S06.E07: Night Raider

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

As winter closes in, the participants are threatened by predators looking to steal their precious food stores; as the survivalists rethink their strategies, one makes a stand by confronting the Arctic's most ferocious creature. 

Air date: Thursday, 7/25/19.

[Johnnydanger]

It looks like the wolverine is going to be paying a visit to jordon s meat pile on the next episode. Just guessing by the title of the next show.

[MostlyContent]

Are there enough words to describe Jordan?  Best. contestant. ever.??  Kills a moose and then kills a wolverine with his hatchet.  Ummmmmmm.  Wow.  I felt sorry that he lost his moose fat.  Quite a loss.  He went to Russia at first to build an orphanage?   

I love Woniya.  I do.  Her reminiscing about her life choices and wanting a child just kinda broke my heart.    A fox stole her rabbit, and so she starts figuring out how to fix that problem with a snare that snatches it out of reach for the fox.  As opposed to.........

.....Michelle the horrid.   A fox steals her rabbit, so she wants to beat it to death with her fists.  Screw you, Michelle.  I think she is my least favorite woman of all time.  Nikki may be a clueless klutz, but Michelle can go pound sand.  

Barry loses a huge beautiful fish.  His net is nice, and it paid off! 

Nikki -  uh.....oh my.  She can't figure out how to quickly kill the squirrel, and, of course, it bites her and she is bleeding again.  I know it's awful, but one can only take so much and I was horrified that I laughed.  Did she ever kill the poor guy?  

All in all, a great episode.  Can't believe so many are left! 

[cooksdelight]

Jordon just keeps on slaying it, doesn’t he?

Nikki is going to kill herself if they don’t take her out of there. A rabid squirrel, LOL!

[LittleIggy]

I’m glad that squirrel got some revenge on Nikki before it died. Poor wolverine. ☹️

[humbleopinion]

Labaz, ladder, neutralized wolverine...Jordan continues to impress.

He better not fall off his labaz.

[ClareWalks]

Michelle is batshit. She figures out that a fox is harvesting her snare line. Then she goes to spy on it the next day and is simply SHOCKED to discover that...a fox is harvesting her snare line. I was like "um....didn't you already figure that out? Why are you acting like this is new information?" She seems unhinged at this point.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Jordan, the most masterful hunter in the history of the show. I also appreciate that he always has an appropriate, fairly measured response to every situation. He seems like a guy who feels MORE normal out in the woods. I hope he wins.

Oh and here's Nikki. Bitten by a squirrel in a move that Helen Keller could have seen coming. Then decides to rub the bleeding wound on the dirty snow. She has to leave, dammit. She has to. She is such a walking disaster. They need to pull her for her own safety because she is too dumb to quit. Thank god Woniya is here to give me some hope for my fellow womankind.

Edited July 26, 2019 by ClareWalks

[walnutqueen]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I’m glad that squirrel got some revenge on Nikki before it died. Poor wolverine. ☹️

Ditto.

Nikki : "What happens when you get rabies?".

Me : "You die.  Fittingly slower and in more agony than that squirrel - which is NOT a rabies vector species, sadly".

[rmontro]

Jordan has to be the favorite to win at this point.  Not only has he killed a moose, and killed a wolverine with a hatchet, he has the skill, and he has lived out in the wild in Russia just because he enjoys the lifestyle.  Since he actually likes surviving off the land, he's unlikely to tap out because he misses his family, plus he has the resources to go the distance.

Barry made a nice looking lure.

9 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

Nikki -  uh.....oh my.  She can't figure out how to quickly kill the squirrel, and, of course, it bites her and she is bleeding again.  I know it's awful, but one can only take so much and I was horrified that I laughed.  Did she ever kill the poor guy?  

After the bite, they switched to a scene of a tree and there was an audible "crunch".  I know this mainly because I watch TV with the captions on.  So I take that to mean she broke its neck somehow, maybe by stepping on it.  Poor Nikki The Unburnt, First of Her Name, Queen of the Arctic, and Mother of Rabbits.

[humbleopinion]

Hope Nikki saved some of the squirrel so it can be tested at a lab for rabies...but she probably cooked and ate it all.

 Still remaining:

Jordan

Barry

Woniya

Nikki

Michelle

 Who is the 6th?

[Whyyouneedaname]

23 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

Hope Nikki saved some of the squirrel so it can be tested at a lab for rabies...but she probably cooked and ate it all.

