Life Below Zero

[kp]

Chip - just want to say LBZ is my favorite show and I DVR all the shows. Love the rugged independence, strong bonds and respect for tradition that your family displays week after week. You guys lead a life we dream of but in reality, wouldn't last very long. Stay safe and best of luck with your legal issues.

Regards,

 

[Lj1941]

Caribou,


Not sure if this has been asked and answered so I will post again.

Does your family reload ammo at all?? I phrased it as "family" to avoid any legal stuff

For the Mosin do you just use steel case ammo Wolff Tula whatever?

You will find many answers by Chip to your questions in the earlier posts of this thread. I believe Chip has said that Privi Partazen is their Mosin ammo of choice and although they did reload at one time, this is no longer the case.

 

[caribou]

Yep, as noted, We did reload, but no longer. Rather tough in small places with small kids, but untill his death, my wifes older brother used the Privi cases she has shot and loaded 45 or so grn. Varget with a Finn 200 grn. D bullet, perfect for the sights on the Finns.

I used Milsurp Czeck Ball 149 grn "Silver tip" for years. It destabilized very quickly and usual blew sideways through the animal with an exit hole comparable to a soft point thats held together "Alaskan Solids" we called em Tumbling through is very destructive inside an animal.

In reality, were working folks and our doings have amounted to what we have, and luckily we own the house and property, so it is a safe place to accumulate and "happen", and we generally stay in the village in Fall, freezeup and dark Winter. After the suns back for more than a couple hours, we travel and hunt again. The kids go to school, but are old enough to watch the home for fairly short periods.......We are mostly lucky because we have a place to base ourselfs out of. Was that way here for thousands of years, but there were years when we lived in tents, and people were often quite complementary about it, as alot had grown up the same way, maybe the majority back then.... but the flack we get from the audience in general about living in tents is crazy. I think they relate it to homelessness(?) .....but here you can be the Mayor of the village and still live in a tent, its not frowned on at all.

 

[rhinoh]

Interesting about the tents, whatever works I say!
I do have a question though- it seems on many of the "Alaska" shows a good number of homes appear to have been built but then never painted. Not log homes but plywood perhaps or MDF.
Is there a reason for this? Just curious, not criticizing.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks!. I figured it had been asked but I wasn't looking though over 600 posts for it. I like watching the show and would rather do that!. Tonight was great I like the duck bashing! Lot of work though you must be exhausted after all that trekking trough the wet marsh!

Looks like Eric will be back next week. Guess he got married??

Great show!

 

[caribou]

Paint is often stripped with our icy winters windy days, snow and frozen partials will strip the paint from the side of a house in 3-5 years, just like sandpaper, and especially along the open treeless coast.They get tremendous winds.

I bought 10 gallons of paint and put a fresh coat on this last week, 500$ for the 2 buckets, so people dont run out and just repaint.

Tundra IS a marsh, each step is unsdeady, so when we have to walk t, its usually to a ridge where theres rocks and a trail from everything beating the same path, down by the rivers its mush mush mush. Winder solidifys that enough to walk fairly easily over, and rivers/lakes become roads....Thats also why we like the coast, theres well drained sand and lots of ways to go with a boat, but sometimes you gotta walk . Beating Geese with sticks saves meat and is a one stroke to the neck kinda breaker. We run after the Geese, and they try to hide in the gress and keep still, and are very hard to spot. One wack and were onto the next, and no pellets in them. Same for shooting swimmers, a shot upside the head and its a done deal....no wounded and flying elsewhere to die, no pellets in the breast meats, and were out for dinner

Indeed, it looks like Eric is married.

 

[tomturkey]

Thanks!. I figured it had been asked but I wasn't looking though over 600 posts for it. I like watching the show and would rather do that!. Tonight was great I like the duck bashing! Lot of work though you must be exhausted after all that trekking trough the wet marsh!

Looks like Eric will be back next week. Guess he got married??

Great show!

I think they showed him taking his new wife hunting in a segment in the last group of programs.

It will be good to have him back. Being in the guiding business he can not have a camera crew in the way when he has clients that are his main concern so that is probably why he has been absent. Being on LBZ has probably increased his guiding business.

