Sarah Palin's Alaska (2010) s01e04 Episode Script
She's A Great Shot
[ laughing .]
brrr! Hunting is something most alaskans do To fill their freezer with meat for the winter, And I've been going out with my dad to hunt Ever since I was a little girl.
Chuck sr.
: Wolf tracks right here.
That's a pretty big wolf.
That's as big as my hand.
Big enough to take you down.
Sarah: Out here, the hunter can become the hunted If you're not careful, Because in this tundra, There are dangerous predators everywhere, And we're outnumbered.
He just drug me up into this part of the tundra here.
Man.
Feel right here where his teeth went into my head.
Oh, lord.
On this two-day trip, we're heading into One of the most uninhabited areas in all of alaska To hunt one of the state's many herds of caribou.
Holy geez.
I don't think my dad's even been to this hunting camp, And that tells you it's out in the middle of nowhere.
This is more than a sport.
There are still caribou up on the summit.
Let's go find those puppies.
That rifle in your hand can mean food d d d d d d d d.
you need a place to be your sanctuary follow me there come on, follow me there where love, like a river, flows peace like you've never known and joy never-ending lives won't you follow me there? won't you follow me there? where love, like a river, flows peace like you've never known and joy never-ending lives a place where faith can find hope that will never die follow me there ââ¢Âª come on, follow me there ââ¢Âª -- Captions by vitac -- Captions paid for by discovery communications [ hawk cries .]
Hey, there's your blueberries, becker.
Gosh, these are good-tasting ones.
Steve: They've got to be loaded with vitamin "c.
" Chuck sr.
: Nothing stirring out here.
Old eagle eye -- he sees it all, doesn't he? Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
Look at that one.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
We'll wait till he stops.
Shoot him right in the center of the chest.
Damn it.
Steve: Uh-oh.
What do you want to do, chuck? Something's not right here.
Sarah: Oh, you forgot one thing, piper.
Piper: What? You know, your spelling test is today, okay? Lookit, lookit, lookit.
You're gonna go up to fairbanks with molly for a football game.
And grandpa and I, We're going to be up hunting, caribou hunting, So we'll bring you back some caribou meat, okay? Yeah, sure.
We'll be back in a couple of days.
Sarah: From as far back as I can remember, My dad and I have spent hours Outside in the alaskan wilderness Hunting and fishing together, And I want to continue that tradition with my family.
Many remote areas of alaska, especially native communities, There's no grocery store nearby.
It's 400 or 500 miles away.
You harvest the wildlife, and you put it in your freezer, And you live off that through the winter.
Oh, you didn't practice your spelling words.
We'll do it really quick.
"migrating.
" spell "migrating.
" M-I-g-r-a-t-e-- No.
T-I-e-r.
I-n-g.
Not "migrater.
" "migrating.
" Yeah.
You ready, piper? Sarah: Normally, we hunt together, but this year, todd and I Split the hunting and gathering responsibilities.
Todd is going hunting for moose Later in the week with his brother, But this weekend, I'm going hunting for caribou with my dad.
He's 72 years old, And yet he's got more stamina and more perseverance, I think, Than anybody else that I know.
Chuck sr.
: I got ammo.
I got my backpacks.
Bug dope.
My bug dope is in my stuff bag.
When I go hunting or fishing, I can't sleep the night before.
I just get so excited about it, Even though I've done it for 50 years, Just like a kid in a candy store.
I just love every second of it.
Hey, stranger! How's it going? Where have you been? I thought you were out fishing.
I was out fishing.
I hear you're going hunting with me.
Yes, sir, I am.
You better not miss.
[ chuckles .]
I'm really looking forward to this hunt.
I get to go with my daughter, sarah palin, And my buddy steve becker.
He's a kick in the rear end.
He's a lot of fun, a good hunter, And all I hope is he doesn't snore too much.
Chuck sr.
: Okay, steve, let's go in and see what we got inside there, And then we'll go from there, okay? Okay.
Sounds good.
Let's pick up these guns.
I have a 7mm magnum I want to take, And then I have a varmint gun for sarah to shoot.
She prefers the varmint gun Because it doesn't kick that much.
What are all these skulls, chuck? Oh, well, I show these things at school.
Well, what are we starting with here? We got a bear, a wolf, a bear, a wolf, A cougar, a coyote, a wolverine, A seal, a seal, a fox, A cat, a lynx, a lynx.
This would be a martin, a mink, And a weasel, yeah.
Weasel.
Weasel ermine, yeah.
Now, I don't even want to know what these are from.
These would be geese.
This would be some kind of a duck.
I mean, this is amazing.
A little bit of everything.
[ truck door opens, closes .]
There we go.
Time for a quick cup of coffee and hit the airport, huh? Sarah: Hello.
Chuck sr.
: You ready to go, heath? I'm ready, freddie.
