Life Below Zero on NatGeo

[EddieWalker]

So Karen and I where at the Dallas Safari Club Convention yesterday looking into a trip to Alaska to hunt moose and black bear. We spoke to quite a few outfitters and transporters with one who really stood out. His name is Erik Salitan and he owns Bushwhack Alaska Guding & Outfitting Bushwhack Alaska Guiding & Outfitting

He really impressed us in how he runs his operation and in what he has to offer. No BS, no bragging, just what he has to offer type of guy.
This morning while looking at his website and searching for complaints about him, which is pretty common with everybody I've looked into for a moose hunt, I found out that he is one of the stars on the TV show Life Below Zero. He never mentioned the TV show either. When talking about it this morning, we both liked that about him.

We have never watched the show and I was wondering if anybody on here has? What is your take on the show and do you have any thoughts on Erik?

Eddie

 

[chuck172]

I think Erik just got married. Really like the show.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yes, she was there too. We met her, but she was pretty quiet while Erik did all the talking.

Eddie

 

[polo1665]

Of all the "Alaska" shows on now, "Life Below Zero" is definitely, by far, the best (in my book anyway).

 

[Hilbilly]

Of all the "Alaska" shows on now, "Life Below Zero" is definitely, by far, the best (in my book anyway).

x2

It's one of my favorites and seems to be "real" not like most of the "reality" shows. I don't see much, if any, contrived situations. I just watched an episode last night and Erik's new wife wasn't quiet on that show. She gave him h*ll for running the boat too fast and running it too shallow.

 

[jix]

Hey, Eddie
I watch "life below zero" for almost every episode. It seems quite realistic, based upon what I saw while living in the arctic. The main protagonist "Sue" is a real person, but an unusual one. That show is about life, such as it is, in KAVIK on the north slope near the beaufort sea. Darn poor place to spend the winter IMO

If I wanted to bear hunt in Alaska, probably that would not be my first choice of an area to select, (Bears are sorta scarce, except where there are humans and garbage to attract them) but then I would rather choose to hunt grizzly around KODIAK Island AK, if you can get a license. Kodiak grizzlies are the largest (up to 1200lbs) bears on the planet, except for polar bears, which only Eskimo people are allowed to shoot, and very few are in the quota. Fort Churchill, in northern Manitoba is noted for being over run with polar bears in the spring, there Camera hunting only, from a tundra bus. ho hum. These very large Kodiak bears, however, are [U]dangerous game if you hunt on foot, they are cunning, wary, fast, powerful, and aggressive, You MUST use a guide if you are a non-resident, and you must be in shape for long hikes in the bush on stalk. It is uncomfortable hunting.

Best place for black bears is actually in New Brunswick, but they are guide hunted (non-resident) only and usually taken over bait from a tree stand. (not really sporting) IMO.

 

[jix]

Hey Eddie, I visited Erics website and looked it all over. Impressive. Eric has got to be doing something right. Hunts in some good terrain, too Looks very promising. Having the super cub airplane is a very big plus for scouting out game. Don't think you can do better.:2cents:

I hope that you and Karen have a good hunt, both of you:cool2::thumbsup:

Jix

 

[KiotiKowboy]

You can watch video from the series on the National Geographic web site. Great series.

 

[EddieWalker]

jix,

While I like to hunt different types of animals in different places, cats and bears just don't do it for me like something with horns or antlers. Karen wants the bear and I thought it best to start out small. There are better places to go, but not if we both want to hunt different animals. I also really want a moose, so Alaska seems like the best option for both species in the same place.

The challenge has been finding a reputable outfitter in an area with both animals. The Bethel area is supposed to be pretty good, but I'm hesitant on the outfitters in that area. Tok is where I'd go if just going after moose. 40 Mile Air is probably the most highly recommended outfitter in the state. Unfortunately it's grizzly country and very few, if any black bears. As non residents of Alaska, we would have to hire a guide to hunt grizzly or brown bear.

This is from the Dallas Safari Club Convention on Friday



Eddie

 

[TBDonnelly]

From watching Erik on 'Life Below Zero', I'd say he is excellent at explaining his chosen lifestyle. He is adept at living off grid, being self reliant and really has a love and respect for the outdoors. He has teaching skills (as seen on Life below Zero) that sure would lend themselves to being a good guide out in the wilderness. It has been mentioned on the show that he was a wilderness hunting guide but I never picked up on any details of his guide business. I'd give him a thumbs up!

 

[jix]

Hi Again, Eddie:
You have your work cut out for you in finding both moose and Black Bear in the same general area. As I am sure that you know that Moose and Black bear clash in that Black bears prey upon moose calves, so moose try to avoid areas where black bears are plentiful. About 40 % of moose calf mortality is due to Black bear predation. Moose like scrubby browse, Black bears like big trees. These two classes of vegetation do not always occur in the same general area. Black bears also avoid brown and grizzly bear populations because the griz will kill the black bear cubs as a matter of course. In some areas of Alaska, there have been attemps to increase moose populations by crushing the forest under big Letourneau machines so to increase the quality of moose browse (see Google). This works but the black bear do not like areas without big trees for their cubs to seek refuge in. It would follow that places where there are natural occurences of both types of vegetation bordering each other would be the best candidates for combined hunts. Trophy moose are nor rare in Alaska but they are choosey as to terrain and vegetation.

Outfitters know these facts and those with bush-type aircraft would be better candidates than others to scope out the animals you wish to hunt. Black bears do hibernate and are very active feeding near the Alaskan fall season, and moose are often in the rut at that same time, hence you are probably looking at a September hunt. As your strategy favours an outfitter with aircraft you are very likely to succeed in a multi-species hunt for Black bear and Moose. As you have apparently concluded, an outfitter such as you mentioned in your recent post favors your chances for success.