 

[caribou]

Just an update on my "troubles"

With time , The Truth WILL set you free.......and Im talkin'
years to get it right.......

http://www.thearcticsounder.com/article/1452life_below_zero_star_appeals_perjury

 

[Palehorseman]

Yep, as noted, We did reload, but no longer. Rather tough in small places with small kids, but untill his death, my wifes older brother used the Privi cases she has shot and loaded 45 or so grn. Varget with a Finn 200 grn. D bullet, perfect for the sights on the Finns.

I used Milsurp Czeck Ball 149 grn "Silver tip" for years. It destabilized very quickly and usual blew sideways through the animal with an exit hole comparable to a soft point thats held together "Alaskan Solids" we called em Tumbling through is very destructive inside an animal.

In reality, were working folks and our doings have amounted to what we have, and luckily we own the house and property, so it is a safe place to accumulate and "happen", and we generally stay in the village in Fall, freezeup and dark Winter. After the suns back for more than a couple hours, we travel and hunt again. The kids go to school, but are old enough to watch the home for fairly short periods.......We are mostly lucky because we have a place to base ourselfs out of. Was that way here for thousands of years, but there were years when we lived in tents, and people were often quite complementary about it, as alot had grown up the same way, maybe the majority back then.... but the flack we get from the audience in general about living in tents is crazy. I think they relate it to homelessness(?) .....but here you can be the Mayor of the village and still live in a tent, its not frowned on at all.

In 1976 when I got transferred to WY from AK we bought some acreage outside Cody. When building we lived in a couple high wall tents entire summer and was no big deal, although the wind was often a challenge.

 

[JN01]

Just an update on my "troubles"

With time , The Truth WILL set you free.......and Im talkin'
years to get it right.......

http://www.thearcticsounder.com/arti...ppeals_perjury

Wow. Reading the article, it sounds like the state really had to reach to make a mountain out of a molehill. Good luck to you.

 

[RPRNY]

Well Chip, a conviction on "uppity whilst around natives" is no laughing matter. It's a gateway to "asserting one's rights". And we all know where that can lead. Tsk, tsk...

Actually, this is clearly no laughing matter indeed and I apologise for making light of a serious situation. But it is very disturbing. Had this exact same scenario happened to my family in the leafy NY suburb from which we recently escaped, there is no doubt in my mind that at this point it would be the Westchester cop trying to clear himself of the disciplinary charges brought against him after the incident.

I take it there are no jurisdictional issues and that Noorvik is in Trooper jurisdiction and not subject to BIA cops? Is that because there are no BIA cops there or because you are not a Native American? In my limited dealings with them, I have found the BIA police extremely low key and restrained.

 

[BigBore45]

this may sound dumb but i just realized that caribou is chip from LBZ. Anyways, caribou i enjoy the show and hope you win your legal battle. I would like to see you take down an animal maybe if just for old times sake, as the wife and kids seem to handle it just fine. Good luck on all and thanks again for sharing your way of life for all of us to see.

 

[CaribouFan]

Good God! Caribou, I wish you nothing but a very quick decision from the courts in this matter. It seems a bit mired in the system, unfortunately. I get such enjoyment from watching you, Agnes and your children live your lives on LBZ. Each episode I wonder if your case is settled, hoping to see you with rifle in hand! So, thank you for the update.

The freedoms you have in the way you live are ones to be envied. Your children are extremely fortunate to have life experiences which will enhance their ability to live on their own. Good luck to you, Caribou! I'll be sending good thoughts your way.

 

[caribou]

Happy News Years to all...

We have no BIA cops, no BIA here. We do have locals hired to patrol for curfew, fire watch and public assitence, and a few vilages have a VPSO "Village Public safty Officer" and a couple have AST stationed right in them. I hear few complaints against any cops up this way, very few.

The only thing going on now is my wait untill its dropped. With no evidence, they have no prosecution. Then it's back to myself allright M-39 in hand , someday, and I'll certainly be posting again on HR waaaaaay before you see it on lBZ.

I dont think the problems that day were racial, nor anything but a crank ass hole losing control and being corrected, then that was coverd up , and what could have been fixxed with an apologie and some training is now a crime against me with multipull provable felonys for those who did this to me. I was a Vice Cheif in the FD, so it was my lawfull duty to report any assault on any child.