 Still remaining:

Jordan

Barry

Woniya

Nikki

Michelle

 Who is the 6th?

 I think there is a Nathan, the one on the burnt out place. 

[humbleopinion]

Is the 6th Man more awesome than Jordan? Inconceivable! (say it in your best Princess Bride voice)

Cannot imagine anyone topping Jordan's killing a wolverine with a hatchet...or wait maybe killing a moose with one arrow?.....oh yeah, same dude....

Jordan's adrenaline pumping insanely brave mano a mano  encounter with the vicious wolverine emitting frightening roars and growls..just inches away...too bad it was so far from the night camera....

Maybe next week we will find Nathan just bumping along, Staying alive (sing in your best BeeGee voice) or crushing it...but to not get a mention in last night's episode....suspicious...

[OoogleEyes]

3 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

 I think there is a Nathan, the one on the burnt out place. 

I forgot about him. They haven't shown him much at all, have they? He's either dead or the winner 

[Whyyouneedaname]

If it keeps getting colder & freezing the lakes, the tap outs will have to be by helicopter lol.....seriously tho will that be the way they come get the winner. It looks like in the previews some are walking on a frozen lake, so makes you wonder how a boat would get to them. 

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

 I think there is a Nathan, the one on the burnt out place. 

I thought Jordan was the one in the burnt out area.  Nathan is the guy who didn't bring a ferro rod, which has never come up again after the first episode. 

[pagooey]

Good LORD, Nikki, you are a menace! I too have to confess that I laughed like a loon well into the commercial break. In the teaser, I just assumed it was Nikki bleeding all over the place again, but figured she'd cut herself. Something about that karmic chomp was brutally funny.

Meanwhile, Jordan might still be out there RIGHT NOW. Like, he's cashed the check but chose to stay. It's his to lose, at this point. Though I think Woniya also has a genuine shot--either one of them, barring an unlucky accident, clearly has the skills to thrive.

The isolation is tilting Michelle into kookoopants territory. She's raging but not strategizing beyond that, and bound to make a horrible mistake sooner than later. 

Nice net, Barry!

[Whyyouneedaname]

29 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I thought Jordan was the one in the burnt out area.  Nathan is the guy who didn't bring a ferro rod, which has never come up again after the first episode. 

I didn't realize that about Jordan after this many episodes but I went back & watched, he is in the burnt out area. Nathan is the one that didn't bring the ferro rod, he's also the one that had to cut a tree down to retrieve his arrow on like day 1.

Jordan is my fave, & now to realize he is in the less desirable location I'm really pulling for him. 

[cooksdelight]

5 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Hope Nikki saved some of the squirrel so it can be tested at a lab for rabies...but she probably cooked and ate it all

It’s not a carrier of rabies according to the info that flashed on the screen. However, it can give her ringworm, which is curable but would take her out of the game. Which isn’t a bad thing, I’m afraid she’s going to really injure herself badly if left out there much longer.

[Tanstaafl]

I really enjoyed this episode as it had a good mix of thriving and surviving.

Jordan is badass. I originally wondered how he had pinned the wolverine to the ground - watching it again it was with an arrow from his bow.

Losing the moose fat does however show how quick you could go from a good position to a poor one. If it had been a large bear instead of a wolverine it may have made off with most or all of the meat.

Woniya also seems to be doing well and seems to have the right attitude - keep improving both your food and shelter situation.

I'm also impressed with Barry's lures and his dip net. Before metals and plastics were used most dip nets (especially for fly fishing) were made of wood. It looked really well done and could probably be used for brook trout in a shallow river as well if there are any within distance of his camp.

Nikki, Nikki, Nikki. Get a small length of wood (aka a club). Hit the squirrel, hare, muskrat, etc. in the head. At the very least you knock it out if not outright kill it. Pro tip, it also works great for fish.

I would really like to see some catch have a dozen fish at a time, I can't recall anyone catching more than one in a day.

Time to go and re-watch to see what I missed the first time.

Edited July 26, 2019 by Tanstaafl
How Jordan "pinned" the wolverine to the ground

[Tanstaafl]

2 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

If it keeps getting colder & freezing the lakes, the tap outs will have to be by helicopter lol.....seriously tho will that be the way they come get the winner. It looks like in the previews some are walking on a frozen lake, so makes you wonder how a boat would get to them.

