All language subtitles for Life.Below.Zero.S02E14.The.Thaw.The.Waiting.Game.720p.NF.WEB-DL

NARRATOR: On this episode
of Life Below Zero,

Alaskans battle to survive
as life returns to the land.

The Hailstones struggle
with a lesson in survival.

TING: Right above us, Idi.

(GRUNTS)

NARRATOR: Changes
in the tundra could sink
Sue's quest for food.

I'm afraid of breaking
the ankle.

NARRATOR: Waking predators
have Erik Salitan on the move.

And in Eagle,
Kate pushes her body
to the breaking point.

Son of a bitch. (GROANS)

SUE: When you live out here
like I do at Kavik all alone,

I can't help
but notice patterns.

The pattern for the caribou,
which is my main food source
when I'm here by myself,

they come up in spring,
they leave in the fall.

This year they're almost
a month late.

Where are they?

NARRATOR:
Isolated in the tundra,

Sue Aikens relies
on caribou meat
for her survival,

but with an unusually
late migration,

Sue is forced to venture out
in search of alternatives.

SUE: I am an opportunist.

We all are when we live out
in the bush.

Whatever you need to do
to survive, that's what
your butt's gonna be doing.

But my butt's not
finding them in here.
Time to go outside.

Just looking.

Walking the runway.

Typically, along the sides
of the runway is a really
good place to find birds.

The willow brush
will grow there,
and that's what they eat.

There he is.

Ptarmigan, they are
kind of low on the avian
intelligence scale.

You know, they're not
the smartest birds
on the planet,

but they sure seem to be smart
about getting away from me.

I could've sworn I hit him.

You don't ever leave
an injured animal anywhere.
I don't care what it is.

You check, you double check,
you triple check,
check it again.

Really?

(GRUNTS)

Ain't this some shit, huh?

Springtime isn't
even fully here,

and I'm already worried
about winter,

so getting these
little hummers
while they're still, uh...

While I'm still able
to hunt them, yeah,
I'll stock up on them.

They're a tasty little snack.

(GRUNTS)

I'm afraid of
breaking the ankle.

As long as it took me
to come through
that deep snow,

he's probably sitting there
in Panama with a straw hat
by now.

Oh, there he is.

See? (LAUGHS)
I can't fucking get it.

Yeah, he's apparently
in pretty good health.

So, 400 million bullets later,

he just chuckled at me
and went back the other way.

So, I got to admit
when the better bird
comes along,

and he's a better bird
than me.

So, it would've been better
if I got something fresh
for the pot,

but I'm just gonna
call it a night.

ERIK: Some people view,
you know,
doing all these things

associated with harvesting
wild animals as a lot of work,

but the subsistence lifestyle
that I live is...

It's the best life on earth.

You get to choose
how you live.

That's kind of the fun part
about life.

MARTHA: Okay.

High.

Close though.

My name is Erik Salitan,
and I'm a registered
guide outfitter.

I've lived in Alaska
for about 12 years.

MARTHA: Nice.

I saw that one
hit in the ice, too.

ERIK: A lot happening
in life this year.
I got married.

I met my wife
while I was guiding
out here in Iliamna,

and I just purchased
a fishing lodge.

Iliamna is also my new wife's
hometown,

so it kills two birds
with one stone.

Get to spend some time
with her family down here,

and also operate
my fishing lodge.

I met Erik
about eight years ago

when he came out here
working for an outfit.

I actually found Erik
rather annoying.

After eight years,
Erik got smarter
and he wised up,

and now we're married.

Looks good.

-I pulled
the first one, but...
-Yeah.

I was on on the second two,
and they're right
where they should be.

Inch high at a hundred, so...

Go put some gear together,
and maybe thinking about
going bear hunting.

NARRATOR: Seasoned hunter
Erik Salitan provides
for himself and his wife

by living off the land
across Alaska.

ERIK: All the meat that
I eat in my household is meat
that I harvested myself.

I don't purchase any beef,
or any chicken,
or any pork at the store.

All the meat that I consume,

and everybody who visits me,
consumes all caribou,
and sheep,

and moose meat, and bear meat,

and it's all home-grown,
organic, free ranging,
hormone free,

top notch protein.

NARRATOR: With one week
before the start
of his guiding season,

Erik must turn his attention
to his next harvest.

