WEBVTT 00:28.649 --> 00:30.649 Some say that Alaska is like a bond 00:30.649 --> 00:32.760 girl . She's stunning , has a Russian 00:32.760 --> 00:35.250 accent and is fun , but she's also 00:35.259 --> 00:37.750 deadly and will always find new and 00:37.759 --> 00:40.669 unexpected ways to kill you from its 00:40.680 --> 00:43.259 vast mountain ranges to its icy waters . 00:43.360 --> 00:45.650 It's a land of unparalleled beauty and 00:45.659 --> 00:48.169 unforgiving terrain that captivates the 00:48.180 --> 00:51.279 heart and challenges the soul . Yet 00:51.290 --> 00:54.000 amidst the dangers , unlikely bonds are 00:54.009 --> 00:55.842 formed between those who dare to 00:55.842 --> 00:58.939 venture into its wilderness . A diverse 00:58.950 --> 01:00.939 group led by veteran hunter , Mike 01:00.950 --> 01:03.520 Conda came together to provide soldiers 01:03.529 --> 01:05.751 with a once in a lifetime experience in 01:05.751 --> 01:08.339 Alaska's rugged terrain . When Mike 01:08.349 --> 01:10.349 received the call to put together a 01:10.349 --> 01:12.430 group of people to hunt in KVO . He 01:12.440 --> 01:14.607 rallied a group of friends , including 01:14.607 --> 01:17.279 Gary Junk , a seasoned Alaskan hunter 01:17.290 --> 01:20.220 and Vietnam veteran Mark Putnam , a 01:20.230 --> 01:22.063 sergeant first class assigned to 01:22.063 --> 01:24.250 headquarters headquarters detachment , 01:24.260 --> 01:27.239 11th Airborne Division , John Harlan , 01:27.440 --> 01:29.273 a sergeant with the 70th Brigade 01:29.273 --> 01:31.949 engineer battalion and Aaron Degnan , a 01:31.959 --> 01:34.019 former marine turned pest control 01:34.029 --> 01:36.889 specialist and avid outdoorsman . I was 01:36.900 --> 01:39.540 talking to sue and she invited me and a 01:39.550 --> 01:41.970 group of others up . She asked me to 01:41.980 --> 01:44.800 fill up a plane so I called some 01:44.809 --> 01:47.580 friends and it just kind of came all 01:47.589 --> 01:49.700 together in pretty short notice for , 01:49.700 --> 01:51.645 uh , for a Caribou hunt , possibly 01:51.645 --> 01:55.069 grizzly hunt up the CVO river prior to 01:55.080 --> 01:57.209 leaving for Kvo , Mike had the group 01:57.220 --> 01:59.510 come together to meet one another , set 01:59.519 --> 02:01.769 the expectations and accommodations of 02:01.900 --> 02:04.250 Kvo river camp and share what their 02:04.260 --> 02:06.149 level of experience was hunting , 02:06.149 --> 02:07.982 specifically hunting in Alaska . 02:08.889 --> 02:11.056 Despite a weather delay to start their 02:11.056 --> 02:13.649 hunt , the group was off the ground on 02:13.660 --> 02:16.250 their flight north toward CVO . Their 02:16.259 --> 02:18.315 journey began with a flight over the 02:18.315 --> 02:20.537 immense Brooks range . A promise of the 02:20.537 --> 02:22.703 untamed beauty and challenges that lie 02:22.703 --> 02:25.990 ahead . Located just 15 miles from the 02:26.000 --> 02:29.419 Arctic Ocean sits KVO river camp with a 02:29.429 --> 02:32.649 population of just one Sioux Aikens , 02:33.869 --> 02:35.925 whether she had known the person for 02:35.925 --> 02:38.091 years or was just meeting them for the 02:38.091 --> 02:40.313 first time . Sue was quick to make sure 02:40.313 --> 02:42.313 nobody was a stranger to her as she 02:42.313 --> 02:44.258 greeted each member of the hunting 02:44.258 --> 02:46.369 party with a hug before giving them a 02:46.369 --> 02:48.591 tour of her camp , their home away from 02:48.591 --> 02:51.220 home for the week ahead . Take what you 02:51.229 --> 02:54.729 want . If you don't see the Sue is a 02:54.740 --> 02:56.669 wonderful person . She's a very 02:56.679 --> 02:59.012 accommodating host . She's a sweetheart . 