Now just have it dropped, just a Judges pen stroke......I am just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting , waiting.....any other questions of other matters, while were here? ? ~~ LOL!!~~

 

[medic15al]

Chip.... Is there any time of the year where activity is relaxed? You know, no hunting, fishing, or other required work for subsistence needs?

 

[caribou]

That rest and relax time of year would be right now, Medic.

Darkness just maximized and passed, were gaining by 8 minutes a day, and by Feb well be Hunting again. With thin ice and darkness , our traveling is retricted to trails, and weve gotten very little snow, so its time to get ready for light winter, time for travel and hunting. Right now its trapping, as the can hunt while you cant. Our fishing is pretty much over, but the time to deal with skins, make them into stuff, get out the foods we saved from Summer and redistribute the wealth Good time inside for competitions, Eskimo Games and Basketball tournaments. Also a great time to hang out at home for a couple weeks, burn wood, fatten the dogs and relax

I havent been traveling too much and the traps are ready, and we just are getting snow, so thats the next "Thang" as the rivers and Ocean ice are pretty thick and ready to go too

 

[medic15al]

Thanks Chip! The lives that are portrayed up there is fascinating, and despite being from Alabama I cannot stand the heat and humidity so I have been interested in the area. Not to the point of a life like Glenn but like You and Sue and Andy as well. Hard working but with modern tools to get more done.

As above posters said, your segments are the best and most interesting to me.

Question.... When you put up a TeePee, how do you seal the top against rain?

 

[Deleted member 215329]

Chip,

Do you really have any need for calibers other than the 7.62x54R/.22LR/12 gauge? If so, what calibers and for what animals?

Kindest regards.

 

[harrygunner]

I enjoy seeing into the lives of all the people on LBZ, especially the subsistence hunters.

Chip, Agnes is quite a woman and I imagine knowing her opened up a whole new world view for you.

Sue Atkins gives great insight into the mentality of someone who can live in such isolated, tough conditions. More like her and fewer "soccer moms" would be good for the country. Though I sense a deep betrayal led her to the Arctic Circle.

 

[vito]

Sue has given us very little information about her former, i.e., pre-Artic Circle life. We know she is a grandmother, and a recent episode had her grandson visiting her. I have often wondered about what would have caused her to make such a drastic change in her lifestyle. Maybe its nothing more complicated than becoming intensely aware of her own mortality and wanting to live life on her terms. To continue that life even after the bear attack and the hospitalization that followed shows she is one tough lady.

 

[d2wing]

Best to you Chip and yours in this New Year. I pray those charges will be dismissed quickly
And happy hunting.

 

[RPRNY]

Sue has given us very little information about her former, i.e., pre-Artic Circle life. We know she is a grandmother, and a recent episode had her grandson visiting her. I have often wondered about what would have caused her to make such a drastic change in her lifestyle. Maybe its nothing more complicated than becoming intensely aware of her own mortality and wanting to live life on her terms. To continue that life even after the bear attack and the hospitalization that followed shows she is one tough lady.

Google, an amazing resource:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...ow-zero-20130529_1_pork-chop-chicago-palatine

 

[harrygunner]

Thanks for the link about Sue.

When I saw her with her grandson, I was surprised she stayed close to someone long enough to have a child. Apparently she was more of a "people person" than I imagined. Good to see her self-sufficiency.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I really enjoy the show but I have some doubts!
Why does a guy need a Bulldozer, Backhoe, Crane to survive an Alaskan winter?
Shooters? I never saw ANYONE pick up Empties!
Do they reload?
Sue IS great but I can understand why she can't keep a spouse.
She HAS the answers which we must take with a grain of salt!

 

[d2wing]

A bulldozer, who doesn't want one. If I had an excuse and a place for it I'd have all that stuff and more. It is way more fun to do hard work with a machine than by hand not to mention way faster. The point of Alaska is doing it your way. As far as reloading, it probably doesn't save much money out there due to shipping but that is just a guess. They may save them target shooting but nobody I know bothers when hunting in the wild.