Life Below Zero - General Discussion

[Pam LeBlanc]

I love Life Below Zero & I've been watching since day 1. What I disagree with is how the Hailstone's hunt. Now, before I get blasted about my post, allow me to say I love wild game. I get deer, wild boar & ducks whenever friends bring us some. Here's my problem with them: I think they go a little overboard. I've seen episodes where they're in a boat in that River & they sometimes kill 5-6 caribou in 1 hunt. The caribou don't have a fair chance. They surely can't swim as fast as they can run on land. Also, these eggs that they go hunt/ snatch out if these birds nest. I'm not sure what kind of fowl they are. But I seen episodes where they come back with at least 2-5 gallon buckets full. Save some for they next guy or leave a few eggs so at least a few can hatch. I just think they over kill. There's a difference between a pig & a hog! I've also read that Chip can't hunt because he had a felony record. I read that on a forum on the web about the show, sounds like he's not liked by many! Again, I repeat... I love the show itself.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Pam LeBlanc

[KarmaG]

I love Life Below Zero & I've been watching since day 1. What I disagree with is how the Hailstone's hunt. Now, before I get blasted about my post, allow me to say I love wild game. I get deer, wild boar & ducks whenever friends bring us some. Here's my problem with them: I think they go a little overboard. I've seen episodes where they're in a boat in that River & they sometimes kill 5-6 caribou in 1 hunt. The caribou don't have a fair chance. They surely can't swim as fast as they can run on land. Also, these eggs that they go hunt/ snatch out if these birds nest. I'm not sure what kind of fowl they are. But I seen episodes where they come back with at least 2-5 gallon buckets full. Save some for they next guy or leave a few eggs so at least a few can hatch. I just think they over kill. There's a difference between a pig & a hog! I've also read that Chip can't hunt because he had a felony record. I read that on a forum on the web about the show, sounds like he's not liked by many! Again, I repeat... I love the show itself.

 

You can read about Chip's arrest in the Chip and Agnes thread. It's been covered there. Also you have to keep in mind that Chip and Agnes aren't just hunting for themselves/their family. They are also hunting for other people in their village. They've shown it, they've said it. Some they give away, some they barter. 

 

Also not sure why you think anyone would blast you here. We don't typically do that. We do some times disagree with one another but this is a friendly forum. We all remember that this is a place to talk about a television show. One that we are neither on or have relatives on (so no reason to get overly defensive etc).

[Beden]

Welcome to the forum, Pam and Karma is right; we're a convivial group. No need to worry about being flamed here unless it's well and truly deserved and even then the probable reaction would likely to be ignored rather than trashed. And don't feel any pressure to agree just for the sake of agreeing..we're adults.

 

My take on the Hailstones is that they seem to be fully aware of sustenance hunting, of being careful to leave enough for the herd/flock/school to adsorb the losses and recover to maintain the hunt for the future. And it's been clearly shown that they do, indeed, hunt beyond their own use for the community/relatives and barter. It doesn't look wanton or wasteful. Also--correct me if I'm wrong--my understanding is that Chip has some limitations due to legal problems as well as not being a native Inuit, which limits what he can and can't do regarding harvesting the local natural resources from hunting to collecting fossil ivory. It looks to me like he pulls his weight.

[rcc]

My take on Chip is that he relies heavily on his wife and takes her for granted. Everything he does she thanks him and acts like he is doing her a big favor.

 

I liked the young couple teasing each other while fishing. They like being together and they are living the dream up in Alaska together.

 

Jesse with his squirrel hunting and matted down hair kind of disgusted me. He looks so dirty and unkempt and probably stinks to high heaven. He throws the squirrels in the pot with the rest of the meat then he feeds his dogs first he says. Does that mean he eats out of that pot too or does he cook the fish or whatever he has for himself separately. Who knows with that guy.

 

Sue went fishing and got lucky. A happy Sue once again.

 

Where's Glenn. I miss that guy.

[Diane M]

Jesse is my least favorite.  Although I know Andy wasn't much of a husband, I did enjoy watching him "MacGyvering" to do his repairs.  Much more interesting than this new guy and, yes, he does look filthy.  I like Glenn also, but I think he and the Salitans take turns on the series.  Can't fit too many people in just 45 minutes.

