Alone (2015–…): Season 9, Episode 4 - The Beaver - full transcript

- We're gonna try to make a
streamer using green hair.

Eh.

- The last shelter task
is to dig the fire pit.

This is officially home.

- I'm doing the log cabin
because it's sturdy.

I'm just expecting that

everything is gonna
take ten times longer.

- Hoping I can dry
it out just enough.

Well, it's getting to the point

where it's almost not
bright out anymore.

- These beavers
are super active.



It's just a matter of time
before we cross paths.

I think I see one.

Oh, and hit it.

Where would it go?

That's freakin' nuts.

- I can't wait to have this
place try and break me.

Narrator: For the
first time on "Alone,"

ten participants
fight to survive

in the hunting ground of the
world's largest land predator.

- Oh, my God, where'd he go?

Those are bear.

- I heard a big animal.

- Hey, bear.
- Oh, no.

- Sometimes you eat the bear...



sometimes the bear eats you.

Narrator: Battling
merciless conditions...

- This is some
hardcore bushwhacking.

- Why does it have to be
such a struggle every night?

- I hit it, I hit it, I hit it.

- I feel more alive
every day I'm out here.

- Here comes the rain again.

- Labrador, you're
not gonna make it

easy for us, are you?

Narrator: In
complete isolation.

- The most dangerous
thing out here is myself.

- Look at that!

- The cold ground
is just pulling

all the warmth from me.

- How many days can this go on?

- Very, very hungry.

- I feel like I'm
hitting a wall.

Narrator: Last
one standing wins.

- Only gonna get harder the
longer you stay out here.

- We're up at blue light.

I shot that Beaver yesterday.

We gotta go recover it.

This could be a big boost
in my long-term stay here.

If he was hit hard
like I thought he was,

he should be expired now.

The only problem is if he made
it out of there to his den,

then we're gonna
have a hard time.

All right, let's
go get that beaver.

I shot him just over
this patch of Alder.

Last I saw him go into
on the other side was...

somewhere just off
of this pine tree.

Hopefully, he just was
trying to get to cover

before he passed away.

That beaver should be dead,
but still gotta be aware.

I gotta be ready
for another shot.

So somebody was working
along this edge.

Oh.

Holy crap, there he is.

Nice!

Look at that!

Oh yeah, total redemption

for some kinda screwy
shooting yesterday.

Let's get him out of there.

Dude, he's huge.

Oh, my gosh, look at that.

Huh?

Ohh.

First beaver with
the bow in Labrador,

and I'm not gonna need another
one for a little while.

Sweet.

Let's skin him out.

Man, he had me worried.

Oh, the land has
been very good to me.

Yoo!

Beaver is one of the greatest
survival foods you can get

in this woods, and
I'm so grateful

that they're in my area.

It's going into winter,
and this thing's got loads

of delicious fatty meat.

Huge tail.

It's a monster.

Wow, that thing is heavy.

We're gonna gut the beaver here,

'cause I don't want that
scent down by my camp.

There's definitely a bear
living around my site

because I'm seeing
the grass matted down

in specific directions,

so it can be a real problem
if you're not careful.

So, gland, sex organs out.

Could be some stinky meat
if you get that on anything.

Ooh.

This is massive for our
long-term stay here.

But if it doesn't get colder,
this meat will start to rot

and make you sick, and the
fat will go bad, as well.

Get the rest of
this out of there.

I really only have a few days
to break this animal down

and start processing
and drying it.

Kidneys.

Liver.

And the rest of the guts.

Okay, all cleaned up.

I gotta build a smoker now.

There's no way I'm
using all this meat.

I wanna ration this
out for a rainy day.

In fact, I might,
until I get the smoker,

since it's all cooled out,
I'm gonna leave the skin on

just to actually protect that
meat a little bit better.

That'll be some good
survival fat right there.

Man, that meat is outstanding.

Yoo!

Ohh.

I can tummy sleep on this...

have my hands dangle down.

I notice I am getting thinner.

