S09.E03: The Law of the Land

[iMonrey]

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As Labrador's winter draws near, the participants split their time between building permanent shelters and getting food; many participants struggle; one allows an opportunity to slip through their fingers; one braces for a deadly encounter.

Air date: June 9, 2022

It seems some of these contestants are in fact expending a lot of energy to build elaborate shelters: Jessie and Igor this week, and Adam with the moss insulated walls last week. Jessie's structure looks huge, too. Can't believe these people have lost between 15 and 19 pounds in under 15 days. I still say the smarter contestants stick with rudimentary tarp structures and save the energy. Karie Lee's looks like a fairly simple teepee.

I have to say the mama squirrel screaming over the trapped baby was downright traumatizing. If that had happened to Jacques he might have had a nervous breakdown. Hell, I might have, but then again that's why I'd never attempt anything like this. I don't remember a past season with so many squirrels. I could frankly do without the constant close-ups of the killed ones but maybe that's the point.

So it's a race between Juan Pablo and Adam to see who will kill a bear first. It seems odd that their whole strategy for survival seems to rest on killing a bear, which I think is unlikely at best. 

In other news, I didn't know beaver meat was edible. And where the hell did they drop Juan Pablo off anyway, a junk yard? He keeps finding all sorts of useful things lying around. 

That backdrop behind Benji looked like a Bob Ross painting, and so did the river where Adam was fishing. Beautiful scenery.

[AZChristian]

It makes me nervous that all of these folks who "almost" hit something with an arrow are actively seeking a bear to kill.  An angry bear in pain could not be a good thing for a poor archer.

[patty1h]

After Jacques being so broken up about killing animals, it was almost deja vu listening to the female ex-soldier (name).   She spoke several times about how everyone is killing something somewhere to live and seeing it firsthand was weighing on her.  I started to wonder if this was leading up to another tap out, but she seemed to come to terms with the reality of hunting for her dinner.

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

It makes me nervous that all of these folks who "almost" hit something with an arrow are actively seeking a bear to kill.  An angry bear in pain could not be a good thing for a poor archer.

I was thinking on similar lines - these guys will have to be a dead shot to get a clean kill on a bear or run the risk of a rampaging animal coming at them.   The best scenario is to catch it unawares and get a kill shot of course, but that is a lot of fingers crossed factors happening.

[HurricaneVal]

Yeah, they're hanging a lot on this slim possibility of getting a bear.  I think the other big game take downs--the moose and musk ox--in other seasons were more or less happenstance?  Not saying there wasn't woodcraft and stalking and good hunting going on with both those kills, but they didn't come as a result of a "My only chance of winning is to kill a __________" strategy.  I think these guys are getting tunnel vision on the bear to their detriment.  Is there truly no other game other than squirrels and bears?  Oh yeah.  Grouse and beaver.  No deer, elk, rabbits?  Wild turkeys?  Possums?  It is just bear, bear, bear all the time with those two. 

I hope they don't have bordering territories, see the same bear, and end up shooting each other by accident.  Do they have buffer zones between territories, or do the territories butt up against each other?

[iMonrey]

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It makes me nervous that all of these folks who "almost" hit something with an arrow are actively seeking a bear to kill.  An angry bear in pain could not be a good thing for a poor archer.

I know right? Haven't they ever seen The Revenant? And that guy had a gun!

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I hope they don't have bordering territories, see the same bear, and end up shooting each other by accident.  Do they have buffer zones between territories, or do the territories butt up against each other?

We've never seen an instance where one contestant could see another, to the best of my recollection. It's possible they do from time to time and they edit it out.

[Blackie]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

In other news, I didn't know beaver meat was edible

Beaver tail for sure (I'm talking real beaver tail not the cinnamon and sugar kind).

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I hope they don't have bordering territories, see the same bear, and end up shooting each other by accident.  Do they have buffer zones between territories, or do the territories butt up against each other?

 I was thinking the same thing. Then I was thinking maybe the injured beaver will float down and land on someone else's beach.

I think hitting a squirrel with an arrow would be super hard.