You got your trigger finger warmed up? I do.
Chuck sr.
: I've hunted with my daughter, sarah palin, many times, And every hunting trip is an adventure.
She's a great shot.
She carries her own weight, Whether it's hunting or fishing or politics.
Anything sarah palin does, she does with all four feet.
Let me tell you that.
Here's the deal, guys, look.
What do we got? You know, we've got enough caribou sausage And moose pepperoni.
We have some buffalo.
But look.
We're down to just, you know, five moose packages, Three caribou packages, And we will fill this up with caribou.
It's that time of year you're looking in your freezer.
Winter's gonna just be right around the corner.
It's time to get out there and go caribou hunting And fill my freezer for my kids' meals this coming winter.
Maybe find a moose, too.
Maybe even a bear.
Where's todd? He's not coming this go 'round.
He's gonna go hunt in kotzebue.
So it is on your shoulders, becker.
Okay.
So, I think we should go a buck for the first one And $5 for the biggest one.
A buck for the first one, $5 for the biggest.
Okay.
Let's go.
Let's get the show on the road.
I'm ready.
Chuck sr.
: I'm ready.
I hope the caribou are ready.
You can hunt all over alaska, but no matter where you go, You have to prepare for the harsh weather conditions And some of the most dangerous predators on the planet.
Guns are all unloaded.
Where we're going to hunt is an extremely remote part of alaska, 250 miles north of the arctic circle in the tundra, Where we'll hunt from just one of alaska's many herds of caribou.
To get there, we fly about 600 miles from wasilla To a place called kavik.
Not a whole lot of people have heard of kavik, But, my goodness, what an interesting place This camp called kavik is.
Sue: Welcome to kavik.
Did you guys have a good flight? How are you doing? It got chilly.
It did.
It did.
When we landed in kavik, I had already met sue aikens before.
I'd done an interview with her for fox news, And sue aikens, man, she is the alaskan woman.
She is the mama grizzly.
I swear to god, nobody is ever gonna believe What she goes through.
You guys are gonna be doing some hunting? Hopefully some shooting.
Well, yeah, that's always the better part of it.
So, kavik population -- Population of me.
One.
Me.
This is it.
You get reelected to mayor every year? I do.
Sue: I work and live up at kavik river camp, Located 69.
4 north by 146.
54 west.
It's a geographic location.
It's not a town.
I'm the only resident here.
My closest neighbors are about 120 miles to the northeast.
You know, I have quite a few weapons to protect myself.
Some women want perfume and diamonds.
Blood, guts, and bullets -- that's me.
Sue: I've been here eight years now.
Chuck sr.
: The coldest you've seen it? The coldest I've seen it here is about 75 below zero.
Whoo-whoo! But the wind out here, It just screams in the wintertime, you know? You're careful about attracting bears, I would imagine, here.
A couple of years ago, I knew I had a bear Hanging around and being very aggressive.
You've always got to be aware That you're a food group out here.
You're not top of the food chain.
And, so, I went in the river to get my pump out of the water, Laid down my rifle, and he was just around the cut bank And came and snatched me up.
Man! And he just drug me up into this part of the tundra here.
You can feel right here Where his teeth went into my head, you know.
Oh, lord.
Oh, my goodness.
Holy cow! But the jaws are on your head.
He tore the hips out of the sockets.
In my head, I had to get back to the dining hall to get a gun.
I didn't think about the one I had left.
And, so, I came, and I sewed my head back together 'cause it was bleeding too bad.
Steve: You what? Sewed my head back together.
Sewed your head back together.
There's no doctor.
Geez.
So, I got a gun, and I knew about where he was.
It was hard walking, but I shot him, gpsed it, And I laid here for about 10 days before a pilot found me.
That's an amazing story.
[ laughs .]
I got your rifle.
And one bandolier of bullets.
Okay.
Okay, so you're going on the plane, And I'm waiting for another plane.
See you later.
Okay.
How long a flight? 15 minutes? I'll go as fast as I can, red line the whole way.
There you go.
[ chuckles .]
Sarah: We're gonna spend the next two days at a very remote camp That's accessible only by a special plane That can carry only one passenger at a time.
See you on down the trail.
Okeydoke.
It's in the middle of nowhere, so you have to be prepared, You have to be so safe, you have to be careful Because, as we learned from sue, if something goes wrong, There's no one out there to help us.
Man: All right.
You're ready.
Yeah.
Okay.
We got to hustle.
The weather's coming.
Chuck's there.
He's working on camp.
It's all good.
Sarah: While this camp is remote, we're about to fly to an area That is set so deep in the alaskan tundra, You can only get there on one of these small bush planes, The piper super cub, only one person at a time.
It's like flying in a little, tiny tuna-fish can.
I know.
It's not the greatest.
These planes have a special place in our hearts.
We named our daughter piper after one.