I'm not eating nearly
as much as I need to

to maintain my energy levels,

so snaring and foraging
are gonna be higher

on the priority list now.

I can feel my ribs again.

All around, like,
every 5 feet or less,

there's a different hole.

Labrador is basically
a squirrel palace.

We're hunting small game today.

When I packed my
bags for the show,

I knew that it
was an opportunity

to display all the
things that I've learned

in these 31 years of living.

Do I have a plan? Nope.

But am I gonna improvise
and adapt every moment

I notice some opportunity
to make it better?

Yeah, hell yeah,
I'm gonna do that.

I was walking about, and
I saw a lot of these,

and it looks like they
were chewed over here from

high up on a tree and were
fallen down on the ground.

And when I was looking at
all of these on the ground,

some of their... some of
these were pulled into a hole.

So that tells me that
these might be something

that the squirrels
might be eating,

and I'll make these
into spring pole snares.

The squirrel will
try to grab it,

and then the spring
pole will snatch 'em up.

So that's pretty cool.

Just a little notch over here.

The trigger stick's gonna
be like an inverse... seven.

And then the stake's gonna

be into the ground all
the way up to here.

So once they take the bait,

the whole thing
should launch upwards.

That's the theory.

Gotta be gentle with this one.

Man, I'm not sure if I have
enough hands for all this.

Cravings are pretty
harsh right now.

Lock up nicely.

Learning how to live
with the cravings...

It's gonna be my big challenge.

Place the snare.

Kind of like playing
that game of Operation.

I don't know how long

I'm gonna be without
food out here.

You'll be able to push

until, structurally, you cannot.

Once I get meat, that
will provide just belief

that things will turn out okay.

One down.

For the love of all things holy,

please work.

- Shoot, that looks
like a smoker.

Okay, let's get him hung up.

Pull that hide off,
break him down,

and start getting some
meat on the smoke rack.

He's gotta be 50 pounds.

It's a good-sized beaver.

I'm really glad this paid off.

Really beautiful pelt.

Meat actually
smells really good.

That is amazing.
Look at this fat.

Gonna get that all boiled down,

get some crispies out of
that, some beaver cracklins.

Try and keep as much fat
on this carcass as we can,

and as little on the hide.

The fat feels really
good on my hands too,

which were super dried out.

So we'll just get
that all rubbed in,

a little beaver lotion.

Okay, the key is
just to go slow.

I just don't wanna get
any hair on this meat.

It just adds some rank flavor.

At home, I live a
nomadic lifestyle.

I don't do as well
with a 9-to-5 job,

and that really helps
me with this challenge.

One tasty beaver tail.

Look at all that fat in there.

The ability for me to
be fine with anything

is so important and imperative
to survival out here.

Got some good looking ribs,
amazing looking flank meat.

I'm gonna be able to
strip here nice and thin.

That looks amazing.

Never took the ribs
off a beaver before,

so this is a first.

Awesome.

Ta-da.

How's that rack of ribs look?

I'm really hoping the meat's

gonna come out as good
as it looks right now.

Meat looks really good.

This will really boost my health

and help me sustain
even up to a month

if I ration this
beaver out correctly.

There's the first bits of smoke.

Taking an animal as big
as a bear on your own,

and being able to
handle all the meat,

is a big project out here,

so I'm really glad I got the
beaver to kind of warm up on.

And don't think for a second

I'm not here to
break the record.

I don't wanna hear about
Roland stuff anymore.

Doesn't mean I'm gonna make it,

but I believe deep down,

if things keep rolling my way,

I'm going over 100 days.

Oh, man, that smells
so freaking good.

This is like scrap
meat, you know,

just fat and gristle that
you take off the stomach.

Gonna get it crispified.

The best thing is,
look at all that fat!

Holy cow!

Jackpot.

Tastes like roast beef.

No joke.

Hands down, no gaminess,
awesome flavor.

It's like eating that
juicy fat off a ribeye

that's like crispy, fatty beef.

Awesome!

Super stoked, super grateful.