ERIK: Really exciting time
of year being out here
in the springtime,

and I'm gonna head out
and do my first bear hunt
of the year here.

I'm gonna go out,
head a little bit
to the Northwest,

and do a hunt
for some grizzly bear.

These interior grizzly bears
are a highly predatory animal.

We're actually in a predator
control zone in Alaska.

That means that the state
of Alaska is trying to reduce

the numbers of brown bear,
grizzly bears,
and black bears.

If you catch a bear that's
been eating berries and roots
and things like that,

that can be a really
good eating animal.

Am I gonna catch a bear?

-Yeah, good luck!
-Thanks.

-Love you, babe.
-Love you, too.

ERIK: Hunting bears this early
in the spring is touch and go,
you know.

It's very weather dependent,
but I need to do
what I need to do

to harvest good food
for the table.

It's all just being
self-motivated,

and getting done
whatever needs to get done.

ANDY: You gotta have
a passion for this life,

and you gotta have
a certain way
of thinking about

how you wanna live to be
successful out here.

If you don't have that,
it's a good experience,
but it won't be your life.

-These plants need
to go outside, Kate.
-Yup.

You know what,
those pots are way too small.

It's time now.

Let's get these out of here.

Eighty percent of the food
that we eat comes
from our garden.

So, it's a really important
part of our livelihood here.

The garden's I think ready
to plant this year,

but we need to get a fence
built around that to keep
the dogs, rabbits,

and other varmints
away from all the plants

that we're gonna grow for
our food this coming winter.

NARRATOR: 400 miles from
the nearest hardware store,

Andy and Kate must gather
supplies to fence in
and protect

an essential food source.

KATE: It's quite
a sizable fence,
and around that garden.

So, it's gonna be
a lot of work.

-My back's sore.
-ANDY: Yeah.

This is pretty redundant,
not much fun, work.

Walking around
in this tangled up crap.

Tripping and stumbling,
and I'm always worried about
a board with a nail in it.

'Cause this is all stuff
left over from the flood.

Living out here is nothing
but hard work.

This life is a very busy life,

and people don't realise
how busy it is.

And it's constant planning,
and constant preparation.

And it's always thinking
a month or two months
ahead of time

of when you need
to do something.

If you don't do that
preplanning,
the payoff isn't there.

We're gonna cut a whole bunch
of poles that are gonna make
the uprights for this.

Every one of those
needs to be sharpened,

so there's quite a bit of
labour involved in doing this.

(KATE GRUNTS)

KATE: I've got a major issue
with my back for the past
few months,

so I have to learn to stop
when it says stop.

Or else I'm down
for a day or two,
and I can't afford that.

Well, I just had to walk away.
It's just been a long day.

And it's been
all bending and lifting.

It's taken its toll
on my poor discs in my back.

I feel I better stop,
otherwise I'll probably lose
a day tomorrow,

and I don't wanna lose
a full day.

I'd rather lose a couple of
hours at the end of the day,

and rest it,
and then continue on tomorrow.

(GROANS)

CHIP: Well, you know,
we're hunters.

So we take these opportunities
when they come.
You just don't know.

It's not predictable,
but what we know is to be here
and when to be here,

'cause these animals
will arrive.

Well, I'm not much of a cook,
but I sure try. (LAUGHS)

A lot of people don't realise
how many calories you burn
by being outside every day,

and not in an office
or in a car.

All of our transportation
is either a boat or on foot.

So, we eat a lot.

(LAUGHS) Which means
we need to hunt a lot.

NARRATOR: Each spring,
the Hailstone family
travels 85 miles

to set up camp in Kiwalik.

They will remain
until the thaw's end.

Stockpiling meat
and other resources for
the cruel winter ahead.

CHIP: Our plan today
is to go downriver,

and, um... It's a very
diverse place.

You know, you got
the trees upriver.

You got the ocean downriver.
We got the mountains
all around us.

So, we have chances
of seeing almost anything
and everything.

We have a possibility
of getting geese,
getting swans,

getting any kind of birds.

You never know
what you'll get,
but we need something fresh.

We're hunters,
and it's time to hunt.

Shh! Kids!
Get down.

(CHIP SPEAKING)

-AGNES: Swans?
-You watch the cooking.