[pasdetrois]

I don't like Chip. I find him greedy and arrogant; he's very entitled and I don't think he works as much as he'd like us to think. Also, he implies they live off subsistence and trading, when I'm pretty sure Agnes and her children receive revenue. (I'm familiar with her village's government.) He runs his mouth constantly while Agnes and the children are off to the side, working hard. He often says "we did such and such" when in fact Agnes or the girls did it. There's something off about him.

 

Whenever any of the Alaskans go off on tangents about how nobody lives the way they do, I want to remind them that lots of Americans hunt and fish, including people who do it to be thrifty. There are people way back in the hollers of Appalachia or the swamps of Louisiana who are just as reclusive and try to "live off the land."

 

And let's not forget that the federal government has for many years subsidized, with our tax dollars, the transportation costs of goods that are delivered to the Alaskan people.

 

Jesse seems as if he's barely hanging on. His dogs seem kind of undernourished, although I may be wrong about that.

 

Did Sue say that she left her elderly, retired sled dog in one of the cities?

 

We saw Sue's kitchen! Looks pretty nice. I spotted a Kitchen Aid mixer.

Edited December 31, 2015 by pasdetrois

[KarmaG]

 

 

Did Sue say that she left her elderly, retired sled dog in one of the cities?

 

 

Yes, in one of the recent episodes she said the poor girl just couldn't handle it out there anymore so she left her with friends. it was a sad moment.

[Diane M]

Saw a photo today of Glenn and his girlfriend and their kids (his and hers) spending Christmas in Fairbanks.  I wonder if he trekked all those miles through the snow from his isolated cabin to celebrate the holidays.  Or does he not isolate himself until January each year.

[KarmaG]

Saw a photo today of Glenn and his girlfriend and their kids (his and hers) spending Christmas in Fairbanks.  I wonder if he trekked all those miles through the snow from his isolated cabin to celebrate the holidays.  Or does he not isolate himself until January each year.

 

This is almost funny to me since production has him portrayed as one of the most hardcore off-grid people on the show yet obviously his time at camp is even more limited than previously acknowledged.

[KarmaG]

Jesse with his squirrel hunting and matted down hair kind of disgusted me. He looks so dirty and unkempt and probably stinks to high heaven. He throws the squirrels in the pot with the rest of the meat then he feeds his dogs first he says. Does that mean he eats out of that pot too or does he cook the fish or whatever he has for himself separately. Who knows with that guy.

 

 

What grosses me out more than him being dirty is how dirty the dog dishes were. Also, he feeds them first as in they come first not that he eats from their food. He is responsible for the dogs. Previously he mentioned having a lot of dogs. Sounded like 40 but I think he said 14. He thinks he's a dog sled racer.

[rcc]

Saw a photo today of Glenn and his girlfriend and their kids (his and hers) spending Christmas in Fairbanks.  I wonder if he trekked all those miles through the snow from his isolated cabin to celebrate the holidays.  Or does he not isolate himself until January each year.

Interesting!

[iluvobx]

Saw a photo today of Glenn and his girlfriend and their kids (his and hers) spending Christmas in Fairbanks.  I wonder if he trekked all those miles through the snow from his isolated cabin to celebrate the holidays.  Or does he not isolate himself until January each year.

In the first season, it was shown Glenn going back to "civilization".   He talked that he spends x amount of time in the city with his children.  It seems that he heads that way late spring/early summer.

 

I kinda like Jesse.  He is always working and he takes care of the dogs before himself.  What Jesse meant was he feeds his dogs first and after they have been taken care of, he will fix him something to eat.  Not eat the same food.  He makes just the right amount in his pot to feed the dogs and only the dogs. Guess when you live off grid and with dogs, personal hygiene may not be top priority.  Can you imagine having to take a bath when it is below zero?  I know they have shown Glenn doing it but not that often either.  All of them have dirty fingernails but that would come with the territory and how they live their lives.

Edited January 6, 2016 by iluvobx

[rcc]

I liked Jesse last night, dirty or not. At least Glenn didn't look so bad and taking a bath can be done. Jesse did impress me with his dog houses that he built himself and they looked pretty professionally done. The dogs were excited too.

 

Sue buying the left handed rifles and hitting the target pretty soon after trying it out was pretty impressive.

 

Martha and Eric are so cute together. I really enjoy watching them. 

 

One thing I didn't like last night was watching (or not) the clubbing of the ducks. I can understand the explanation by Chip for not using bullets but no thank you for watching it being done.