Thank you, land!

- I'm sorry to talk about this,

but I just want to be
honest with this experience,

and I wanna convey everything
that we experience out here

and the realities
and the struggles,

and please excuse
my being vulgar,

not something I talk
about often, but...

my body was telling me things

I've never heard it say before.

And it's been about 12
days without a movement.

So if the calories and the
fat aren't just off the scale,

my body seems to
just absorb a lot.

It just burns it up,
just incinerates it,

and not a whole lot, you know,

not a whole lot of
leftover waste, it seems.

And honestly,

I'm just concerned that that
may possibly take me out.

And it wouldn't be by my choice,

but I'm gonna try to
push my limits out here.

I'm gonna try to red line,

I'm gonna try to
get right there.

So... that's our
thoughts for now.

I am very, very nervous.

I know my body, I know
my caloric intake,

I have got to find big game.

Sure seems like a
hunting morning.

I have seen sign of beaver.

There's beaver chew sticks,

you can see their
tracks in the mud,

they create slides where
it's easier for them to walk,

but they're very nocturnal.

There it is.

Let's sneak on
down a little bit.

I am going to attempt to
get a shot opportunity.

It's just gonna be
so hard to retrieve

in the water like that.

I've got to be certain it's
an instantly lethal shot.

I know I can put a shot
in it that would kill it.

I just need to keep perspective.

I owe it to that animal
to be able to retrieve it

and to use it to the fullest.

I think an earmark
of a true hunter...

is restraint.

If I lose perspective of that

and rush a shot or
take a bad shot angle

and I can't recover it,

it'll haunt me the
rest of my life.

I don't know if
it's coming back.

Dang it.

I'm starving, but you just got
to do things in the right way.

If it doesn't feel right,

it's not.

Well, have to get
up to our shelter,

try again in the morning.

- Lots of slurping. Sorry.

You should actually not slurp,

just because that's a
bunch of air bubbles

that gets through
your gut tract.

Means that you can
feel bloated or gassy,

so not the best, but...

I'll try to stop,

but I'm trying to suck
the surface bunchberries.

Best part of my day.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Squirrels are getting a
little more active now.

So I'm gonna stay around here.

I'll work on getting firewood

and wait for the
squirrels to come home.

Got high hopes for these snares.

Just gonna go
uphill a little bit.

I feel like I'm hitting
a wall right now.

With not eating a whole lot,

electrolytes are not
in an ideal place,

so everything gets a
little more tricky.

I would hate to be pulled
for a medical issue.

If I'm gonna stay here long,

I'm gonna have to
find more food.

Should be enough
firewood for tonight.

I thought I heard something new.

Oh, !

I need this.

Couldn't have gone too far.

All right, bird,
please, I need you.

Where is it?

Heard the grouse behind me.

Oh, there it is.

There you go.

Hey pretty bird.

Grab something to bring it down.

Phew, first kill.

Eating grouse
tonight. Look at that.

It's a hefty size.

So let's go by down the
river, process it out.

Whoo.

It's exciting.

All right.

Gonna take the skin off.

You kind of boil that down.

Make sure I get all
the fat from that.

These guys, I'm gonna
splurge a little bit.

Have one whole breast.

This is very reminiscent of

the time I spent
with the Maasai.

Sitting by the
fire after a kill.

Enjoying the flame
and the roasting meat.

I was in East Africa
for about six months

to spend time with different
Indigenous communities.

The most impressive things

about a lot of Indigenous people

is they live in
such rough climates

and they're incredibly
happy and resilient.

Taste test.

Mmm, look at that.

Kinda like barbecue chicken.

Everything is just a test,

and they're so confident
in the universe,

that their bodies, their souls,

their minds can
tolerate anything.

Things can happen, but
they're still grateful

on a day-to-day basis.

To experience that,
it just changes you.

I understand that it's okay
to suffer a little bit.

Things will turn out okay.

This makes me feel like I can
be out here for a long time,

knowing that there's
another one up there

and that the sounds that
they make I now recognize

gives new hope.