AGNES: Yeah.

Oh, I see them.

Oh, keep still!

CHIP: Walk back, Carol.
Slowly.

(MIMICS SWAN CALL)

Okay. You got one right out
in the open over there.

You see the one
just put his head down?

-Yup, and the two more
just about to land.
-There you go.

I'd call it 200/250 yards.

(MIMICKING SWAN CALL)

AGNES: Oh! Look, two more.

CHIP: You were low.

(CONTINUES SPEAKING)

-Let's go finish breakfast.
-Okay.

It's okay.
Thanks for taking the shot.

Well, keep your eyes open, ah?

Sure would like a swan
for lunch.

-Goose for dinner.
-CHIP: We tried.

We'll just keep on trying.

SUE: I am a product
of my environment,

but it... The environment
is not just the Arctic,

it's everything I've been
through to this point.

If you work well
with your environment,

I think you're gonna
last longer.

Another day goes by.

Still no caribou.

Trying to get the ptarmigans
on the runway.

Yeah, wasn't too successful.

Gotta change it up again.

I'm gonna go take the Argo
and I'm going to switch
to the .410.

It's a shotgun.
There is some wind.

No doubt there is some wind
going on today,

but I'm gonna just keep
plugging away at it.

Hopefully feathers will fly.

Let's get some ptarmigan.

NARRATOR: With still no
caribou in Kavik,

Sue is scrambling
for other sources of food.

And with limited resources,

she can't afford another
unsuccessful hunt.

SUE: The caribou are about
a month overdue.

It'd be like your local
grocery store hanging a sign
saying "on vacation."

How do you get the bread,
milk, and eggs when they're
not coming back?

When the caribou aren't in,
that's a whole big difference
in my diet.

I have 290/300 days
I gotta cover.

And now my main food group
isn't coming in.

(SPEAKING)

There's nowhere to hide.

But I can't resist it.

I'm gonna see if I can't
walk up the road maybe

and get myself
a little ptarmigan.

Man!

I didn't get... Didn't even
come close to those guys.

We're gonna keep focused.

ANDY: I wouldn't
live out here if this
wasn't my dream.

It's not for the faint
of heart.

It's not something for someone
who's kind of half-ass at it.

It's either full bore
or nothing at all out here.

Last one.

I'm glad you did that.

I'd be there all day.

NARRATOR: With a short
growing season,

it's crucial for Andy and Kate
to protect the garden

that will harvest much of
the food they'll need
throughout the year.

But the work has
already taken its toll.

I had to finish a little bit
earlier than I wanted to
yesterday.

Um, I have a problem
with my back,
and it was really sore.

But feeling good.

I would recommend, even though
I've never done this,
I would recommend...

Yeah, don't tell me how to
do it, 'cause that's something
I do know how to do,

but I gotta start
from a corner.

That's what I was gonna say.
Start from a corner.

I know how to do this.

I'm just telling you.
It's like...

Yeah, I know, but I'm gonna
do it the way that
it's supposed to be done.

And I'm gonna go
right around.

You are not going to be
in control of this part.

(LAUGHS) Good.

NARRATOR: With the fence
project well underway,

Andy turns his attention
to another critical task
for their harvest.

Living out here we try
and utilise all the resources
that we have available to us.

When we're clearing land,
whether it be for new
building projects,

gardens, or firebreaks,

I try and utilise those trees
as much as I can.

The trees are chipped up,
and we turn that into compost.

We don't have great soil
right around here.

It's very acidic soil.

So, composting is really
important to us.

Everything that I do out here
has multipurpose.

So, if I have any ability
to plan ahead,

I'm able to get out a lot more
out of the limited resources
that I have here.

There are very specific things
that you have to do during
certain times of the year.

We have four and a half months
to grow a year's worth
of food,

and so time becomes
critical to us.

Son of a bitch.

It's not gonna work.

This is just too wide.

Damn.

Willows aren't long enough
for the spacing.

I had that concern
when we first started
weaving them.

KATE: I made a mistake.

I was thinking the willows
were longer, and they weren't.

So I don't have willows
long enough to support
this wide a spans.

Now I've got to go just undo
everything that I've done.

If you were to take this,
and put this in between
vertically like this.

KATE: Yeah, that'll...

