Life Below Zero

I'm wondering if they're still taping new episodes or is everything a rerun?
What say, Chip???
I saw an episode that showed Sue naked from the backside. That was sobering........

you best not go hunting up there by yourself, ever. she'll eat you up

Ya she's probably out killing some poor wolverine that Is about to eat her In her sleep. LOL



I still haven't seen one client land and refuel their plane. And not one hunter have I seen hunting out from that camp. The whole thing Is a farce.
I heard they were going to axe her but she was going to sue over that snow machine incident. So they kept her on.

I do understand why Sue lives up there all by her lonesome. I'd hate to try to get along with her. My wife likes listening to her. I mute her every time she starts talking.

Mute Who? Sue or the Wife?

Yep.

Just seen Andy Bassich at a meeting yesterday in the village here (Tanana)and he said it's still a going concern and doing well as to ratings. Jesse Holmes was through here just recently and said the same. Our show, Yukon Men may be over but they rarely let us know much even when it was on regularly. Best to everyone - getting dogs ready for trapping this winter. Looking forward to it. Stan

Hey Stan I was reading some book where they were giving you kudos on how you improved the design of the fish wheels used In Alaska.

May be talking about something by Alaskan author Dan O'Neill. If interested in reading about Alaska Fish politics and some salmon science the short story is on my website at rapidsresearch.com

Question to those of you who watch that show. I have seen short segments of it over the years. There is a fellow Chandlar, I think is his name. I'd always assumed he lived off the grid and just managed to get by, he never seems to hunt heavily, and I've not seen or heard him mention any serious trapline or trapping. So why is he out there?

The clip I recently saw he was waiting for his wife and daughters to come visit, soooo he has a home elsewhere and a nice family to support? Yet he comes off as living like a hermit? I'm confused, nothing new I assure you but can someone enlighten me about this guy?

Osky

I believe his family owns a funeral home n Fairbanks.

I just read your paper Stan. Excellent expose. Keep it up.

- Hahahahha! Classic...I'm with you!

I fast forward through her segment.
I can't bear to listen to it, much less watch.

Stan, I just read your post, and I just spent probably the best thirty minutes on a wildlife issue that I have spent in years. Thank you very much. Excellent work. You are a hero. In 2005 a friend and I had Max Schwab guide us north of Talkeetna for kings. On that trip I caught what was believed to be one of the biggest king salmon in decades. The large size (74 pounds) and the story of how I brought it to hand (I just about died going through lots of whitewater, mostly under water, for a long distance) got my picture in Field & Stream Magazine the following year. After that 2005 trip, we talked about going back, but the reports were that the incredible fish run we had seen in 2005 was already a thing of the past. And by 2010, our Alaskan friends encouraged us to come for moose or bear, or coho, but forget the king salmon. What a story. Keep up the good fight.
PA

Thanks . Nothing has changed. Last summer we collected size and sex data on over 600 randomly selected subsistence caught chinook and only 3 were 30 lbs. or just a little over. Guess we are off topic unless you consider Andy Bassich from Life Below Zero is like me actively involved in trying to do something about Yukon King salmon decline. Stan

I belive he only lives there fall and winter mostly.

Stan'
Many of us really liked your show one of the best on TV IMO. Good luck on the line this fall/winter.

I saw on the show that he has a cabin very near Fairbanks.
Wonder what his girlfriend and kids do while he's out mess'n around. Gotta be tough on them.

Andy was being such a butt head he drove his girl friend away.

Yep, were still making images for the masses.....

Gonna finish up our rounds here and leave the two oldest and the youngest home with a ton of sewing to do, and get with making more fur on the Seward peninsula, where we move to at the end of each January, as the suns up enough to have a day of it and the ice is thick enough to be on lakes, rivers and the Ocean.

Thanks for the positive and future plans ,hope and pray you have a good catch. smith

I really enjoy watching your portion of the show. You keep family involved in everything.
Good job.

Chip , I really enjoy your segment of the show .

Thanks, guys.

Doing this now for 6 years, its fairly easy, as its just us being ourselfs, with added editing , overtalking, music and commercials..........LOL!

It's actually easier now that I am not screwing around with Black Powder Substitutes or even being a felon anymore, I can be my normal 'Hunter' self.

The wife has it easier as well, not having to pull triggers to make our world work, 'cept in the Ocean on Seals and such, but she loves that kind of hunting.

One girl in collage and one headed there next Fall, the one thing the show did for us was to afford those things I never thought I would, now that I dont have lawyers bills sucking the $$ outta my pockets.Since everything in our lives previous to LBZ is flat out owned by us,'Cash and carry' or make it yerself, we have very little overhead outside of motor parts, gas, and in the village, utillitys, and were allready self supported, so we just bank it for some other day.
Our 16 year old Carol is gonna join us, shes hooked on getting out, camping traveling, hunting here and there and catching something,no matter the temps........ She's good for me to take along, since the sons have been outta the house for so many years, and the 5 years I couldnt use/teach riflemanship to her or the other kids.

I wish I could post more about our doings, but I have to restrain to just off production stuff, but theres plenty of that. I dont mind questions about what you see, though.