Just a little... jog in place.

Get the body moving.

Oh, that's intense.

Oh, man.

Trying to build the shelter

is consuming almost all
of my time out here.

I've never built anything
like this before,

and I've chosen to use some
pretty big logs to build,

and I've underestimated
their weight.

It's taking a toll on my body,

and I'm not taking in

the calories I
need to recuperate.

So it's causing serious
pain in my back.

It's harder than it
looks on TV, folks.

Oh, man.

All right, I haven't worked
on the fishing rod much,

so it's not great,

but great if I
could catch a fish.

Fly fishing has
never been something

that I've spent time doing.

So I think in a place where
fly fishing is going to be

such a large part of
what you're doing,

it's definitely a
deficit in my skill set.

Hey!

Damn it.

Good news is that there's
definitely fish in the river

'cause there's a seal in there.

The bad news is there's
a seal in the river.

I'm guessing he's
already scooped up

what there is to scoop
up and scared away

what was still here, so move on.

I'm turning 40, and this
is an opportunity for me

to have a rite of passage into
this next period of my life.

You know, this is the start of
my path into being an elder.

Jeez.

And I feel like
in modern society,

we run away from those
titles that make us seem old.

And for me, having an
opportunity to be on the show

felt like a way to
really embrace that.

That wasn't a huge success.

Definitely need to
work on my setup.

Food is pretty
precious right now.

Back to camp.

- Feels good to have some
semblance of a structure up,

even if it is just
a little ol' wall.

I think, with that,

we might go fishing,
because we need some grub.

Yes, sir.

I've never eaten
whiskey jack before,

but they're on the menu.

So there you go.

First whiskey jack
since I've been here,

I really didn't
want to shoot him.

They're beautiful birds,

but I need food.

Now, out to the fishing spot.

Kind of a gray day.

Here's my whiskey jack,

and hopefully I can make
some flies from his feathers

and get the best
use of 'em as we can

to sort of honor his sacrifice.

We're gonna set you guys up

and see if we can't
catch a trout.

Where are they gonna be today?

The whiskey jack, they're
in the corvid family,

which means crows.

Probably that means

that they don't taste too good.

You ever heard the
expression "eating crow"...

Is not a good thing.

I figure he'll go in my stew

with my trout head
when I get my trout.

Right in there is
where they like to be.

My family left South
Africa when I was two.

After my parents got divorced,

and my father went
back to South Africa

and I would spend my
school years in the States

and then my summers
in Africa with my dad.

Taking the things that
I learned in Africa

and adapting them to
the Virginia hardwoods,

or coming up here to Labrador,

is really fascinating to me.

None of us would be here
without these skills,

so still using them the same way

as my ancestors so long ago

is a really good foundation
for an education in bushcraft.

Come on, baby.

There you go!

Holy.

The honey hole pays off again.

Trout.

Oh, yeah.

What a relief.

Look at that.

That is a beauty!

Just a beauty.

Thrilled to have it.

Can't wait to eat it.

Beautiful, beautiful fish.

Look at that.

Thank you, buddy.

Thank you, thank you.

Whoo!

I had no food yesterday,
except for a couple of handfuls

of bunchberries, 'cause I was
working on the shelter all day.

So I'm really looking
forward to this trout

and then afterwards, my
whiskey jack-trout head soup.

We gotta eat on something.

I'm swinging for the fences.

That's what I said
I was gonna do.

I'm not gonna sit in a
cave and starve it out.

I came here to do a job.

Take my little snacks.

I came here to figure
out what I have,

what kind of mettle
I've got in me.

I'm gonna stick it out as
long as I'm getting food,

and when I stop
getting the food,

I'm gonna stick it out as
long as they'll let me.

Some high-dollar
restaurant in New York,

you'd pay all kinds
of crazy money

for that trout like that.

Wood grilled, plated on

a bed of fir branches over sand.

And then a waiter comes by
and rains on your table,

just sprinkles water on
you while you're eating,

and you can have the
full Labrador experience.