[walnutqueen]

rcc, on 06 Jan 2016 - 09:21 AM, said:

One thing I didn't like last night was watching (or not) the clubbing of the ducks. I can understand the explanation by Chip for not using bullets but no thank you for watching it being done.

 

Oh, gawd - I had to FF through that whole scene.  When it comes to animals being chased, scared, hurt or killed, I'm a total wuss.

[iluvobx]

 

One thing I didn't like last night was watching (or not) the clubbing of the ducks. I can understand the explanation by Chip for not using bullets but no thank you for watching it being done.

I dvr and then watch.  I can not handle the killing/ skinning of the animals.  I understand it fully just don't have the stomach for it, so I just fast forward.

Oh, gawd - I had to FF through that whole scene.  When it comes to animals being chased, scared, hurt or killed, I'm a total wuss.

walnutqueen, I am too!  I can't handle it at all.  I'm a total wuss with you :-)

[Diane M]

I hated that clubbing scene too.  Poor ducks didn't have a chance to escape.  They showed this on one other episode.  

[thosme]

I vaguely remember them clubbing rabbits. They herded them into a net and then clubbed them. They also kept calling them bunnies but didn't show the bunnies or I closed my eyes if they did.

[nottopbravo]

Wait-- Sue can't shoot a gun to protect herself, whether it was right handed or left handed?  I call BS.

[iluvobx]

No, Sue has always shot right handed.  Since the accident, she can no longer do that.  She is having to learn how to shot left handed.  It is a big difference.  That is why she went to Fairbanks, to get left handed guns.  She can fire a gun.

[BeatrixK]

Wait-- Sue can't shoot a gun to protect herself, whether it was right handed or left handed?  I call BS.

 

Now -- I don't shoot personally - but friends of mine who are avid gun people said shooting is like anything other people do to their 'handedness'.  I am a lefty, but when one was teaching me to shoot, he asked if I preferred a left/right gun.  I ended up learning right handed, but I guess 'handed' guns are a thing.

 

The clubbing scene was something I just didn't need to see ever. 

[KarmaG]

I haven't watched yet and am glad I came here before doing so (sometime in the next week I hope) so I know there are scenes to ff through. I don't mind most of the hunting scenes or the butchering scenes but wont watch clubbing or them shooting the caribou that are crossing in deep water.

[rcc]

I haven't watched yet and am glad I came here before doing so (sometime in the next week I hope) so I know there are scenes to ff through. I don't mind most of the hunting scenes or the butchering scenes but wont watch clubbing or them shooting the caribou that are crossing in deep water.

Another reason to come to this fine site. Some people don't like spoilers but I would rather know if something like the ducks is coming up than having to watch even 1 second of it. Luckily Chip told us what the girls were going to do before we actually saw it. It gave us time to FF or change the channel beforehand.

 

I also did the same thing when the caribou were swimming next to the boat in that other episode.

Edited January 9, 2016 by rcc

[Loudog]

Sue Aiken sucks. I'm convinced that her 'accident' was completely staged to help cover her complete lack of anything resembling skills. She sucks and should be destroyed.

[pasdetrois]

Who fed Jesse's dogs while he was camping overnight? For all his talk about his love for his dogs, I wonder how well he cares for them, based on what we've seen. At least he looked cleaner in the latest episode.

 

Sue's macho posturing while she destroyed her snowmobile was off-putting. Couldn't she have saved it for emergency use, or for a guest's use? Weird that she hacked up an expensive resource.

 

Martha seems less skilled than Agnes - Martha kind of floundered around in the previous episode, where she took a boat out on her own. Agnes knows how to take care of bidness. I think Erik married the mother lode - a beautiful young woman with a ready-made family business and residences.

 

I didn't realize how frequently one can get lost out there, even someone like the Hailstones who have gone to the same places for decades.

 

For all the talk of bears, will we ever actually see one?

Edited January 13, 2016 by pasdetrois

[rcc]

I thought the same thing about Jesse's other dogs while he was camping out with his favorite. Sue and her ridiculous trashing of the snowmobile was dumb. The Hailstones didn't club anything last night thankfully but did have an interesting family project. Eric is a very wealthy Alaska property owner because of Martha who he thinks is stubborn. Kudos to Martha in not jumping when he speaks either. I like that about her. No Glenn last night either. I wonder if he's done with this show. This is the last episode of the season. That went fast!