I wondered the same thing last episode. I wish that I knew the exact location of their base camp and the contestants as it makes a huge difference. I know the general area, and might know the specific area as well if they are using a certain fishing lodge as base camp.

I image that they have a helicopter chartered for some of the time, mind you the closest helicopter base is Yellowknife, not that they couldn't keep a helicopter at their base camp or Lutsel K'e - it's just that it may be very expensive (if they were paying full rates).

Freeze up is usually a difficult time to fly, general weather is low ceilings and frequent snow showers and Great Slave Lake produces it's own micro climate with the (relatively) warm water causing a lot of local fog with the cold air. Any tap outs may have to wait for a day or two.

[humbleopinion]

Nathan was advertised as a the triple threat....park ranger, homesteader and carpenter so unless he is living in a split level with hot tub with bear, caribou, fish aplenty, we really do not know how he can match Jordan....why haven't we visited Nathan?...

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Edited July 26, 2019 by humbleopinion

[ClareWalks]

I do wonder if that can contained ALL the moose fat that he'd harvested. He said it was a gallon, and the screen said it contained 35,000 calories, which means it was 10 pounds (a pound of fat has 3,500). I would assume a grown moose would have had more fat than that. All this to say that I don't think Jordan will be suffering from a lack of fat as there is probably plenty marbled through the meat at least. I wondered if it might be better to try and hang it from a tree branch, as it seems that predators might be able to climb a structure to get it (but might not be able to downclimb a rope if it were hanging up).

[Tanstaafl]

8 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I do wonder if that can contained ALL the moose fat that he'd harvested. He said it was a gallon, and the screen said it contained 35,000 calories, which means it was 10 pounds (a pound of fat has 3,500). I would assume a grown moose would have had more fat than that.

I went back and checked and he specifically said that it was the kidney fat. You are right a moose, especially fattened up in the fall, will have a lot of fat marbled in with the muscle, and likely strips of it in other locations.

[ClareWalks]

3 minutes ago, Tanstaafl said:

I went back and checked and he specifically said that it was the kidney fat.

Oh yup, now that you mention it I remember! I wonder if it contained some sort of vitamins that are hard to come by otherwise. I'm just glad he only lost that can of fat, I've been worried the poor guy is gonna get mauled in his shelter by a hungry bear or something.

[OoogleEyes]

I went back and watched the first episode again.

Nathan - no ferro rod. That's some hubris when you're going to be in the Arctic during the Winter.  Unable to make a fire on the first night with his drill set thingamajig. Had a huge moose walk right past his tent in the middle of the night. D'oh!

[Tanstaafl]

Other tidbits;

• Jordan is on the verge of inventing the toothpick. Stay tuned to the next episode.
• Woniya is likely to be surprised at how high a fox can jump if there is a free meal of hare involved.
• Jordan also makes a mighty fine ladder.
• Barry's lure looks like it was manufactured; bright metal flasher, wire core through the flasher with what looks like a eyelet for the line and another one for the treble hook plus some red material and hair streamer. If that was made on the spot and not "found" it's amazing. Just to clarify I see no reason why he couldn't have made it, I'm just trying to say that it's high quality.
• Barry also made a beautiful dip net. Now I want to learn how to tie one, just in case end of the world and all.

It was also nice that we got a listen as to why Jordan and Woniya want to win the money.

[OoogleEyes]

How do you pronounce "Woniya"?

[humbleopinion]

Siri...How do you pronounce W-O-N-I-Y-A...?

[ClareWalks]

23 minutes ago, OoogleEyes said:

How do you pronounce "Woniya"?

I'm guessing wah-NEE-yuh but no clue.

[OoogleEyes]

10 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

Siri...How do you pronounce W-O-N-I-Y-A...?

HA! I would ask Alexa, but she freaks me out enough. I know she is listening to my real life people conversations based on the ads that keep popping up.

[OoogleEyes]

39 minutes ago, Tanstaafl said:

Other tidbits;

• Barry's lure looks like it was manufactured; bright metal flasher, wire core through the flasher with what looks like a eyelet for the line and another one for the treble hook plus some red material and hair streamer. If that was made on the spot and not "found" it's amazing. Just to clarify I see no reason why he couldn't have made it, I'm just trying to say that it's high quality.
• Barry also made a beautiful dip net. Now I want to learn how to tie one, just in case end of the world and all.