3 hours ago, patty1h said:

the female ex-soldier (name).   She spoke several times about how everyone is killing something somewhere to live and seeing it firsthand was weighing on her.  I started to wonder if this was leading up to another tap out, but she seemed to come to terms with the reality of hunting for her dinner.

Jesse. she seems like she has skills but has lost a lot of weight already and seems to be building a giant shelter. I think she is going to run out of gas soon.

[madmax]

That squirrel bit was beyond sad.  But she's totally right.  She's indirectly killed quite a few things for what she has in her not-Alone life, now she's just doing it face-to-face.  I'm glad she understood that and didn't let it get to her.

Juan Pablo is just living it up with the junk, isn't he?  Hope he doesn't find a boat and make a hot tub.

All those banking on a bear are probably going to be disappointed.  Or dead.

Still haven't found a favorite yet.

[Yeah No]

Yeah, that squirrel thing really got to me, I have to admit that.  And I was just cheering her for saying what she did about indirectly being responsible for the death of many living things and this being a more direct and immediate instance of the same thing.  After the last episode when Jacques tapped out I mentioned to my husband that he will go back to his life and be responsible for the death of many living things whether he likes it or not unless he eats a purely synthetic diet if that's even possible.  In order to live, something must die.  But wow, what an up close and personal way to have to come to terms with that!  I would have a hard time dealing with that, but not too hard a time.  I hope she doesn't cave because of it.

[Jeanne222]

I've never missed a show in the nine seasons but I find myself fast forwarding through a lot of them this season.  I also find myself looking to see how much longer I have to go.

This season is a real snooze fest.  I'm bored!

Edited June 11, 2022 by Jeanne222

[diebartdie]

14 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Yeah, they're hanging a lot on this slim possibility of getting a bear.  I think the other big game take downs--the moose and musk ox--in other seasons were more or less happenstance?  Not saying there wasn't woodcraft and stalking and good hunting going on with both those kills, but they didn't come as a result of a "My only chance of winning is to kill a __________" strategy.  I think these guys are getting tunnel vision on the bear to their detriment.  Is there truly no other game other than squirrels and bears?  Oh yeah.  Grouse and beaver.  No deer, elk, rabbits?  Wild turkeys?  Possums?  It is just bear, bear, bear all the time with those two. 

I hope they don't have bordering territories, see the same bear, and end up shooting each other by accident.  Do they have buffer zones between territories, or do the territories butt up against each other?

You know, that's the thing about these fellows obsessing over catching a 400#+ bear...that 400#+ bear got to 400#+ by eating SOMETHING, something they are choosing NOT to seek out, something that would be infinitely easier to catch, kill and eat (or just eat, like the berries and what not). I mean, I know bears can eat things humans can not but bears are omnivores, just like us and it takes A LOT to maintain that weight so...

On to the second thing, this is what I found

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How far apart are Alone's participants? In Mongolia, the contestants each had about five square miles to themselves. That doesn't include the buffer between their plot and other contestants' space. There was at least four miles between the participants' plots of land.

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

This season is a real snooze fest.  I'm bored!

I'm not bored yet, but the repetition from season to season is starting to set in.  It's interesting to see the different kinds of shelters people build, but the rest of the show is mainly just killing things.  And that's not all too fun (see the squirrel, and also the beaver).  Some of the novelty has worn off.  

I'm almost surprised the hunting/killing is weighing on some of the contestants so heavily.  I would feel the same way, but these people are supposed to be experienced in living off the land, it shouldn't be anything new to them.  

[iMonrey]

It seems like there's a lot more wildlife to kill and eat in Labrador than in previous locations, I've never seen so many dead squirrels and grouses before. Usually it's just fish and berries. So on the one hand, more plentiful game than usual, but on the other hand, harder to watch because of it.

[Quilt Fairy]

6 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I've never missed a show in the three seasons

FYI, Alone is in it's ninth season.

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

FYI, Alone is in it's ninth season.

Hey, batting .333 will get you in the Hall of Fame. 

I was watching a squirrel in my backyard today.   I was glad that it didn't have to worry about someone shooting it or its offspring out of the tree with an arrow, or getting caught in a trap set for it.  