[OSM Mom]

Sue was answering questions last night on Facebook. She said that the snowmobile was damaged beyond repair. The frame is bent and had other damage as well. It would cost 5K to send it, 5K to get it sent back, plus they cost of parts. And she only hit the already broken parts. She said she'd going to salvage off it for other things.

[Curious5]

I missed the part  of the info that Martha  is the mother lode.   I noticed the house and almost fell over - thought Eric really had worked to have this built.  Not his?  I do remember he had a more "Alaskan" home a few years ago.   I do understand how Martha didn't stop fishing - me too - the fish will certainly bite on the next cast.

 

Agnes has been at this since she was a teen.  Her skill after years of hunting.  She should be more skilled than Martha  but Martha will do better  as the years go by. I do appreciate the Hailstones  more than in the beginning.

 

Question is on the eggs collected by both Martha and Hailstones.  I didn't see any candling  and I would guess some eggs had been fertile.  If the birds had been sitting on them and then scared off the nests, the baby would die inside if not heated.  Would they then rot?  Hailstones seemed to store some. Would this not be a nasty surprise when you cracked the shell?

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

Question is on the eggs collected by both Martha and Hailstones.  I didn't see any candling  and I would guess some eggs had been fertile.  If the birds had been sitting on them and then scared off the nests, the baby would die inside if not heated.  Would they then rot?  Hailstones seemed to store some. Would this not be a nasty surprise when you cracked the shell?

They can always save the fertilized ones for a "Survivor" eating challenge! 

I vaguely recall that some cultures love fertilized eggs and they are quite the delicacy.  Different strokes, I guess.  Nothing goes unused.  I feed my dog good quality food, excellent mix-ins and some delicious human food, but she thinks deer poop is like caviar, so who knows?

[Diane M]

Who fed Jesse's dogs while he was camping overnight? For all his talk about his love for his dogs, I wonder how well he cares for them, based on what we've seen.
I wondered the same thing, and he camped two nights.  My hubby said a neighbor kid probably fed them, but does he have any nearby neighbors?

 

Sue's macho posturing while she destroyed her snowmobile was off-putting. Couldn't she have saved it for emergency use, or for a guest's use?
That really was stupid and careless.  She could have damaged her other shoulder.

 

Martha seems less skilled than Agnes - Martha kind of floundered around in the previous episode, where she took a boat out on her own. Agnes knows how to take care of bidness.

Agnes is probably in her late 40s and has reared at least six children, including a grown son.  You'd expect her to more skilled.

 

I think Erik married the mother lode - a beautiful young woman with a ready-made family business and residences.

How do you know that Martha Mae came into the marriage with all that property?  Erik is a a well known fishing and hunting guide in Alaska.  Don't know about the lodge in Iliamna, but from the beginning he has spent the winters in Wiseman.  I think he and Martha are a good match.

[SRTouch]

"Diane M" posted "Who fed Jesse's dogs while he was camping overnight? For all his talk about his love for his dogs, I wonder how well he cares for them, based on what we've seen."

I wondered the same thing, and he camped two nights.  My hubby said a neighbor kid probably fed them, but does he have any nearby neighbors. ""

When they show an aerial view of his cabin you see that he doesn't exactly live in the middle of nowhere. If you pause the video you see what looks like a boat launch and parking lot closeby. I think he lives on the outskirts of Nenana, which, according to Wiki is pretty small - less than 400 people. Again, according to wiki, the area is a center of world class dog team training.

And, not having anything better to do I just spent a few minutes googling "jessie holmes dog team"

[nottopbravo]

Yeah Sue, blame the snow machine and not the inept, crazy driver.

[SRTouch]

"Again, according to wiki, the area is a center of world class dog team training.

And, not having anything better to do I just spent a few minutes googling "jessie holmes dog team"

I meant to say that I found Jessie listed as a musher an upcoming 300 mile dog race,

http://yukonquest.com/race-central/yukon-quest-300-mile/300-musher-profiles

Check musher #21 for a picture of a clean looking Jessie, though bearded

Edited January 15, 2016 by SRTouch

[Inukun]

Looks like another crazy thread .

First off, regarding our Local IRA's. They give no money to Agnes or any other Inupiaq here is going to get any money out of them. Nobody will or ever will, they simply oversee the Inupiaq Nations local governing bodys. We have a land managing corporation and no one is living off them, unless they are employed by them.