I'm rewatching. (Yeah it's Friday and a slow day at work) Barry found some cans in E3 and made the lures out of them 

[MostlyContent]

3 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

why haven't we visited Nathan?...

He caught a fish last week, and managed to make even that boring.  Maybe he isn't filming much?   Or maybe he has a year's supply of fish smoked and they're faking us out.  😂

[humbleopinion]

Thanks.

I remember my eyes rolling to the back of my head during fishing ..must have been Nathan's segment...

[LittleIggy]

Guess I’m the only one not rooting for Jordan. I think his killing of the wolverine was cruel.

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Guess I’m the only one not rooting for Jordan. I think his killing of the wolverine was cruel.

So, he should have let the wolverine continue raiding his food supply? Remember that Jordan is in the burned-out area and food is scarce.

[OoogleEyes]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Guess I’m the only one not rooting for Jordan. I think his killing of the wolverine was cruel.

Yep,  probably, IRT this show. When you look at the area he was dropped into, it's pretty impressive that he has so much food to protect. Killing the wolverine protected his food. 

I guess you're not a fan of the competition show "The Butcher"

Edited July 27, 2019 by OoogleEyes

[Whyyouneedaname]

14 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Siri...How do you pronounce W-O-N-I-Y-A...?

Lol, we all must have thought the same thing, in my mind I call her Winona, as in Judd, only because I've heard that name. & that may not even be the correct spelling 😂 

[HurricaneVal]

He killed a wolverine.  With a hatchet.

And this after he killed a moose with a single arrow.

Just give the prize to him already, for crying out loud.

Since he also sounds a wee bit drunk every time he talks, I wouldn't put it past Jordan to have a still running somewhere behind his shelter.  You know, for disinfection purposes.  Hell, by next week, he will probably have set himself up a little mercantile, advertised by banners flying from his meat tower, trading in moonshine, moose jerky, and wolverine pelts to through hikers...

[Tanstaafl]

17 hours ago, OoogleEyes said:

I'm rewatching. (Yeah it's Friday and a slow day at work) Barry found some cans in E3 and made the lures out of them 

I went back and watched the E3 segment when he found the cans and made his first lure. The cans were definitely rusted but it seems that he "sanded" the rust off by rubbing the metal over a rock. The first lure had only a single hook, while the one on the current episode really looked like a treble hook.

He really does have a good design, his MK II lure also had a central wire through the metal from the can, allowing it to spin/wobble and flash to attract the attention of the fish. The central wire make it easy to connect his hook at one end and his line at the other end. Also his hook was covered by coloured fabric and hair to disguise it. Well done.

38 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

He killed a wolverine.  With a hatchet.

I replayed that scene and it's clear that he had his bow with him and had been able to shoot the wolverine pining it to the ground. Not that it doesn't take a lot of courage to finish it off with just a hatchet. It would have been interesting to see exactly how he was able to kill it but I can respect that it wouldn't have been very pleasant to view. Also with an injured wolverine I'm sure that his priorities were to kill it before it could injure him, rather than trying to film it in the dark.

[Charlesman]

2 minutes ago, Tanstaafl said:

shoot the wolverine pining it to the ground. Not that it doesn't take a lot of courage to finish it off with just a hatchet. It would have been interesting to see exactly how he was able to kill it 

I assume he just walked up to it, grabbed it with one bare hand, then placed his other bare had right in front of the wounded animals mouth so he could pin it in place while he thought about what to do. Right, Nikki?

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

So, he should have let the wolverine continue raiding his food supply? 

Fine by me. 

[Tanstaafl]

Frankly I'm impressed with the skills of some of the participants. Jordan making his storage areas for his meat seem pretty simple, but it was his ladder that really impressed me. Cutting the notches in just right was impressive. I'm not sure if he used any wire or cord to bind them, if not it's extremely well done.

Likewise Barry with the lures and the fishing net. From what I can see it's a fairly simple skill but you still have to know it, and be able to do it in practice.

I do wish that they would start the participants earlier in the season so they would lay in a food supply and to give them time to make things like the lures, nets, snares, that would help their survival.

Of course if they did that then some of the participants could go over 120 - 150 days and it would only be winter that finally put an end to the show

[Tanstaafl]

57 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Since he also sounds a wee bit drunk every time he talks, I wouldn't put it past Jordan to have a still running somewhere behind his shelter.  You know, for disinfection purposes.  Hell, by next week, he will probably have set himself up a little mercantile, advertised by banners flying from his meat tower, trading in moonshine, moose jerky, and wolverine pelts to through hikers...