When you're hungry...

like haven't eaten
in a day hungry...

it's the best thing you've
ever had in your life.

- Found a mussel.

I'm gonna cook
this up right now.

I'm super excited.

I like it, I like it.

Okay, folks, I'm going to boil
this guy out with some seaweed.

I feel like the
survival community

is not a very diverse place,

and I think that diversity and
representation is important.

I remember I was
10 or 12 years old

when I first saw someone
on TV who looked like me

and it was a positive portrayal.

It was actually Omar Sharif
in "Lawrence of Arabia."

It is a small, little guy.

I remember looking at
the screen and thinking,

oh, my gosh, I could
be a hero in a movie,

I could be a hero
in my own story.

One of the reasons I
have this moustache

is an homage to Omar Sharif.

And so this show will
hopefully let people know

that there are people in
the outdoors like them.

Wow.

That was amazing.

- Okay, we got, uh...
the beaver gut pile.

I've got all my
fish guts in here,

and I set the game camera.

We're trying to create a
little predator station here,

just to observe what's going
on and see if we can't get

some action on the camera
and see what's around.

I really feel like
a bear is gonna be

a necessity for me to
make this long haul.

The birds seemed
to know about it.

I heard the crows
a lot this morning.

When the crows get going,
the other predators

know that there's
something going on.

I think the biggest
part of a bear hunt

is getting a visual on him.

I realize with all that
scent from the smoking,

there's always the risk

that the bear will
challenge you for your meat,

and it has to take you
out to take your food.

But I'm on one of the greatest

successful adventures
of my hunting career.

Everything I do is,
like, turning to gold.

I am in complete flow state.

I feel like I belong here.

Okay, got the game camera up,
the stink bag on the staff,

and we'll see who comes looking.

Bears really have a good
sense of nose, as do most of

these predators, so they should
get wind of this, I'd reckon.

Be kind of fun to
see who's around

and get some pictures of 'em.

Gotta build a better
seat for hanging out.

All right.

We're gonna put down eight to
ten hours of the good stuff.

And no, that isn't alcohol.

It's called sleep.

Way better.

I think the only thing
that would be better

than the beaver out
here would be bear.

That would be a
grand slam home run.

I'm a bear hunter, I
love hunting bears,

I love eating bear.

Hoping we can get it done.

Where are you, bear?

You know where I am.

Brother bear, we will
meet soon, my friend.

- So I'm just making
some toothpaste.

Just took some charcoal
out of my fire.

Just, uh, wanting to give my
teeth a little bit of love.

It really does something
to you to be this close

to the simple, most
basic aspects of life.

I feel like brushing
with the bristles

makes it a little too
abrasive on the teeth.

So I like the finger.

All clean.

Charcoal is also good
for your stomach.

That's pretty good.

Mouth certainly feels better.

It's probably gotta be a
little taller than that.

Figure it's gonna
be 7 or 8 here,

6 or 7 there.

And then the fireplace
and the wall and the roof.

Well...

That's a lot of trees, folks.

I've gotta move
faster than this.

I feel like it's kind
of a vicious cycle,

where I use big logs.

Means there's a lot of space,
which means I have to cut down

a really big, heavy log and
move it to fill that space.

If I could restart my
shelter, I would do

a simple double A-frame.

Oh, man.

But at this point,
it's like I don't know

how to pivot to
building something else.

Wish they'd give you...

like phone-a-friend options.

Sure a lot of
folks'd be able to...

give me some advice on that.

Okay, let's just get it done.

I don't really think
of myself as being

in competition with nine people.

First and foremost, I'm in
competition with myself.

How quickly do I want to go
back to being comfortable?

How quickly do I wanna
go back to not being

challenged or tested?

I can just go home and
hang out with my wife.

That sounds pretty
good right now.

So I think the more
you think about it,

the more that'll just play
havoc with your morale.

And so I'm trying to
just look at building

a permanent shelter as
a temporary problem,

and I need to fix it.

Oh, man.

Definitely having issues
with my back today.