Martha is not a Mother load for Eric. In the show it plainly says he owns a guiding business, and is from out of state, and his house is by Wiseman, while she owns a fishing lodge where she was born and grew up at Lake Illiamnia.I think they are a match!

If Jesse has any brains, he will have partners that Mush too, Dog Handlers, and when hes gone, they will help feed his dogs too, and he will likely do the same for them in turn. We all have friends with common interests, I'm sure.

I dont know Chip well, but I have never heard anyone in this region speak up against him. He may be a felon, but so what. Hes taking on the crooked cops and hes good around here. Agnes I know well ,I have known her since we were little, and shes no different on TV. I think he gets along fine and like any forigner who lives here for a few years, he has to pull his weight or get on the plane.

Since I live in the same area as the Hailstones, I can clear up some misconceptions; For the egging episodes you should understand that They can take all the eggs from Seagulls and Geese they want, the birds will lay more until they have a brood. Same as chickens.That is how they cope with predators and high tides, that can flood the nesting areas that destroy the clutches. Its a renewable resource but brief in time. To see if the eggs have a chick or are fresh, they should put them in the close by water. If they float, they would leave the whole clutch , because the babies are developing. If the eggs sink, you should take the whole clutch. This is because birds like Geese and Seagulls dont have breasts to feed their babies and nesting in the open has them move off the nest as soon as they first chicks hatch and can walk, eat and hide. They will leave the rest behind, to die, if they cannot keep up or have not hatched yet. Our Elders taught us this and it is common knowledge, so we take the whole clutch, sometimes again after a couple days. Then we leave them alone and they still have babies. Where the Hailstones live there are thousands of nests and they pick fewer than 100 or them.This has been going on for thousands of years here, with no problem, and alot less people are picking eggs than before.

When you club flightless Ducks, its only the male birds, who group up while flightless in large flocks while molting. The females will be off alone , raising the young. If you shoot a flying bird, it can still die somewhere else. The Hailstones either kill them or they get away, no wounded, only an instant kill with a broken neck. Far far more humane than shooting them. Fewer birds are killed and no meat wasted from gunshots. They can effectively hunt without guns, and I know many people who can.

The Hailstones didn't get any rabbits in their nets, just watched that one yesterday.

I liked the last one where they put up the sign at the point where the river meets the Sea. In a place where the tide hides the land, its a Godsend to be able to get into a river and stay in the channel, so your not running up on the ground or ramming your propeller and motor into it when its only inches deep but actually "underwater" and one big lake. I cannot count how many times I have had to spend hours looking and feeling for a river channels mouth with my boat and motor. Even more time has been wasted getting unstuck and back to deep water, and waiting for a tide to go down so the river can be seen. You can get stuck or break your boat , if your going fast and hit. Somebody should pay them to build one at the mouth of each river that we have here around Kotzebue Sound.

Shooting Caribou in the river is for food. What complete idiot would want to give their meals a chance to get away.? How 'noble' would it be to tell your kids you didnt get them dinner because you let it get away? I guess if you don't hunt for a living, you would not know. The fact is shooting Caribou on land is inefficient and cruel in many ways. The Hailstone are very precise in picking out fat healthy , mature bulls. They get as close as a Hunter should, and kill the Caribou instantly with a brain shot. They do not separate the calf's from the cows as can happen in a herd that's being shot at on land, so theres no slow, lingering death for a lost calf, either.. They don't wast the meat that shooting a Caribou in the chest would destroy , and actually kill fewer animals to get the amount of meat they want. No wounded Caribou get away to die elsewhere. The clean the animals at the rivers edge and take them home whole to get through the freeze and darkness we have here in the Arctic.Caribou that are shot in the chest take time to die and its painful and scary for them. What the Hailstones do is very precise with the minimum of waste. Its clean food and made in a clean way , not skinned and drug or carried across the Tundra.

The best part is when they leave the upriver hunting places, they leave all the heads and antlers. Trophy's are not edible.

The people here who are disgusted with the way my people catch animals should look on youtube and watch how the Beef industries kill them, stunned and skinned alive, heart sliced and bled out. From their wild eyes, I say the beefsteak sold in the stores died in pain and terrified. Pay the Butcher to do it but dont put people down who do it their selfs. At least the wild animals we hunt were not kept in pens all their lives, and no ones beef was hunted and given a fair chance to get away. Its about food.

