Life Below Zero

ALL RIGHT, LOOKS LIKE I GOT

SOMETHING BACK THERE.

I REALLY CAN'T TELL.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE I SEE A WOLVERINE OVER THIS WAY.

THESE GUYS ARE SERIOUS PREDATORS.

MY WOLVERINES ARE NOT LIKE OTHER PEOPLE'S.

MINE ARE THREE-AND-A-HALF, FOUR-FOOT AT THE SHOULDERS,

120 POUNDS.

AND THEY WILL TAKE ON AN 800-POUND GRIZZLY AND WIN.

OH, CRAP.

YOU KNOW, IN MY BRAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING IS,

I WANT TO HURRY, HURRY, HURRY.

WHEN YOU SEE A PREDATOR, YOU RUN, YOU DON'T WALK.

THAT'S THE RULE.

THIS WOLVERINE AND I HAVE BEEN GOING ROUND AND ROUND.

THERE'S A FEW PREDATORS THAT, KAVIK IS OBVIOUSLY PART OF

THEIR TERRITORY BUT IT'S OBVIOUSLY PART OF MINE.

I NEED TO DEFEND WHAT I DO HAVE.

THE LONGER I TAKE HEMMING AND HAWING,

THE FURTHER AWAY IT GETS.

I'M GONNA CALL IT EITHER A WOLVERINE OR A WOLF.

WHICHEVER ONE, IT'S AN APEX PREDATOR AND I'M ALL OVER IT.

MY NAME IS SUSAN AIKENS.

I AM THE OWNER OF KAVIK RIVER CAMP.

IT'S A REMOTE FUELING STATION.

TO GET HERE, YOU HAVE TO FLY.

OVER THE COURSE OF MY 50 YEARS,

I'VE PICKED UP A LOT OF HABITS THAT CULMINATE IN ME

BEING SUCCESSFUL AT BEING VERY ISOLATED.

AS I GREW, I KEPT GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER REMOTE AND

BEING VERY COMFORTABLE WITH IT.

WHEN I'M ALONE DOING MY OWN THING, I BLOSSOM.

THIS JUST HAPPENS TO BE MY FLORAL BOUQUET.

THERE HE IS.

SEE SOMETHING BLACK OUT THIS WAY AND IT'S ONE OF

MY DARKER FOXES.

I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THAT'S WHAT I SAW EARLIER.

I'LL GIVE IT THE ONES OVER THIS WAY, AND UH,

I DON'T SEE THE WOLVERINE, THEN BE DONE.

SOURCE EVERY SQUARE INCH ON HERE,

MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT SEEING TWO DIFFERENT ANIMALS.

NO.

GOT OUT THE EYEBALLS AND SAW THE TAIL, FLIP, AND,

AND SO THAT'S MY DARK FOX.

AND THOSE ARE NEVER ON THE MENU FOR ME.

I'M NOT NECESSARILY BUYING THAT'S WHAT I SAW ORIGINALLY.

I'LL KEEP MY EYES PEELED.

IF I SEE HIM AGAIN, THEN IT'S JUST,

I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT SITUATION.

THE DEFENSE OF KAVIK RESTS SQUARELY ON

THESE TWO SHOULDERS.

THE FACT IS SUCCESS IS REALLY

OPPORTUNITY MEETING PREPAREDNESS.

I'LL PUT ANOTHER CAP ON AND THIS THING'S READY TO GO,

RIGHT AT THE FULL TILT.

OKAY, FIRE AWAY.

I AM AGNES HAILSTONE.

I AM MARRIED TO EDWARD HAILSTONE, MY HUSBAND.

WE'RE SUBSISTENCE LIVING OUT IN THE COUNTRY.

WHEW!

NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I'M EDWARD HAILSTONE.

MY FRIENDS CALL ME CHIP.

WE'RE SPENDING THE SPRING HERE IN THE KIWALIK.

ME AND MY WIFE, WE WORK THIS AREA.

WE COME DOWN HERE AND SUBSIST BY HUNTING, FISHING,

AND GATHERING.

WE'VE RAISED OUR KIDS AROUND HERE.

I WENT OUT OF MY WAY TO TEACH MY CHILDREN THIS LIFESTYLE.

MY KIDS ARE JUST NATURALLY FOLLOWING ALONG.