02:59.012 --> 03:01.235 Uh , like I think she would , she would 03:01.235 --> 03:03.401 give you the shirt off her back if you 03:03.401 --> 03:05.679 needed it . And one of our guys , yeah , 03:05.679 --> 03:05.360 he didn't , he didn't have a thick 03:05.369 --> 03:07.369 enough coat and she's like , here , 03:07.369 --> 03:09.425 take this one and use this one while 03:09.425 --> 03:11.313 you're hunting but great person , 03:11.313 --> 03:10.850 wonderful individual , great 03:10.860 --> 03:13.082 personality . Uh , I've definitely made 03:13.082 --> 03:15.990 a new friend for sure . You can't hunt 03:16.679 --> 03:19.220 the same day that you fly . So we got 03:19.229 --> 03:21.451 up there that Sunday , got our gear all 03:21.451 --> 03:24.300 settled in our rooms . Uh , had a nice 03:24.309 --> 03:26.365 dinner . Got to visit with Sue . She 03:26.365 --> 03:28.660 showed us the camp . Sue proved to be 03:28.669 --> 03:31.149 more than just a host to the group . In 03:31.160 --> 03:33.271 addition to providing a warm place to 03:33.271 --> 03:35.438 sleep at night , she also provided the 03:35.438 --> 03:37.604 hunters with amazing cooked breakfasts 03:37.604 --> 03:39.789 and dinners and made sure everyone had 03:39.800 --> 03:41.911 the food and supplies needed prior to 03:41.911 --> 03:44.710 departing for the day's hunt . However , 03:44.720 --> 03:46.831 the biggest contribution she provided 03:46.831 --> 03:48.831 the group was offering her personal 03:48.831 --> 03:51.429 experiences of hunting the open tundra 03:51.440 --> 03:54.210 of Alaska's north slope for the 03:54.220 --> 03:56.164 soldiers of the group . This was a 03:56.164 --> 03:58.169 great opportunity to not just learn 03:58.179 --> 04:00.500 from veteran Alaskan hunters but to 04:00.509 --> 04:02.676 also test the training they receive in 04:02.676 --> 04:05.139 the army from stalking low and slow to 04:05.149 --> 04:07.889 not silhouette yourself or create noise , 04:07.899 --> 04:09.843 alerting everything around of your 04:09.843 --> 04:12.029 presence . These tactics were put to 04:12.039 --> 04:14.250 the test right away as they began 04:14.259 --> 04:16.690 spotting animals across the flat tundra 04:16.950 --> 04:19.061 and had to position themselves in the 04:19.061 --> 04:21.339 best position to take their long shots . 04:21.968 --> 04:24.190 Uh Monday morning and , and started our 04:24.190 --> 04:27.669 hunt on day 11 of the guys killed his 04:27.678 --> 04:30.148 first grizzly bear . Um They didn't see 04:30.158 --> 04:32.102 a lot of Caribou that day , but to 04:32.102 --> 04:34.214 harvest the grizzly bear in that part 04:34.214 --> 04:36.158 of the state is just , just really 04:36.158 --> 04:38.569 awesome , uh , bucket list type of hunt 04:38.579 --> 04:40.898 for him . And , uh , what was really 04:40.908 --> 04:43.468 cool is everybody was just excited for 04:43.479 --> 04:46.509 him as if they were to shoot it and 04:46.519 --> 04:48.741 everybody teamed up and helped to clean 04:48.741 --> 04:52.100 and , and keep the , the grizzly ran up 04:52.109 --> 04:54.640 on a grizzly that was , uh , out , 04:54.649 --> 04:56.760 looked like it either had a kill site 04:56.760 --> 04:58.871 or was looking for something , but it 04:58.871 --> 05:00.927 was milling around , got out , put a 05:00.927 --> 05:04.049 stalk on , it got to right around 460 05:04.059 --> 05:06.989 yards and one shot and it was down . 05:08.000 --> 05:10.111 That was my first grizzly . Yeah , it 05:10.111 --> 05:12.278 was amazing . It was definitely on the 05:12.278 --> 05:14.444 bucket list of things that I wanted to 05:14.444 --> 05:16.500 do . Uh It was an amazing time . She 05:16.500 --> 05:18.500 took a heart shaped rock out of her 05:18.500 --> 05:20.611 pocket said that she had used it many 05:20.611 --> 05:22.667 times before on animals that she had 05:22.667 --> 05:22.609 harvested , put it on the bear , got 05:22.619 --> 05:24.730 some of the blood on and , you know , 05:24.730 --> 05:26.786 thank the bear for providing us with 05:26.786 --> 05:28.952 meat and said a few other little words 05:28.952 --> 05:28.940 for it . I thought that was just really 05:28.950 --> 05:31.006 awesome . The next day , Sue came up 05:31.006 --> 05:33.006 and gave me the rock and said , you 05:33.006 --> 05:35.339 know what ? That was your first grizzly . 