The photo of Karen And that HUGE bear is quite impressive, but Karens lovely smile leaves me favoring the Black bear conquest over the moose. Your mommy didn't raise no fools, Eddie

This discussion leaves me with renewed appreciation for my local terrain, where both moose and black bear are often seen close by my house, in fact, in my dooryard. I do not bother either species however. the government regulations are just to restrictive to bother with hunting. Moose meat, is delicious above all wild meat around here, possibly excepting ruffed grouse, or partridge as they are sometimes called. Those birds are often seen on my land scrounging for wild oats, but I have never shot one. I prefer just to watch them scratching for seed. White tail does are also very common...they get hit by cars at night on the highway a lot and cause much automobile damage. Deer here know that it is illegal to shoot within 100 metres of a dwelling, so they are common in yards. Bucks are very scarce because our deer hunts are for Bucks only, so Bucks are very wary animals. I have only seen two buck deer while afoot in the woods in three years. Not boone and crockett scale trophies either..maybe eight points is as big as I have seen. Our Moose season is by licence draw (Bulls only)..and three days long. Not worth my time. Our First nation folks ( Indians) have the hunting sewn up, they hunt wherever, for whatever they like, whenever they choose. Guess who gets the wild meat? Ditto the wild salmon and trout....and they pay no taxes.ullinghair:

 

[mbohuntr]

Eddie, Consider the New Brunswick, Canada area for Moose and Black Bear. My wife bought me a hunt there for Black Bear in the 90's.
Everyone in camp that week had the chance for bear, the only ones that came home empty handed were after trophy bears, and they all succeeded by the next year. Three people saw Moose, I saw plenty of sign.
Bear is good eating, Moose is ok.... rich but very dry.

The guides set us up on bait in the spring, Really not my type of hunting, but given the extremely thick undergrowth, I can't see where spot and stalk would be possible. The outfitter was "Rivers Edge Outfitters", but the owner must have retired by now. Very good fishing and hunting, guides and outfitter were awesome.
The Bay of Fundy has the worlds biggest tides, and rivers that run in either direction depending on the tide. Always wanted to see Alaska, but really enjoyed the week in Canada! Cheap too!

 

[jix]

Eddie:

I know a good man who operates a bear hunt/guide service near here (Fredericton) in New Bunswick, His name is Gilbert (Gil) Pelletier. The Black Bear Lodge near Whites Cove on the shore of Grand Lake, about 60 miles from where I live. Gil is a very old friend of mine. He is an Acadsien by birth and was a Chief Warrant Officer in the army that soldiered with until my Retirement. He is now retired too He has a hundred or so square miles of hunting territory leased. ONly his guest may hunt that territory. There are a lot of bears there. He has a website, I think it is www.blackbear lodge.com, I think. Ammose hunt is possible too, if you can get a licence as a non resident. Gil is very trustworthy and very competent. If a bear hunt here is interesting, please check it out, or ask me and I will act for you.

Jix

 

[oosik]

Eddie -
During the time I lived in AK - 1960-1982 we would occasionally hunt moose in the Tok/Nabesna area. It is an excellent area to find moose. Towards my last years it became just too much of a trip from Anchorage to the Nabesna so we hunted moose north of Talketna. Hope you find a good guide and have a fantastic hunting trip.

Believe me - you will see wilderness like no where else in the United States.

 

[dmccarty]

Years ago I heard an interview with a bear biologist who worked in AK. I would guess the interview was in 2000-2004 and was on NPR. I did quite a bit of searching yesterday to see if I could find the interview but my Google Fu did not find the interview.

The biologist was off by himself, in the middle of no where in AK, and he was sitting on a ridge overlooking a valley. He noticed several Grizzlies leaving the valley in a hurry which was a bit odd. He figured there must be a big Grizzly in the valley...

That night the big Grizzly found the biologist's camp. No way I can repeat the story the way the biologist did, but hearing that biologist talk about the bear making noise at him and stomping around the camp, just out of sight, had my hair on my neck standing up. He knew and I knew, that the bear could rush him at any moment and mostly the biologist could not react in time. This went on all night long and of course the biologist did not get any sleep. :shocked: When there was enough light the next morning, the biologist got out of the bear's valley, just like the Grizzly's he saw previously. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death.
I will fear no evil, but that big bear ain't evil, just big, bad and scares the bejebees out of me!

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[AaronS]

Years ago I heard an interview with a bear biologist who worked in AK. I would guess the interview was in 2000-2004 and was on NPR. I did quite a bit of searching yesterday to see if I could find the interview but my Google Fu did not find the interview.

The biologist was off by himself, in the middle of no where in AK, and he was sitting on a ridge overlooking a valley. He noticed several Grizzlies leaving the valley in a hurry which was a bit odd. He figured there must be a big Grizzly in the valley...

That night the big Grizzly found the biologist's camp. No way I can repeat the story the way the biologist did, but hearing that biologist talk about the bear making noise at him and stomping around the camp, just out of sight, had my hair on my neck standing up. He knew and I knew, that the bear could rush him at any moment and mostly the biologist could not react in time. This went on all night long and of course the biologist did not get any sleep. :shocked: When there was enough light the next morning, the biologist got out of the bear's valley, just like the Grizzly's he saw previously. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death.
I will fear no evil, but that big bear ain't evil, just big, bad and scares the bejebees out of me!

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

I bet it was really Bigfoot.

 

[oosik]

I had a friend that had a run-in with a grizzly while out moose hunting. The short version - he is still alive but severely torn up. Its not a good idea to accidentally come up on a sleeping grizzly.