How about it @cooksdelight, I think that you are the resident expert on moonshine IIRC. Can we get a crossover episode with Jim Tom? I know that Michelle has a good barrel, there's blueberries for mash, guess that we need to find a thump keg yet and some mason jars for the final product.

Jordan can make a really nice moosehide jacket w/ wolverine trim and moccasins. I wonder if he will keep the pelt? He'll probably need to try to tan it and get an export permit but it would make for a great reminder of his season.

[cooksdelight]

LOL, it’s going to be hard to make moonshine without some corn mash and sugar. However, he could get some berries together and ferment them but without added sugar the alcohol content will be low, around 2-6%.

I saw Jim Tom a while back, visiting with someone at the nursing home. He’s as spry as ever!

[Tanstaafl]

9 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

LOL, it’s going to be hard to make moonshine without some corn mash and sugar. However, he could get some berries together and ferment them but without added sugar the alcohol content will be low, around 2-6%.

I saw Jim Tom a while back, visiting with someone at the nursing home. He’s as spry as ever! 

Glad to hear that he's doing well, I always enjoy his segments.

Well the 2 - 6% would be more than they have now, just as long as they keep it away from Nikki, she's uncoordinated enough without being tipsy.

[Quilt Fairy]

It's sad death aside, I would like to point out that this is, IIRC, the third squirrel that contestants have been able to shoot with a bow and arrow this season.  Which would make it the third squirrel that contestants have been able to shoot with a bow and arrow in the history of the show.  So what's up with the squirrels around Great Slave Lake?

I find Jordan a little off-putting because frankly, he talks funny.  I can't put a finger on why he sounds odd to me, and I apologize because it's probably something he can't help.

[Tanstaafl]

32 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

So what's up with the squirrels around Great Slave Lake?

In all honesty I think that we have to put a lot of it down to the skill of the participants. I think at least one was shot out of a tree which is a more difficult shot than when one is on the ground.

And most of the squirrels have never seen a human before and may get into a closer range. If it's not a hawk/owl or a fox they may not been too concerned.

Of course the more internet savvy squirrels may recognize the cameras and just think that the participants want a selfie with some of the northern wildlife.

Edited July 27, 2019 by Tanstaafl
then>than

[humbleopinion]

If you listen Jordan speaks well.

Perhaps his stilted commentary when he filmed was because he hasn't spoken out loud for many days and then only to the crew when they do health status checks on the contestants....

He sounds perfectly normal on this intro...

Edited July 27, 2019 by humbleopinion

[LittleIggy]

On 7/25/2019 at 11:06 PM, MostlyContent said:

Are there enough words to describe Jordan?  Best. contestant. ever.??  Kills a moose and then kills a wolverine with his hatchet.  Ummmmmmm.  Wow.  I felt sorry that he lost his moose fat.  Quite a loss.  He went to Russia at first to build an orphanage?   

I love Woniya.  I do.  Her reminiscing about her life choices and wanting a child just kinda broke my heart.    A fox stole her rabbit, and so she starts figuring out how to fix that problem with a snare that snatches it out of reach for the fox.  As opposed to.........

.....Michelle the horrid.   A fox steals her rabbit, so she wants to beat it to death with her fists.  Screw you, Michelle.  I think she is my least favorite woman of all time.  Nikki may be a clueless klutz, but Michelle can go pound sand.  

If she chopped it to death with a hatchet would that be okay? 🤨

[MostlyContent]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

If she chopped it to death with a hatchet would that be okay?

It wouldn't be okay with me, but I can only speak for myself.  

A fox in the vicinity of camp might be a threat to a food supply, but it wouldn't be a threat to life and limb, as in, it probably couldn't and wouldn't attack man.  If there was an ample food supply (which, admittedly, there isn't on Alone), a fox would be more likely to become a pretty friendly companion of sorts.  

A wolverine, OTOH, is a vicious and nasty tempered kill machine, perfectly capable of killing a man.  He was a threat not only to Jordan's meat supply, but to Jordan himself.  I can't imagine stumbling sleepily out of my shelter at night for a bathroom run with that thing around.  

Just my thoughts.  🙂