Edited February 7, 2016 by saoirse

[captain1]

Thank you Inukun - very informative.

[walnutqueen]

Inukun - I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and unique perspective.  Thank you for clearing up some common misconceptions.

 

I am the first to admit being a total hypocrite about my professed love and respect for animals and my seeming inability to have the courage of my convictions and become a vegetarian.  The truth about our food is not pretty, and many of us are unable to face that reality.  I see no such disconnect with your People, and respect that.

[KarmaG]

 

The best part is when they leave the upriver hunting places, they leave all the heads and antlers. Trophy's are not edible.

 

 

Thank you for sharing your perspective and knowledge though I must say this statement isn't always true. We see their house in the village have lots of antlers on top.

 

I know how vile and disgusting feed lots are and like Walnut, haven't become a vegetarian. That doesn't mean I don't still find the practices disgusting, like I find the clubbing to be. Same thing and same result, food on the table. Doesn't mean I want to see either practice (slaughter house killing or clubbing) on my tv screen.

[rcc]

Thank you Inukun for sharing your prospective. I may not like watching the clubbing of the ducks but I understand what Chip meant and what you have described.

 

I agree that the slaughterhouses are much worse than what we see on this show.

[Inukun]

   I completely understand about not wanting to watch the actual death of an animal, it is why people 'pay the butcher" to do the uncomfortable but necessary, for lifes needs.  My husband has that to do, and while I enjoy hunting, I understand , now, that the rituals my husband gives each animal, like a drink of fresh water to a Seal or cutting the irritation from a Bears tounge are to sooth the spirit of the animal and the spirit of the Hunter, because it was not a death made from hate or anger but out of love for the Family the Hunter will feed and to give respect to the animal, by utilizing it as much as possible. This may not be evident to Christians or other faiths, but in our culture, and beliefs, if you have respect for the animal, and kill them on a nearly daily basis, this is how a Hunter remains a Hunter and not a Killer. "Its the thought that counts" is a good saying for having the proper hunting attitude.

 

I worked night shift in a slaughter house in Oregon, as a sanitation specialist when I went to collage in Washington state, before I met my Husband. I have seen how clean wild foods really are, and if people up here gave up their food, and hunting for it, our culture would be gone.Food is culture. Where would Italians be without their special kind of foods, or Mexican cultures? .

 

 Yes she has antlers, Karma G, but no Trophys.  Keeping the Antlers for a Trophy is much different than keeping them for materials in carving, building, crafting. From what I see, she keeps very very few of what they actually get, and cuts them up and makes stuff from them, so I dont see them with any "trophy's"

  Agnes is an artist, she has some of the most beautiful carvings and clothing displays here in Kotzebue, and antler as a material in those arts is common. Plainly she takes home Antlers, horns and hooves if they can be used in her work, but theres no heads mounted in her house, and when they bring home 30 Caribou Bulls each fall, ( like all households here try to do) tear after year for her immediate family, her elder sisters, and Chips mom down the road, you might see a new set or two put up to dry, away from dogs chewing them, or people taking them, but the dry ones on the roof are the ones shes probably cutting up, and I dont see any trophy value at all in that. Ive seen Walrus Heads up there too, but the get cut up after drying, and since shes an artist, perhaps the "looks cool up here while drying" is what is really going on. Here in Kotzebue, people are drying whale bones, and Caribou antlers, Seal skins and everything that they can use from an animal, and not as trophy's.

 

I was in Noorvik for my daughter basketball tournament this last week, and visited her for a cup of coffee, and from the pile of firewood stacked outside the Hailstone house, I think they are ready for next 2 months of the deep cold now. The clothing shes has made and Chip building a sled out of a single plank of wood were really impressive. I hope that they show them on the show. The Hailstones have 2 son's, and 5 daughters. 3 daughters are still living at home, and it was clean, warm and busy in there. The sons have familys, the older daughters have no kids and are either working or going to classes somewhere else in AK. I think they are often changing who lives where according to season and what they want to do, because in Summer we commercial fish for Salon and the two oldest Hailstone girls are Commercial fishing too, we see them out in open skiffs checking their nets too, or staying in camp. I see them in some episodes and not in others. Seasonal and temporary jobs are very common up here.

Winter is something else, but its good to see the younger generations living the outdoors life.