ANDY: And it wouldn't even
have to go in that far.

Because it's gonna
hold itself in there.

I know that.
But I'm just...

I'm just trying to suggest
things to you here, okay?

-I know.
-I know you're frustrated
right now, so...

I'm frustrated,
and I know that part.

I know how to do this,
but I'm just saying
I just screwed up with the...

No, that's not a screw-up.

It's just a modification.
(CHUCKLES) That's all.

So hand me another one there,
and we'll just see how
this works for a minute.

KATE: Andy feels that
my original design
is not good enough.

So, I'll change that.

It's annoying.

I just had a problem,
and I never had a chance to be
able to fix it on my own.

(SOBS)

He takes control
of everything.

I mean, it just pisses me off.

This is easier
than the other way.

Yesterday I was really excited
to get my fence started.

I was only in the first round,
and I realised that the sails
were too far apart.

The mistake was that
the alders are not long enough
to make a tight weave.

Andy decided that we'd put in
the middle uprights
with the alder branches.

You know, I would've liked
to have figured it out

and done it on my own,
which I would've.

It's kind of hard
when someone steps
on your toes like that.

I find it very upsetting.

Just leave me alone,
but I feel better today.

And I'm not gonna
let that get me down.
I'm gonna build my fence.

Grr.

SUE: Mother Nature
is gonna tell me where
I have to get things.

I know what I need.

I know I need to get it
from her.

She's a fickle little thing
that likes to run and hide.

(SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: The absence
of caribou has Sue
chasing ptarmigan

around the tundra for meat.

She must harvest as many as
possible in order to fill her
freezer before winter returns.

SUE: I don't wanna
get too close.
I don't wanna scare them.

With this wind, unless
it's just a couple of feet
in front of me,

it's just gonna take shots
and pellets and fling them
all over.

Got him. Sweet!

I got another one.

Yes!

Awesome.

Well, got a couple.

Go breast them out.

Their skin is very thin.

Just pull on them.
You want to sharpen up
your hunting skills,

because a lot of things
are hunting these guys
right now.

If I can see what
they're eating, I'm gonna know
where to look for them.

Willow buds.

So I got the heart
right there, and his breast.

This is about as fresh
as you're gonna get it.

Nice little meal.

I better keep going.

Here we go.
Another ptarmigan.

That first shot got him.
He didn't go all that far.

That's why I watched
what he was doing,
went over there.

I thought, "Man, no way,
I'm not gonna have him suffer.
I'm gonna make sure."

Pop him one more good time,
and take care
of this business.

Get all the feathers off.
This is meat.

Then again, I'm awfully
darn grateful for these
little guys. Thank you, buddy.

But what I don't use,
I simply bring over there,

and there's gonna be foxes
that are out here.

All kinds of animals
will use that.

So again, heart and breast.

Yum, yum, yum.

Colonel Sue-nders.

Mmm!

But there's nothing like
nice fresh meat.

So, thank you, little birdies.

CHIP: To us this is
being our own bosses.

This is having healthy food
with no GMOs, no sugars.

We're not paying somebody
for it.

We're doing the work ourselves
from start to end.

And I wanna teach that
to my kids.

(TALKING INDISTINCTLY)

Right over here, sweetie pies.

This is the place
that I like to set up.

NARRATOR: The Hailstones
have settled into their
spring hunting grounds,

and today Chip is giving
all five of his daughters

a lesson in harvesting
waterfowl.

This is bird season for us
right now.

We're trying to nail
quite a few birds if we can.

It's a fresh food
of the season.

The birds are just migrating
in by the bazillions.

And we haven't had birds here
since the beginning
of September last year.

What we need to do now
is make a screen.

You older girls
have done it before.

You younger girls are gonna
have to watch,
and participate,

you're gonna have to see
what it is we do.

Just basically wanna make
a wall that you can
hide behind,

so that when these birds
are flying by here

they'll just see the wall
and then you can
stand up, and bam!

You won't have the wall
in your way.

So we're not gonna make it
too tall, okay?

Ooh. Hey, puppy.

CHIP: The blind is important
to keep the kids hidden.

Birds can see very well
and they can see colour,

so they need to be
hidden very well.

(IDI SPEAKING)

CHIP: It's also necessary
that they see the correct
blinds being made.