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It seems like there's a lot more wildlife to kill and eat in Labrador than in previous locations, I've never seen so many dead squirrels and grouses before. Usually it's just fish and berries. So on the one hand, more plentiful game than usual, but on the other hand, harder to watch because of it.

On the other hand, we haven't seen the rabbits or the mice yet.  There were a lot of those in recent seasons.  I'm sure things will get skimpier as they get into the colder weather.  Unless someone bags a polar bear lol.

[DrewPaul2010]

I can't believe that structure Jessie is building. Is it a condo? Is plumbing going in? I don't have training in surviving outdoors however, in life most decisions are based on a cost/benefit ratio. Unless it has a water spring and a hot air vent I don't see how its close getting back what she's put in. The idea of a berm was good using what was there but I don't know about the rest of it.

So far the guy with the chimney has the best shelter. Its small, insulated and didn't take long to build.

Edited June 12, 2022 by DrewPaul2010
clarified

[Blackie]

On 6/11/2022 at 11:22 AM, iMonrey said:

I've never seen so many dead squirrels

Last season I don't think they were allowed to kill the squirrels for some reason set by the First Nation who's land they were on.

This season seems kind of boring because only one has gone home so far therefore they still have to show a lot of people. Plus they seem to be jumping around in time alot. There is going to have to be episodes with multiple tap outs I think.

On 6/11/2022 at 11:19 AM, rmontro said:

'm almost surprised the hunting/killing is weighing on some of the contestants so heavily.  I would feel the same way, but these people are supposed to be experienced in living off the land, it shouldn't be anything new to them.

Ya I was thinking it was pretty weird that people enter a survival contest and then can't cope with killing animals for their food. I wonder if they are just reacting to viewers who react to animals being hunted.

BTW my friend was describing to me how a Coopers Hawk raided the robin's nest on her porch. Not a pretty site. Then the male robin scolded and dive bombed them as if it was their fault. Everyone has to eat.

[rmontro]

13 minutes ago, Blackie said:

Last season I don't think they were allowed to kill the squirrels for some reason set by the First Nation who's land they were on.

Maybe the First Nation got chewed out by a mama squirrel whose baby got caught in a trap, so they made them off limits.  That would be convincing to me.

16 minutes ago, Blackie said:

This season seems kind of boring because only one has gone home so far therefore they still have to show a lot of people. Plus they seem to be jumping around in time alot. There is going to have to be episodes with multiple tap outs I think.

Ya I was thinking it was pretty weird that people enter a survival contest and then can't cope with killing animals for their food. I wonder if they are just reacting to viewers who react to animals being hunted.

They seem sincere to me, I don't think they're faking it for the benefit of viewers.  Maybe the fact that they are alone out there with their thoughts makes it hit home harder for them.

Also annoying, the one guy who's tapped out was actually killing it survival-wise.  He just caught the old "I miss my family" bug that's taken out a lot of contestants.

[DrewPaul2010]

13 hours ago, rmontro said:

Maybe the First Nation got chewed out by a mama squirrel whose baby got caught in a trap, so they made them off limits.  That would be convincing to me.

They seem sincere to me, I don't think they're faking it for the benefit of viewers.  Maybe the fact that they are alone out there with their thoughts makes it hit home harder for them.

Also annoying, the one guy who's tapped out was actually killing it survival-wise.  He just caught the old "I miss my family" bug that's taken out a lot of contestants.

I'm confident sheer hunger would over come any sympathy I have...not to mention a swipe at 500k.

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, DrewPaul2010 said:

I'm confident sheer hunger would over come any sympathy I have...not to mention a swipe at 500k.

All the contestants are still killing for their meals.  The only question is do they have any empathy about it?  If you kill without respect or any feeling, that's the sign of a psycopath.

[iMonrey]

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I was watching a squirrel in my backyard today.   I was glad that it didn't have to worry about someone shooting it or its offspring out of the tree with an arrow, or getting caught in a trap set for it.  