My back is getting
worse every day.

I am struggling to be
able to let my body

catch up and rest.

It's s heavy.

It's taking me a lot
of time in between

each pole to be able
to go get the next one.

And now my heart beat's
pretty irregular.

I can just feel it in my chest,
it's like a ba-boom, ba-boom.

But I don't think there's
anything serious going on.

I think it's just my
heart struggling to do

this type of work
without any nutrition.

Great if I could catch a fish,

great if I could snare
a squirrel or hare.

I'm just moving so slow.

And I can't really
move much faster.

Not with...

Just a seaweed diet.

- Still haven't had a movement.

So I think the best
thing we can do now

is just harvest some sap,
put it on the tinder,

try to get a fire going,
grab a pot of water.

Sure do like the
sound of that river.

Sure like knowing
that it's close.

Beautiful place,
beautiful animals.

To harvest the beaver would be

just the most exhilarating
scenario I can see.

I may be able to be
here for the long haul,

but it has to be
the perfect shot.

And I put a lot of pressure
on myself with that,

but it's very important to me.

I... I just don't feel well.

Whoa, dizzy, really lightheaded.

I gotta go... I
gotta go lay down.

Rest isn't going too
well. I got some...

muscle spasms and leg cramps,

the kind that curl your feet up.

Ohh... ohh... ohh...

My stomach's in knots.

- Ohh...

Oh, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you.

All right.

Fantastic news.

Nature called.

And to be honest, I'm sitting
here a renewed person.

I feel lighter, I feel like
the stomach upset's gone,

the queasiness is gone...
All those symptoms.

Now it's just elation and all
back to smiles per gallon.

Super, super thankful,
and just looking to take

the next step today,
and let's get going.

- Good morning, y'all.

Kind of a rough night.
Did not sleep very well.

I just think my body needs food.

We're coming up on
three weeks now.

I really wanna be here.

I really wanna
finish my shelter.

So my plan today is just
to set as many snares

as I can and then go fishing.

I'm just, uh,
coming to the limits

of physical body without food.

I have a lot of
issues with my back.

Having some issues in my heart.

Just, uh, it feels like
it's struggling to catch up.

On the plus side, my
moustache still looks good.

Ow.

Oh, God.

That didn't help.

- Okay, gonna have
some seaweed breakfast.

I think the thing that concerns
me the most is my heart.

I think it's just my
heart struggling...

to do this type of work...

without any nutrition, but...

I also don't want that to
turn into something serious.

If I keep pushing through
this physical pain,

am I doing long-term
damage to my heart?

But if I leave, it
means that I'm going

to question whether that
was my physical suffering

or whether that was this
creation in my head.

And that would be a hard
thing to try and work through.

It's also only... it's not
even three weeks, people.

That is embarrassing.

But I also don't want my
pride to keep me here...

And risk...

I don't know, some sort
of injury in my back or...

some sort of permanent
heart arrhythmia.

So, I don't know.

I'm gonna walk around
the forest a little

and then just kind
of see what comes up.

I hope that I can find
some food to get my body

the sustenance it
needs to heal itself.

I need a miracle.

Just been walking
around the forest.

Trying to see if...

a bear or grouse or something
will jump up out at me.

That could have a
good supply of food

for a little bit,
but no such luck.

I'm not really sure what to do.

I've been trapping,
hunting, fishing,

foraging for some berries.

It's not great.

Still have a lot
of weight to lose.

Okay, I think I'm gonna
walk around for a little bit

and decide what it
is I'm gonna do.

I'm feeling the limits
of my physical body

and just how important
it is to care for it.

I just wanna make
sure that I don't risk

an injury or something permanent

by staying out here
and not eating.

My heart's beating irregularly,

and it gets worse when I
physically exert myself.

I don't know how I'm
gonna finish my shelter.

Every day I work and don't eat,

my back's not really relaxing.

It just gets tighter.

Okay.

This is Igor.

I'm just at a point
where I'm really worried

about my health,
and I'm tapping out.