05:35.339 --> 05:34.600 You were able to take it over here with 05:34.609 --> 05:36.776 me . You deserve this . And she handed 05:36.776 --> 05:38.887 me the rock and to me that , that was 05:38.887 --> 05:40.942 very special . The hunt is more than 05:40.942 --> 05:43.053 pursuit . It's a deep respect for the 05:43.053 --> 05:44.942 land . And its inhabitants . With 05:44.942 --> 05:47.165 Mark's early success underscoring their 05:47.165 --> 05:49.410 commitment . The group grew closer with 05:49.420 --> 05:51.587 each memory made as they came together 05:51.587 --> 05:53.476 to process the grizzly , both for 05:53.476 --> 05:55.320 taxidermy and for the freezer . 05:57.529 --> 05:59.473 And then that night , the northern 05:59.473 --> 06:01.970 lights came out that were just epic 06:01.980 --> 06:04.510 northern lights back at camp . Sue 06:04.519 --> 06:06.686 offers her heartfelt gratitude for the 06:06.686 --> 06:08.741 sacrifices the soldiers and veterans 06:08.741 --> 06:11.140 have made ensuring that each member 06:11.149 --> 06:13.205 knows how honored she is to host the 06:13.205 --> 06:15.093 group of past and present service 06:15.093 --> 06:18.720 members . I value you 06:18.730 --> 06:20.786 guys being here . I appreciate you . 06:20.786 --> 06:23.260 Thank you for serving the country and 06:23.269 --> 06:25.602 don't make it the last time you come up . 06:26.239 --> 06:28.461 As the week drew on , the hunters would 06:28.461 --> 06:30.540 share their insights and experiences 06:30.549 --> 06:32.559 while the skies filled with dancing 06:32.570 --> 06:35.420 auroras becoming a medium for mentoring 06:35.429 --> 06:37.540 and fostering a legacy of ethical 06:37.549 --> 06:39.771 hunting for each person to carry on and 06:39.771 --> 06:43.529 share with others . You know , the 06:43.540 --> 06:46.119 lights like there's no light pollution 06:46.130 --> 06:49.649 up here . The lights are the brightest 06:49.660 --> 06:53.220 I've ever seen . The group pushed on 06:53.230 --> 06:55.341 through the week encountering another 06:55.341 --> 06:57.690 grizzly that Sue playfully named double 06:57.700 --> 06:59.959 stuff for its coloring , a bull moose 06:59.970 --> 07:02.179 making his way toward camp and even a 07:02.190 --> 07:04.412 polar bear walking along a nearby ridge 07:04.412 --> 07:06.799 line . I feel like we were able to get 07:06.809 --> 07:08.865 close to it , but like being able to 07:08.865 --> 07:11.970 see a wild polar bear . I never thought 07:11.980 --> 07:13.980 that happened that that came out of 07:13.980 --> 07:16.970 nowhere . Each step , each glance 07:16.980 --> 07:19.500 through the scope is guided by years of 07:19.510 --> 07:21.920 experience and a shared ethos among the 07:21.929 --> 07:24.920 hunters , using the information shared 07:24.929 --> 07:27.019 by the veteran Alaskan hunters . The 07:27.029 --> 07:29.196 group spotted a large group of Caribou 07:29.196 --> 07:31.429 on the horizon and the long stalk 07:31.440 --> 07:33.384 through the tussock covered tundra 07:33.384 --> 07:34.384 began , 07:38.540 --> 07:40.707 it was , it was the right group for me 07:40.707 --> 07:42.818 alone . Just being able to learn from 07:42.818 --> 07:44.929 everyone . I've learned from everyone 07:44.929 --> 07:48.609 in the group . There is more learned 07:48.619 --> 07:52.369 in seven days . Then I have my entire 07:52.679 --> 07:55.880 time hunting in other locations . When 07:55.890 --> 07:58.112 one member of the hunting party injured 07:58.112 --> 08:00.334 himself , the group again came together 08:00.334 --> 08:02.446 to help , make sure of their harvests 08:02.446 --> 08:04.668 were ready for transport . Sue is not a 08:04.668 --> 08:07.899 guy . She's doesn't guide us . Um She's 08:07.910 --> 08:10.329 a camp host . She has what they call a 08:10.339 --> 08:12.395 twisted bed and breakfast out in the 08:12.395 --> 08:14.506 middle of the tundra . So what's nice 08:14.506 --> 08:17.549 about Sue's camp is that you have three 08:17.559 --> 08:19.781 meals a day . You got breakfast , lunch 08:19.781 --> 08:22.670 and dinner . You have uh restrooms 08:22.679 --> 08:24.623 available . You have hot showers , 08:24.623 --> 08:27.049 laundry . If you need it as their 08:27.059 --> 08:29.170 journey to the north slope came to an 08:29.170 --> 08:31.281 end . The hunters thanked Sue for her 08:31.281 --> 08:33.059 heartfelt gratitude and amazing 08:33.059 --> 08:36.080 hospitality . Their successes though 08:36.090 --> 08:38.489 are not measured by the hunt but by the 08:38.500 --> 08:41.020 shared efforts in an ethical hunt and 08:41.030 --> 08:43.840 honoring each animal's spirit , they 08:43.849 --> 08:45.738 leave with more than trophies and 08:45.738 --> 08:47.960 memories . They carry forward a renewed 08:47.960 --> 08:49.739 commitment to conservation and 08:49.750 --> 08:52.429 preservation , a bond with the Alaskan 08:52.440 --> 08:55.369 wilderness . You know , for me going 08:55.380 --> 08:57.269 out and , and being able to teach 08:57.269 --> 08:59.380 somebody how to , how to hunt in this 08:59.380 --> 09:01.491 environment is , I think is extremely 09:01.491 --> 09:05.299 important . We , we want our service 09:05.309 --> 09:07.365 members and their families to really 09:07.365 --> 09:10.500 enjoy these opportunities that exist . 09:10.510 --> 09:12.969 But like I said , you know , Alaska is 09:12.979 --> 09:14.979 a dangerous place . I mean , it's a 09:14.979 --> 09:16.812 beautiful place but it'd be very 09:16.812 --> 09:19.035 dangerous if you don't know what you're 09:19.035 --> 09:21.257 doing and don't do your homework . It's 09:21.257 --> 09:23.035 not like hunting in Colorado or 09:23.035 --> 09:25.257 Kentucky or Tennessee or North Carolina 09:25.257 --> 09:27.535 or anywhere else down south . You know , 09:27.535 --> 09:29.590 our temperatures , the terrain , the 09:29.590 --> 09:31.590 proximity of what you're hunting in 09:31.590 --> 09:33.646 sometimes hundreds of miles from any 09:33.646 --> 09:36.380 medical help or civilization . Inspired 09:36.390 --> 09:38.612 by their experience , Mike and his team 09:38.612 --> 09:40.501 envisioned the potential for such 09:40.501 --> 09:42.168 adventures , become a regular 09:42.168 --> 09:44.223 opportunity for military personnel . 09:44.609 --> 09:46.665 You know , it's so important to , to 09:46.665 --> 09:48.942 learn about it before you go out there . 09:48.942 --> 09:51.053 You know , making sure that you're an 09:51.053 --> 09:53.220 ethical hunter that you're not hunting 09:53.220 --> 09:55.220 around people's cabins . You're not 09:55.220 --> 09:57.165 shooting into the fog , you're not 09:57.165 --> 10:00.070 destroying the landscape following the 10:00.080 --> 10:02.136 trails and , and , and the laws that 10:02.136 --> 10:04.358 are out there . It's just , that's what 10:04.358 --> 10:07.119 it's about emphasizing the importance 10:07.130 --> 10:09.030 of mentorship and ethical hunting 10:09.039 --> 10:11.729 practices . He sees the Alaskan 10:11.739 --> 10:13.700 wilderness , not just as a hunting 10:13.710 --> 10:16.080 ground but as a classroom where 10:16.090 --> 10:18.429 invaluable lessons on survival , 10:18.440 --> 10:21.140 respect for nature and ethical hunting 10:21.150 --> 10:25.140 practices can be imparted his advocacy 10:25.150 --> 10:27.460 for a mentorship program underscores a 10:27.469 --> 10:29.859 commitment to ethical hunting practices , 10:29.869 --> 10:32.380 conservation and the nurturing of a 10:32.390 --> 10:34.919 responsible hunting community this 10:34.929 --> 10:37.151 communal approach not only enhances the 10:37.151 --> 10:39.262 learning experience for new hunters , 10:39.262 --> 10:41.500 but also reinforces a culture of 10:41.510 --> 10:43.919 responsibility and respect among the 10:43.929 --> 10:46.739 hunting community . Mike hopes to 10:46.750 --> 10:48.694 contribute to the ongoing dialogue 10:48.694 --> 10:50.917 about the role of hunters in preserving 10:50.917 --> 10:52.861 the tradition and integrity of the 10:52.861 --> 10:53.900 sport for future generations .