I don't want them to learn
the wrong way.

(TING SPEAKING)

CHIP: Ting and Idi
are experienced.

And the younger ones
need to see it
and they need to interact.

Well, I want the younger ones
to see what the older ones
are doing and to mimic them.

I want them to learn.

This is all
a learning experience,
but it's also adventure.

Ting, you're in charge.

Everybody listen to Ting
or get out of the hide, okay?

Remember, safety first.

Watch your ammo,
listen to your sister.

Anybody that's
in their 20s

and has survived this long
in the country has got brains.

-All right, I love you.
I gotta go get firewood.
-Okay.

-Love you.
-GIRLS: Love you, Dad.

TING: Okay, now,
all we're gonna do is sit here

and wait for anything
but fish ducks, tulugoks,
and seagulls.

And then we'll shoot
anything else.

And you girls could
shoot them with the .22
if we wound them, okay?

But until then, we girls need
to be quiet and sit still.

It's the waiting...
The waiting game.

Figure something out to do
quietly while we sit here
and wait.

Oh!

I could see
where all the birds
are going to land.

(SPEAKING)

(MIMICKING GOOSE CALL)

Real high, yeah.

The wind is picking up
and they're flying
sort of far,

so I didn't really get
a good shot and I missed.

(LAUGHS)

TING: Look, Idi, there's
more right here.

See, you girls, the birds
are flying. Be quiet.

IDI: Okay,
I got a little shot.
Get a little bit more.

Idi! Idi! Idi!
Right above us. Idi!

(MIMICKING GOOSE CALL)

(GUN FIRES)

(GUN CLICKS)

Oh, what the fuck?

They're too far now.

-(IDI SPEAKING)
-TING: No, I didn't.

Because I didn't even
(CHUCKLES) cock it back.

-(CLICKS)
-There we go.

I was going to shoot.

(SPEAKING)

ERIK: It's a really
beautiful place to live,

and I really enjoy
what I do for a living,
and it's a great life.

It's pretty wholesome.
It's what I choose.

NARRATOR: With limited
hunting time before
his guiding season begins,

Erik heads north
on a solo bear hunt.

ERIK: Grizzly bear densities
aren't nearly as high as
coastal brown bear densities.

Certain parts
of the Alaska peninsula,

brown bear densities
are as high as one bear
per square mile.

Now the grizzly bear density
is higher in this area than
it is in the Brooks Range.

So it's not a walk
in the park.

Here in Alaska
they have the same day
airborne law.

So I can't hunt till tomorrow.

Got my camp all set up
in the wind.

It's gonna be
an early morning.

It gets shooting light
about 5:15/5:30.

I'm just gonna crash out
and grab a little
shut eye here,

and hopefully there will be
lots of fun and adventure
tomorrow.

Short night.
Not a whole lot of sleep.

Have a little coffee,
and get out there,
and see what I can find.

I originally got into guiding
'cause I loved to hunt.

Unfortunately as the years
went on I did
less and less hunting

'cause I was always working,
but I'm out here by myself.

I don't have to worry
about anybody.

I'm not responsible
for anybody.

Just doing my own thing.

This is freaking awesome.

Got a set of bear tracks
coming down the hill here.

So these bears we're hunting
here are interior grizzlies.

They're the smaller of the two
subspecies of bears in Alaska,

and these interior
grizzly bears,

they're a more ferocious
mountain variety.

They're very predatory.
They hunt moose, and caribou,
and stuff like that.

They're kind of just like
a black bear on steroids.

Time to make a shot,
stakes are high.

When you're hunting
grizzly bears,

it's a good rule of thumb
to take your time,

get a good first shot.

And then after that
it's the ethical thing to do,

and the good insurance policy,
to just keep shooting until
you get him to stay still.

Otherwise it's real easy
for him to get away from you.

I see some blood
in the snow down there.

I'm reloaded,
and I'm gonna ease my way
down there

and see if I can't either
find a dead bear,
or finish it off.

Really beautiful animal.

Male, nice interior grizzly.

The wind this morning
was extremely advantageous.

The bear's number one
defence mechanism
towards predators,

which is only man,
is this nose right here.

He's got a heck
of a nose on him,

and they can smell you
at several miles.