 

 Have a very nice day.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Inukun

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[Jchavez53]

I cannot stand Sue, I've started fast forwarding through her segments. Just saw one episode where she and Andy just happened to be hunting moose on the same episode. While Andy is literally stalking the moose and he remarks about what great hearing they have, in Sue's segment, the producers no doubt tied a moose down with a stake while Sue is standing about 20 feet away, takes a shot, the gun misfires, the moose just stands there waiting for her to reload, then the next scene is an edited scene of the moose running away with the scene after that, Sue standing over her 'kill'. What a setup. Andy is shooting his moose from a couple hundred yards, Sue gets her moose handed to her on a platter. I'll bet that the Hailstones kids could survive, without any help, with just a gun and a net while Sue would be dead in less than a week.

[Paddywagon]

New season started tonight! I really love this show and it set the standards for all the 'living in Alaska' shows. Too bad tonight was just a boring recap of past episodes.

Sue is back. I can't wait to see what new animal hats she has, lol.

Jesse is back.

Glen's back.

The Eskimo family is back.

No recap of Eric and Martha, maybe because Glen is back this season?

[humbleopinion]

Inukun-

Your commentary adds authenticity to the thread and is much appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to write such thoughtful posts.

[KarmaG]

Glen's back.

No recap of Eric and Martha, maybe because Glen is back this season?

 

They usually alternate between Glenn and Eric/Martha each episode or two. In the earlier seasons we saw Eric for the first half of the season and then Glenn the last half because Eric wasn't available to film due to his guiding business.

 

That said, while I still love most of the cast, I am just over this show. It's the same stuff each season. It's great but it's just not for me any more. This isn't the first show I've cut out of my roster and wont be the last. I hope the cast had a great time filming and y'all have a great time watching. 

[Paddywagon]

Some of Sue's lines make me lol! Tonite when she was checking the radiator on the overheated generator she says, "It looks like a fur carpet in there straight out of the 70s."

My favorite line from her was when she was going hunting and she said, "You never know if you're gonna get something. If you get something every time it's called shopping."

She always manages to come up with this stuff. She's the only one on the show that actually finds humor in her world and I love dry humor like hers.

I also read that Jessie won a 300-mile dog race in February this year. Next year he plans to enter a 1,000 mile race. I wonder why they don't show any of that? Seems like it would be amazing to at least see him start and finish the race.

[rcc]

Some of Sue's lines make me lol! Tonite when she was checking the radiator on the overheated generator she says, "It looks like a fur carpet in there straight out of the 70s."

My favorite line from her was when she was going hunting and she said, "You never know if you're gonna get something. If you get something every time it's called shopping."

She always manages to come up with this stuff. She's the only one on the show that actually finds humor in her world and I love dry humor like hers.

I also read that Jessie won a 300-mile dog race in February this year. Next year he plans to enter a 1,000 mile race. I wonder why they don't show any of that? Seems like it would be amazing to at least see him start and finish the race.

I'm glad Jesse won that race. I agree it would be interesting to see some of it on this show.

 

Sue comes out with funny quips at times. She is quite a character!

[rcc]

Andy was back last night! He's alone now and should stay that way. Glenn is still my favorite and he was interesting last night baking his bread.

[walnutqueen]

7 minutes ago, rcc said:

Andy was back last night! He's alone now and should stay that way. Glenn is still my favorite and he was interesting last night baking his bread.

Andy has his beer - and that's probably all he needs.  I'd much rather see what Kate is up to - did she get to keep any of the dogs?

[Jennymay]

I've read a lot of people don't like chip hailstone. The reasons I read are ridiculous and laughable. 

[rcc]

Last week we had Glenn baking bread. This week we had Sue making salve. I like the fact that they don't have to show the cast butchering meat in graphic detail all the time. It has its place of course but different projects that they figure out for themselves is very interesting to me. Chip the master builder is another example.

[Medicine Crow]

1 hour ago, rcc said:

Last week we had Glenn baking bread. This week we had Sue making salve. I like the fact that they don't have to show the cast butchering meat in graphic detail all the time. It has its place of course but different projects that they figure out for themselves is very interesting to me. Chip the master builder is another example.

Dove-tailing with your comment @rcc, I really enjoy the episodes that feature the various talents of the "cast".  I find it quite enlightening.  (Butchering doesn't "cut it" for me.)