Stan Z, You and I have mutual 'production' friends I think....Fox, Carper, maybe Grieber......the few eps Ive seen of Yukon men were those fellas on laptops in tents, when the weather was 'N-tents' LOL!
I do like your Youtube biographys, very interesting, for sure.

Your part on Life Below Zero is the best part but your posts on the Alaska forum before TV were off the chart. Very interesting. Not just your show but several shows seems the production guys want to show people missing alot while hunting. I know better.

Chip- I was watching an episode one day and had to run some errands. It was the episode where your family set up a windbreak around a tent when you were getting set to hunt caribou. Whole bunch of wolf tracks on the skidoo trail Did you catch up to some of those wolves?

Goatman,
Ive always loved to write, as much as I love to read . Im glad you liked the writeups, although the show has sorta restricted me on such, I lurk and comment, here and on other forums.... although Im free to write about what happens off camera, and I still post a little about such.

Ryan,
We likely didnt get the particular Wolves that made those particular tracks, but we get a good score the next morning.............although we didnt get them on camera, so the 2 we got ''Didnt happen" LOL!! but a camera man cant always be there, either.

I had a ''pizz post' I sunk into the ice, in a wide spot in the river with a nice cliff to back side it. Sooted and muddied up the post to blacken it , placed my dog 'Monster' s crap and yellow snow around and set 3 legholds.
I went to check it the next morning, though still sorta dark and stopping above the set I had one in irons and 3 more running away, but some tracking and 20 minutes later I had 1 more.
I popped the one in the trap with my .22, as a Wolf dead in the trap is worth more than 3 running away.....and there was no way I could let him stay trapped and flipping out for another hour or so, while I go get a cameraman to make me look good.

Theres no way to leave fleeing Wolves to get a camera guy......LOL!!

The trails we make from the coast to the trees are often used by Wolves, as the snowgo tracks harden.

That’s cool stuff chip. I love that feeling of discovering fresh tracks on a day old trail.

Caribou - We do have those mutual friends. Some of those guys I filmed with I consider lifelong friends now. Grieber for instance was my main cameraman for almost 2 years. Back then they lived in the village full time. He was the first of a few I coined "world class camera/outdoorsmen". People sometimes think these guys slow us down but most of the time we just traveled together , usually just two of us, running the trapline etc. and made better time cause we would help each other. While the show may have been corny to seasoned outdoorsmen I had a great time traveling with great guys after a life of mostly trapping and hunting by myself.

All the fires around here a few years ago or the warm winters or something has us doing more marten for less effort than the last 45 years of trapping. The marten crashed all over here just prior to the fires so nice to see this.

Stan,

There is a fair amount of research in the literature indicating that after fires, the vole populations (and berries) come back in quickly. Arguably this supports higher marten populations. It can be problematic to some degree for acreages of high intensity burns such as you guys had in 2015, but even so, the edges are generally real productive in that regard, as are the mosaic patterns of more lightly burned areas.

My experience has been that yes, marten populations come back quickly, but I get worn out cutting my way through the burns!

Pete

Indeed. Stan Z, there are a few that would deserve 'world class' and just plain good people, good coworkers, good company.

You hit on exactly why I ask for Griber, when I can, as his skills can get a fellow close up and personal and hes not in the way. In my experience, alot of the guys were sent are literally "in the way" until trained .....LOL!! and we weeded through those that could and those that want to be out there, making work into play, and things roll along naturally.

This Fall I took him duck hunting by kayak, like I could never do with'' the caravan'' as we call 'em, when they film in force. Our main DOP is Danny D, and he's a mountain/Xgames/winter man that makes hunting with someone a joy.
He'll be back in AK, Im sure, hes the type that just drops in.

Nice Pile of Fur there!! We have very few Marten around, I usually get them incidentally, as I dont target them specifically.
Its good to see that your as normal as portrayed ........and as I feel...LOL!

Regards!
Chip

That looks good Stan ! Lots of miles there

Anybody know how Andy is doing. Heard rumours he had a run in which the law?

Andy had a run in with a massive infection in his leg.He was recovering and on crutches then
I met him last July in Anch as we passed through for home, after a long trip from Juneau from a visit with my younger brother, and then Barrow for the doings there.
First 'Vacation" the wife and I ever had. She attended the ICC there, I was just a dragalong........
Had dinner with him and his GF, the wife and several NatGeo.BBC folks, but didnt get to talk with him much, he struck me as pretty Cool.

I'm still watching yer vids Muskrat, and so does my neighbor Dave.

Nice pile of fur Stan

Very nice pile of fur!!! Outstanding

Scott

I have to say, I've watched the show since it came out and its a true HONOR to actually meet any of you guys that live out there! Wish ya'll all GOOD LUCK!

I’m quite jealous. That would be a dream come true for me.

Thanks Stan

Caribou say hey: to neighbor Dave for me.
Have not posted much this year. Been a weird year not much fur in my country and snowmobiles keep breaking down.
Set a new part of my line yesterday hopefully stuff starts picking up for the closing runs of the season.