I'VE NEVER HEARD THEM COMPLAIN.

I'VE NEVER REALLY HEARD THEM BEING BORED.

THEIR VALUE IN THIS LIFE IS TO BE HAPPY, IS TO BE HEALTHY,

AND THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET THAT.

WE HAVE A HOME IN NOORVIK THAT WE CENTER OURSELVES OUT OF,

AND THEN THE REST OF THIS LAND OUT HERE IS OUR HOME.

WHEREVER WE FEEL LIKE PITCHING OUR TENT.

I GOT ME A .50 CAL HAWKEN HERE.

FOR ME, THIS IS A TOOL FOR MEAT.

IT'S SIMPLY TO PROVIDE.

AND WE'RE HERE TO MAKE MEAT, THAT'S THE WHOLE DEAL.

THAT'S WHAT HUNTING'S ABOUT.

WE'RE NOT HUNTING FOR SOME ANIMAL'S HEAD TO

STICK ON MY WALL.

I'M A MEAT HUNTER.

BECAUSE OF OUTSTANDING LEGAL ISSUES,

CHIP CAN ONLY HUNT USING BLACK POWDER GUNS,

ANTIQUE WEAPONS WITH AN UNRELIABLE FIRING MECHANISM.

TESTING THE GUNS IS CRUCIAL TO HIS ABILITY TO SECURE

MEAT FOR HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY WHILE AT CAMP.

WELL, YOU KNOW, UH,

THIS IS A BLACK POWDER SHOTGUN.

AND IT ISN'T THAT I NEED TO DO TARGET PRACTICE WITH IT,

WHAT I WANNA FIND OUT IS WHERE IT'S HITTING.

I DON'T KNOW ITS POWER YET.

SO I'VE BEEN GETTING FAMILIAR WITH SEEING WHAT

IT CAN DO AND HOW FAR AWAY I CAN BE FROM AN ANIMAL AND

STILL MAKE A DEFINITE KILL.

I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE HUNT EVEN IF I HAD TO RUN IT DOWN

AND KILL IT WITH MY OWN HANDS.

IT'S A GOOD WAY TO BE SATISFIED AT THE END

OF THE DAY, TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY,

AND TO ENRICHING YOUR LIFE.

I'M NOT THE BEST HUNTER.

THIS IS SOMETHING I WAS PERSISTENT AT AND SOMETHING

I WAS INTERESTED IN.

AND YOU DON'T USUALLY GET THOSE COMBINATIONS

WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A LIVING.

A LOT OF TIMES YOU JUST DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO.

THAT WAS INSTANT.

BOOM.

I'VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD IDEA HOW FAR AWAY I CAN SHOOT A

PTARMIGAN, OR A FOX, OR EVEN A CARIBOU WITH THE SHOTGUN.

I'M JUST GONNA ROLL OUT OUTTA HERE, USE MY INTUITION,

MAKE MY CHOICES AS I GO, AND FEEL CONFIDENT THAT I

CAN PUT A BULLET IN SOMETHING.

YOU DON'T HUNT IN A DIRECT LINE.

YOU KINDA HUNT IN A CIRCLE, SO IT'S ALL FRESH TO YOU.

IF YOU CATCH SOMETHING,

YOU MIGHT TAKE YOUR SAME TRACK BACK.

BUT YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THE ANIMALS WILL BE.

THEY'RE ALWAYS MOVING.

IF YOU MAKE A ROCK-SOLID PLAN TO HUNT JUST ONE THING,

YOU'LL OFTEN BE DISAPPOINTED.

SO BE FLEXIBLE.

IF YOU'RE NOT FLEXIBLE, YOU DON'T SURVIVE.

WHICH IS PART OF IT, IT'S LIKE IMMEDIATE ADAPTATION.

I'M WATCHING THE PTARMIGAN FLY.

I'M SEEING WHERE THEY'RE GOING.

THEY'RE GOING UP ON THE TUNDRA.

HERE IN KIWALIK IS, I'D SAY PTARMIGAN-RICH AT THE MOMENT.

AND IF I GET LUCKY, I CAN GET SOME AND I'LL USE 'EM

FOR EATING, AND I'LL USE 'EM FOR SOME TRAPPING BAIT,

AND IF I HAVE EXTRAS, I'LL BE TAKING 'EM HOME.

