessi: Hey! Chris! Keep doing it! Keep doing it!
Yeah! It works!
Chris: All right.
Oh, man. Looks a little murky.
Jessi: I don't care.
♪ we're standing on a fault line ♪♪
chris: To me, success isn't measured in a monetary value.
It's measured in how much freedom I have to live my life
the way I want to live it.
We did this.
Jessi: We did it.
Chris: This isn't me, this was us.
♪ we're standing on a fault line ♪♪
johnny: This is the arctic,
and it's a very unforgiving place.
It's a lot of work to live this lifestyle,
to fully achieve it.
The only way is to be self-reliant.
That's good.
It's really good.
A lot of questions before.
And I got my answer.
After all of this, I feel like I'm ready to take on and
to battle anything that old man winter throws my way.
You ready to take this winter on?
Me too.
Let's rock and roll, girl.
♪ ♪
captioned by cotter captioning services.