I hope this land felt
the gratitude I had

for everything I took from it.

I hope my time here
helped me to learn to love

that which is difficult and
to have compassion for myself.

It wasn't an easy decision.

It's just so personal
and so public,

'cause everyone's
gonna watch this

and have an opinion of it,

and also reflecting
on the perception

of my family, of my friends,

the people who helped me get
ready for this experience.

I hope that they really
understand my decision.

Um...

I'm just noticing the
sound of my heartbeat,

even when I'm just sitting.

It just doesn't sound... Just
doesn't sound right to me.

I'm just concerned I'm
gonna do damage to my heart.

When I reflect on the 20 days

that I spent in the wilderness,

it feels shorter than
what I wanted it to be.

And I also am aware
that my expectations

are not what's important.

What's important is
the experience itself.

I feel like the beauty
of a rite of passage

is that it's never exactly
what you wanted it to be.

It's never something that can
be planned and done perfectly.

And I feel like the
lessons that I received

from this experience will
be things that I'll be

digesting for a while

and insights that
will help carry me

into the next period of my life.

- I just want to check
in on the beaver.

I saw him the most first
thing in the morning.

I'm gonna get ready and
get down to the river

and see if we can catch him.

I'll just try to stay hidden,
stay quiet, and just watch.

If I go with this experience,
knowing that there were

beaver right there, and
there's some way I could

have figured it out, it'll
drive me a little bit crazy.

Really important to
me to try to harvest

at least one of the beavers.

I am nervous about
the lack of food,

but I am so exhilarated
to know that there's

an active beaver site
on this location.

Adventure awaits.
Let's go find it.

Yes, yes, yes.

So I can't believe I'm about to

do what I'm about to do.

I, uh... it's absolutely,
literally freezing out here.

There's ice on the water,

and I've gotta swim
probably 100 yards.

I mean, this is...

Hypothermic City here.

Mother, I'm sorry
you have to see this.

If you ever do see
this, I love you.

I sure think about all the time.

I'm sorry for all the
things I've put you through.

Friends, family, viewers...

please wish me luck.

You can see I'm gonna need it.

We're risking it all here.

Well, this decision
may be the end

of my time out here, but...

I have to try to
recover this beaver.

Oh, good Lord!

- This is my best chance.

Oh, good Lord.

Be with me, please.

There it is.

Come on, almost there.

Gotcha.

Oh, my goodness.

Look, what an
incredible creature.

All right, I'm gonna
get out of my underwear.

I'm gonna try to get
dry, try to get warm.

My feet are absolutely frozen.

I'm just in awe of this morning.

Thank the Lord, thank goodness,

thank the universe.

Seven... eight days I've
been up by 5:00 a.m.

Been to the river at least
an hour before daylight,

waiting, listening,
watching, learning.

And now, for the first time,
we know where our next meal

may be coming from.

Such an incredible animal.

Now, I don't know
what it weighs.

Sure feels like 30, 35 pounds.

I don't know how much
food that'll yield,

but sure is a lot more than
we've been having, so...

truly thankful.

We got a long way to go.

Growing up in West Virginia,
I have spent my entire life

striving to be a better hunter,

striving to be a better fisher,

striving to be better
in the outdoors,

to appreciate it more
and to just be able

to adapt and improvise
in those realms better.

And hunting this beaver

was the perfect
opportunity to do that.

Beaver is honestly one of
my favorite wild game meats.

Never had one from Labrador,

but really looking
forward to it now.

I've been dreaming of
rendered beaver fat,

the beaver tail, fried
liver, fried heart.

I'd love to show people that
if I can do it, you know,

a kid from rural West Virginia
with no formal training

of any kind, if I can
do it, anyone can do it.

Just chase your dreams.

Tremendously thankful

for the abundant
gifts of this day.

- Still haven't caught any meat.

Where are you, little squirrel?

Did I get it?

- I gotta get some sustenance.

- Look at that!

That's a nice clean
kill right there.

I have some kind
of gut parasite.