That wind blowing
right in my face
as I approached the bear,

he didn't have a chance
to smell me.

So I was able to sneak
into that 150 yard mark,

and make a nice shot on him
in the chest.

Although I guide many,
many brown bear hunters

and grizzly bear hunters
every year,

I rarely get the opportunity
to come out on my own.

To get out here and to get
to harvest a bear
is a neat thing.

And it's always great
to get out here,

and it's just... The whole
world is reawakening
after a long winter.

SUE: One of the challenges
out here, you never know
what to expect.

(CHUCKLES)
Expect the unexpected.

You have to play
with the cards
you're dealt with.

You don't get dealt
off the bottom of the deck.

There's about a million ways
that you can prepare
ptarmigan.

Basically, I cleaned them out
in the field pretty good.

You're just gonna try and get

as much of that meat
as close to the bone
as you can get it.

What I'm doing now,
I'm just feeling
for little pellets.

Making sure
they're out of there.

It is a dark meat.

It is a rich meat.

It has a tendency to be
maybe a little bit tough.

So I try to do things
to lessen that toughness.

I mean, this was
a nice little hunt.

You know,
I got a few of them.

It was fun. They're tasty.

A caribou is gonna give me
over a hundred pounds of meat.

This is gonna give me
a couple of ounces of meat.

So by no stretch
of the imagination

am I done ptarmigan hunting
for the year.

Will it take a lot more
dedication to fill my freezer
with it?

Yup.

And I've got about,
oh, I don't know,
three weeks left of the season

before they shut it down
so that the little birdies
can do their wild thing,

have their babies,
and teach them how to fly.

And then it'll open up again
in late fall.

But I intend on putting
a smack down on them
while I have the opportunity.

Little bit more
labour intensive

as far as the amount
of repetitious time I have
to do what I do.

But I'm thankful
for every animal,

every bit of food that I get
that helps sustain myself.

Like I say, 290 to 300 days
is what I go through
by myself.

I've got four little meals
that I can freeze
plus one to eat now.

Take these bad boys off,
let them cool down...

And there you go.

Awesome!

Yeah, the other day I missed
a whole lot of shots.

Had a lot of fun, didn't put
anything in the freezer.

But anytime that I can do this

and help take care of myself,
I feel good about that.

I got a long ways to go,

but every little step
is a baby step
the right direction.

CHIP: It's a good feeling
to provide for my family

and it's a good feeling
to show my family how to
provide for themselves.

And that's really my goal.

Not just tell them about it
or let them read about it,

I want them
to participate in it.

(MIMICKING GOOSE CALL)

Call them, call them.

When we got here earlier
it was real sunny.

It was the beginning
of the day, like the middle
of the day.

And now it's cooled off a lot.

It's getting cloudy.

Still, just the waiting game.

(BOAT APPROACHING)

(SPEAKING)

-Here comes dad.
-CHIP: Hello!

What you up to, girls?
How's your day going?

-Good!
-You girls see much birds?

TING: Not really, no.
IDI: Not really.

Well, I've been downriver
and there's quite a few birds
down this way.

When I was getting wood
I saw lots.

So we'd probably have
better luck this way if you
girls wanna give it a try.

Mary, you take charge
of these girls.

Take them back to camp
and secure them
in your sister's tent.

You two older girls follow me.

You're gonna need a .22
and you'll need your 12 gauge.

TING: Okay.
IDI: Okay.

(TALKING INDISTINCTLY)

CHIP: I'd take you
younger ones,
but too much for the party.

TING: Love you, girls.

We'll be back.

GIRLS: Bye!

Well, you know when you hunt,
you hunt for a living.

If the animals aren't doing
what you want, where you want,

you gotta go to where
they are and do it their way.

That's just part of it all.

This is a good experience
for my kids, I think.

I like raising them this way.

If you don't try
you won't succeed.

We may fail, but at least
we'll have tried.

But it takes...
It takes a goose
to make a goose dinner.

So we're gonna try
and get a goose.

I see geese already.

TING: Should I load
my shotgun?

We'll get a little closer
and I'll let you out.

I'll stay with the boat
and watch it.

And you girls
just go be natural.

Be careful.

TING: So these geese
are closer, you try
to walk wide so they...

If you happen to scare them
towards me, okay?