PTARMIGAN RIGHT THERE,

AND THERE'S ANOTHER ONE OVER THERE.

.

, (BLEEP).

THE CAP SNAPPED; THE GUN DIDN'T GO OFF.

THE GUN IS MALFUNCTIONING.

NOW I'M GONNA GIVE THIS ONE MORE TRY.

IF THAT DON'T WORK, I'M JUST GONNA CALL IT A DAY.

THERE'S ONE.

THAT PTARMIGAN HAS GOT LUCK.

LOOK AT THEM ALL GO.

I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED SO, (BLEEP).

WHAT I DON'T DO IS WANNA GET MAD OR ANYTHING.

JUST GOTTA TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS,

WHAT IT IS IS A MALFUNCTIONING PIECE OF MACHINERY.

I'M GONNA GO BACK TO CAMP AND ADDRESS THE ISSUES

WITH THIS GUN.

IT MIGHT BE THE KIND OF POWDER I'M USING DOESN'T WORK

GOOD AT LOW TEMPERATURES.

MAYBE THE CAP DOESN'T WORK GOOD, MAYBE IT'S FULL OF ICE.

I DON'T KNOW, BUT UM, I'M TRYING.

MY WIFE, SHE KNOWS I DON'T WASTE MY TIME.

EVEN IF I COME BACK WITH NOTHING,

SHE'LL HAVE KNOWN I WAS OUT HERE TRYING MY BEST.

SOMETIMES JUST THINGS DON'T WORK.

IT'S HUNTING, IT'S NOT SHOPPING IN A STORE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING PREPARED,

AND UNDERSTANDING, AND LEARNING MORE EVERY YEAR,

AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST.

YOU GOT A SLED TOO, GLENN?

YEAH.

I'LL PROBABLY PUT THE SLED ON THE BOTTOM.

OH, OKAY, YEAH.

MY NAME IS GLENN VILLENEUVE.

WHEN I CAME UP TO ALASKA ABOUT 16 YEARS AGO,

I SETTLED ON THE BROOKS RANGE AS THE PLACE TO GO

TO DO WHAT I WANTED TO DO.

I THINK IT WAS REALLY THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I HAD A

CHANCE OF DOING WHAT I WANTED TO DO.

WHEN I CAME UP TO ALASKA, I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF THE

PRACTICAL SKILLS THAT I ACQUIRED SINCE I GOT HERE.

IT WAS A BIG LEARNING PROCESS.

I STARTED FIGURING OUT WHAT I NEEDED TO LEARN AND

HOW I WAS GOING TO ORGANIZE MY LIFE SO I COULD MOVE OUT

TO THE BROOKS RANGE AND LIVE OUT THERE MOST OF THE TIME.

THAT TOOK YEARS.

I'D LIVED IN NEW YORK CITY, I'D LIVED IN BERLIN,

I'D LIVED IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES,

BUT WHEN I MOVED INTO THE WOODS,

IT WAS JUST LIKE I FOUND THE WAY OF LIFE THAT WAS FOR ME.

THIS PLANE'S HEADED UP TO CHANDALAR LAKE TODAY SO I'M

ABLE TO CATCH A RIDE, WHICH IS MOST OF THE WAY UP TO MY CAMP.

AND THEN I'LL WALK THE LAST 40 MILES FROM THERE.

AFTER SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY AT HIS SECOND

HOME IN FAIRBANKS, GLENN VILLENEUVE IS RETURNING

TO HIS REMOTE CAMP IN THE BROOKS RANGE

FOR THE ALASKAN SUMMER.

TO SCOUT THE CHANDALAR WILDERNESS IN SEARCH OF NEW

RESOURCES, HE WILL TREK 40 MILES ACROSS THE CHANDALAR

LAKE, RIVER, AND VALLEY ON FOOT.

BUT WITH UNCERTAIN ICE CONDITIONS AND PREDATORS

ROAMING THE AREA, THE JOURNEY TO HIS CAMP WILL BE DANGEROUS.

STILL LOOKS PRETTY WINTERY UP HERE.

THERE'S STILL QUITE A LOT OF SNOW IN THE WOODS.

WON'T KNOW QUITE WHAT THE CONDITIONS ARE FOR WALKING.

UNTIL I GET DOWN THERE AND START WALKING.