My dog's favorite pastime is chasing squirrels. He would definitely be jealous of all the squirrels these people are catching, if he only knew what was going on.

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 I was thinking it was pretty weird that people enter a survival contest and then can't cope with killing animals for their food.

This show quickly sorts out the hard-core survival experts from the amateurs that just play at it. A lot of these people have only done this sort of thing in theory or in instructional situations. I don't know how many have actually had to do it alone, and face the reality of it. They have a lot of time to sit and think about what's going on.

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All the contestants are still killing for their meals.  The only question is do they have any empathy about it?  If you kill without respect or any feeling, that's the sign of a psycopath.

Not necessarily, in this situation. It's really a matter of practicality; none of these people are killing for sport. I can't remember if it was Jessie or Karie Lee schooling us on the fact that we kill animals all the time, it's just done for us without us having to really confront it. What I see as a commonality amongst the best of them is the gratitude they often verbally express to their kills. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by iMonrey

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Not necessarily, in this situation. It's really a matter of practicality; none of these people are killing for sport. I can't remember if it was Jessie or Karie Lee schooling us on the fact that we kill animals all the time, it's just done for us without us having to really confront it. What I see as a commonality amongst the best of them is the gratitude they often verbally express to their kills. 

I'm not saying they are killing for sport, I'm saying they know what they are doing, and are doing so with the proper respect, and as you say, gratitude.  We see this respect from a lot of the capable contestants.  That doesn't mean they all have to say "Thank you squirrel" or whatever, but they have respect for the cycle of life.

[DrewPaul2010]

On 6/13/2022 at 2:42 PM, rmontro said:

All the contestants are still killing for their meals.  The only question is do they have any empathy about it?  If you kill without respect or any feeling, that's the sign of a psycopath.

I'm not begrudging anyone feeling sad. However, eating food to survive isn't psychopathic.

[rmontro]

30 minutes ago, DrewPaul2010 said:

I'm not begrudging anyone feeling sad. However, eating food to survive isn't psychopathic.

I never said that.  Killing without acknowledging the death is psycopathic.

[Yeah No]

I don't think the contestants have to make a show of having respect or acknowledging the death in order to not be called psychopathic.  I think that can be something done internally.  I don't make assumptions about whether they are being respectful enough based on that unless they act like a real asshole in other respects.  Most of these people are not like that.

As for the people that tap out early because they are conflicted about having to kill animals, that's all relative too.  Even Lewis and Clark could have decided to say no to going out in the wilds on an expedition because they didn't really have to kill things to live.  I mean, even back then most people that lived in civilization didn't have to hunt for their food and could have chosen to do things differently.

Yesterday I saw a dead squirrel in the middle of the road near my house.  It was a gory roadkill sight.  Talk about a senseless death!  I definitely think being hunted and killed for food is more noble for an animal like that even if it is in a competition.  My husband and I were talking about those humane mousetraps that don't kill the mouse so you can release it outside.  We have spent good money on them and they don't work.  We have had an increase in mice in the past few years and I hear that the mouse population has been increasing in my state as has the hawk population as a result.  I told my husband that even if we could release the mice outdoors they would likely become a meal for a hawk anyway or just come back in the house if we didn't put it far enough away.

I've been thinking this for a long time but I can't help but think that some of these people are looking for respectable excuses to tap out and the real reason is not as much about having a conflict about killing things for the purpose of winning a boatload of money in a competition as it is about something they don't want to admit that would make them look less respectable.  

[Tango64]

I think we can safely assume no one was killed by a bear. I've always said if someone gets killed making this show (which I think is entirely possible), they'll never air that season at all. And it's very likely the death would make the news long before the season was ready to air anyway.

There's still the suspense, though, about whether they will have a dicey enounter with a bear and survive.

[TVbitch]

I hand feed my squirrels walnuts and hazelnuts, so yeah, I was a mess when mamma squirrel was nudging her dead baby. But I am a meat eater and alls I can say is that I didn't invent the food chain. I wish it was another way, but it ain't. Unfortunately, most creatures have to kill  other creatures to survive, often by ripping them apart alive. It's a rather gruesome system.