-(TIN SPEAKING)
-(MIMICKING GOOSE CALL)

Ooh! Check it out.

Check that out. I got it.

All right,
we might have got it.

I got it!

I shot a goose, and now
we just have to wait for it
to just go down.

There's no way for us
to go get it.

Uh, you wanna go back
to the boat,
and go get the float...

-Yeah.
-...while I watch it?

Well, we sat in the blind
all day, and that was
for how many hours,

and coming out here,
now I got my first goose
of the year.

Good feeling.

It's a good feeling to get
my first goose of the year.

-Got a goose!
-CHIP: She got a goose?

Okay. Then I want you
up front, and then you can
hold my motor up a little bit.

All right, sounds good.

CHIP: Okay, bun. You're gonna
have to grab it as I pass it,

'cause I'm not gonna
slow this thing down.

Shake it.

Ah, don't pluck it yet.

(WHISTLES) Sweet!

Excellent, bun!
I'm so glad!

We're gonna have
goose tonight!

I'm glad you sent your sister
to come get me.

If you're lazy after you kill
something, it's no good.

Yeah.

Come on in, pie.

(LAUGHS) I caught a goose.

Check it out, Carol.
I caught my first goose
of the year.

CHIP: Well, it's been
a really long day,

but I'm so happy with them
right now.

And I'm gonna go
hear the stories a few times

while she tells it
to everybody else.

So, that's also
one of the better parts
of a good hunt,

is being able to tell
the story afterward.

No bragging.

Bragging is entirely wrong,

but now, honestly,
I can send her off to go
goose hunt that way

while I go goose hunt
that way. (LAUGHS)

And when you're doing that
kind of stuff, somebody is
gonna be productive.

And we're all gonna benefit.

So, I see it's like
another step in her life

that she's really
taken up to really well.

KATE: One skill that
you really need
is thinking ahead.

When you get up
in the morning,

you know exactly
what you gotta do first,
second, third, fourth,

right up to one thousandth.

And there's that many
little things that you always
gotta be mindful of.

-Hey, pupper.
-ANDY: That was made
for you, Shilling.

We got a barrier now.

Hey, this looks pretty good.

-You like it?
-Yeah.

Come here, Shilling.
You wanna go
through this fence?

-KATE: No.
-He says,
"I can't get through that.

"I can't get through that."

(LAUGHS) I think that'll work
really good.

Looks like it'll let
the light in, and it'll keep
the dogs out.

I'm tired.

Yeah, you did a good job
on that.

Thank you.

ANDY: Kate did a great job
on this.

You know, I'm real proud
of her for sticking
to the job.

It's a big job, and we talked
about it for a long time,

and it's kind of nice
to finally see it happen.

And just cost us
time and labour,

and, you know, that's part
of living out here is adapting
to whatever happens.

It's frustrating at times,

but if you're afraid of that
then you don't belong
out here.

-Well...
-There's my boy.

I've got a little surprise
for you.

-You do?
-Yeah.

Oh, okay. I like surprises.

-Down by the river.
-Okay.

Something relaxing.

I'm tired.
I don't wanna go do
any more work.

(LAUGHS)

Pina coladas made out
of Yukon River ice, and, uh...

This year the ice
went away pretty quick.

Uh... Not much left,

and so time is short for
making Yuko-ladas. (LAUGHS)

That'll make a fire.

The Olympic torch.

ANDY: Here we go.

-All right. I'm ready.
-To an easy break-up.

KATE: Yee-haw!

ANDY: The gasoline evaporated.

Yuko-ladas!

Yuko-ladas!

-ANDY: Are you happy
with your fence?
-Yeah.

I finally got a wattle fence.

And I think you did
a good job.
Turned out good.

My next one will be better.

(LAUGHS) I don't know
how many more of those
I wanna build.

Good job.

Thank you.

You know, we're not
getting any younger,
it's kind of sad,

but, you know,
now we're doing the heaviest
of the heaviest of work

when we're getting older.

I don't think either one of us
are ready to roll over
and say, "Never mind."

That's never gonna happen.

This is a dream...

This is our dream,

and it's gonna happen,

or we'll die trying.

Well, Andy.

Here's to our new garden,
and hope it brings
plentiful bounty.

(LAUGHS)

(BOTH EXCLAIMING)