Indeed, Muskrat, we all have seasons like that, I do believe. Ill be tuning in this August when we return here again, though we do comearound often ~~LOL~~


When you cant catch fur, catch fish


Well, this has been one of the better threads I must say, and I hope to contribute more when we get back now and then, as were Gone Shootin' tomarrow, moving to the home of the Western Arctic Caribou herd, now that we have enough light to see/hunt with.

Good luck folks!!!

Chip

Good luck with the caribou and wolves chip.

My luck runs like a 3 legged dog.......

A funny thing happened on the way to 'work' today.

We left a breezy home, and drove to this, although 20-25 was predicted, we hit a steady 55mph with gusts.....-6 with no wind......

its not a hill, its a solid wall of blowing snow. So we went 1 more mile, and couldnt see 20 feet.

Although we know this place like most do their town, we know when to turn back, and we couldn't see our tracks, they blew away as we made them, so we used the last light of our brief day to find the rivers Emonocrov channel mouth, my wife owns these lands, and dropped our sleds at the river mouth, tied to willows to stay put.........and went home.



There's tomorrow.

Theres a smile under that neck warmer, yours truely to boot.....

After 30 years of this, nothing bugs me much, and just pitching a tent in this is crazy.

Good luck Chip and stay safe .

Safe travels Chip

Thanks for sharing some extra pics Chip.
It's great to connect with you here. I love to watch your family on LBZ. Incredible adventures you and wife have with your entire family. As a father of daughters I appreciate that you spend so much time teaching them and having them involved with everything you're doing.

Andrew

Chip, you and Agnes and the kids are my absolute favorites on LBZ. I finally got all caught up to the new episodes for this season! I also just saw that there are 4 seasons on Netflix. I'm looking forward to the new episodes. I love the family dynamic. Tell Agnes I said hey

I love watching you and the family on the show!

Tell me fellow trappers. How many of your are afraid of a wolverine coming to your camp and attacking you or even a lone wolf for that matter? Thought so. What is with Sue and her predator phobia. I can see the griz and polar bears be of concern. Wonder if soon those red fox may gang up on her.

LOL !!!!! Not at all concerned ! A bear ? sure. Always alert for that before freeze up

She survived a bear attack so I’d imagine that’s where her paranoia comes from. Cool footage of her shooting the 140 pound wolverine. Not how I do it but she got the gulo.

140 pound wolverine ??????????????

My thought too, as soon as I read that !

Im sure our Gulo would love to see that one ...

her words. Not mine. Season 8 episode 1. I don’t use LOL in comments but I should’ve LOL-ed for clarification on the 140 pounder.

I always watched Yokon Men Stan, And now I watch Life Below Zero Caribou. Both good shows in my opinion. Quite jealous to see what you guys both can do up there for trapping. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your life and all the trapping/life experiences there.

I wonder how long Andy's new girl friend will hang around.

I have been binge watching since I found out on here that it's on Netflix.

If the wolverine weighs 140 lbs, ol' Sue probably tips the scales at roughly 750 to 800 pounds....!

I'm sure that she meant " (1) 40 pound wolverine".


It's a begger saying brackets, especially with frozen lips.

The shadow of her backside weighs 100 pounds............

Maybe.....but even a 40 pound wolverine would raise eyebrows

Now folks you take your B Nice pills .

the Biggest wolverine you’ll find will be the ones following polar bears. Oversized from cleaning up seal kills and dead whales.

I will share a good conversation I had this morning.
Took in a nice male wolverine for sealing. The battle-scarred one I posted last week. The local furbearer bio and I were chatting, and a desk gal pops into the sealing room. Wants to see the wolverine, as she has never actually seen one, in person. She is very impressed with the coloration, and asks good questions, which I answer. She then wants to see the claws.
I show her a taxidermy-prepared paw, and push out the claws, on all their glory.
She says, "wow! I thought they would be bigger!".
The bio and I exchanged a knowing glance, and I said, to the bio, "Probably would have made 50 pounds, if he got a bite out of me".
He chuckled, and she left.

Just one more young lady to whom size obviously matters.....! Did you get her number?

No. If she thought those razors were small, I figured I would save myself the humility!

Beav:

I wonder the same thing. She gets put to work like a slave.

I have not seen a new girlfriend on the show nor can I find anything about it on the internet. (Google)

EDIT: Ooops found it.

Saw Andy teaching her how to fish with a net last night. He's working her like a rented mule....!

How does she get her meals? She misses everything she shoots at, never seen her catch a fish. Last night she took a standing shot at a wolf on the move.

Yeah that was ridiculous. Standing ,offhand, saying 'what a long tough shot it was'. Well, then lean up and brace against the frappin' argo! And if the shot was that far and hard, then she shouldn't have pulled the trigger.

And I caught the 140 pound wolverine line a few weeks ago too. C'mon. I'm no expert, but I'm not stupid either. She just sounds dumb. No need to make up BS.

I need to go look for new episodes. I'd seen the old ones so many times I had them memorized.
Would love to get up there for the sockeye run, but probly won't spend the 3-4 thousand dollars to do it.