Okay.
I'm gonna get in.
Right on.
Short flight.
Bye.
[ laughs .]
Thank you! We're going hunting deep in the alaskan tundra, Miles outside of kavik camp.
In the event of an emergency, There's no guarantee medical help could reach us out here, So we're on our own.
Thank you.
Could you see any caribou coming over? Good.
Finding firewood.
Is this ours? This is ours up here.
Anything you want to keep dry, Make sure it's in the tent or in a bag or something, 'cause that fog just soaks everything.
Yeah.
Give me one of those.
I loaded your gun.
All righty.
You guys got my sat phone.
If you need anything, call me.
Okay.
All righty.
Thank you very much.
Sarah: When that pilot disappeared over the horizon, It was scary because he was our last connection to civilization For the next two days.
[ speaks indistinctly .]
Hello.
See, the sun comes up this way.
Let's have the The opening that way.
Opening that way.
That's what the indians used to do.
Sarah: Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Two of us will sleep in here, And one will sleep in the other tent with the gear, huh? Okay.
So no bears yet, either.
So somebody needs to at least listen for them.
We'll have a gun in each tent.
I'm putting this rifle in here.
Put that rifle by your feet, do you think? I'll just lay it beside me.
Okay.
I'm gonna try one of the hand warmers in the sleeping bag.
When I spend the night in bear country, There are two things I always want with me -- A loaded rifle and my dad.
See you in the morning.
All right.
Good night, sarah.
[ animal howling in distance .]
[ birds chirping .]
[ squawking .]
Chuck sr.
: Let's see what we got here.
Those two moved back up the hill.
Sarah: Now, can you see antlers on those? No, but just body size.
That means they're far away.
What we're gonna do is go up on the top of that hill right there And glass and see where we need to go, And maybe we can pick up one of them up there Without going 2 1/2, 3 miles.
Oh, this is gonna be fun.
Glassing is using binoculars and surveying the area.
Probably 80% of my hunting is done by glassing.
You see your animal, then determine How you want to go about stalking that animal Or if he's worth stalking, if he's big enough.
If I didn't have my glasses, my binoculars, I wouldn't even go hunting.
I still want to go up behind and glass.
Yeah, there might be a herd of them up above the hill.
Let's go find those puppies.
Sarah: Alaska is the biggest state in the country, And even though there are many more caribou than people here, Sometimes tracking down just one can be a real challenge.
We don't have the advantage.
The animals have the advantage.
That is, until we have the bullet in the chamber.
Chuck sr.
: This is terrible stuff to walk on.
We're lucky we're not rolling ankles.
[ chuckles .]
yeah, it could happen.
We'll go on the crest of this hill And sit down and really glass it.
Okay.
I just saw your caribou.
He's the same place but going uphill.
You're kidding.
Yeah.
I just got a glimpse of him.
He turned sideways.
He was running.
Oh, yeah.
I see him right there -- two.
Yeah, I can see the horns on the one on the right.
He's a good one, yeah.
And the one on the left has to be a bull also.
Might get your feet wet.
We'll see if we can piggyback you.
It's terrible, isn't it? Sarah: It looked easier from up there.
Holy moly.
Well, that will be fun packing the meat back up.
Hang onto the brush.
[ grunts .]
Dad? Holy moly.
Hang onto the brush.
[ grunts .]
Oh, my gosh.
Dad? Steve: Chuck? Chuck? I'm fine.
I'll be cramping tonight.
Sarah: When my dad fell, I was really afraid he'd been badly injured.
You know, we're stumbling.
We're falling.
There's little cliffs.
There's jagged rocks that we're climbing.
It's amazing we're not rolling our ankles or breaking a leg.
[ laughing .]
brrr! Crossing those creeks, it's a little bit treacherous, Because it's freakin' freezing cold.
Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Forget it.
Lovely! I know that my feet are gonna be wrinkled and blistered By the end of the day, But this is what has created within me A desire to be tough and to be self-sufficien And to be independent.
A lot of it has to do with the upbringing That I've had in alaska.
Tracks right here.
Predators.
I don't know.
That's a pretty big wolf.
That's as big as my hand.
Big enough to take you down.
Sarah: The caribou's biggest predator, their biggest threat, Is the pack of wolves.
The caribou don't fear man so much, But they certainly fear wolves.
Steve: We saw two wolves on our last trip, And you could hear them howling at night.
Chuck sr.
: Bunch of tracks here.
All we got to do is follow them.
How much walking do you think we've done today? I don't know.
We've only walked maybe five, six miles.
You know, there's definitely a lot of caribou around.
There's tracks everywhere we've been.
Yeah, and these are fresh tracks, too.
No big herds.
So, where the heck are they? 'cause look how fresh, dad.
The wind hasn't even disturbed that one.
That's fresh, yeah.
That's very fresh.
Well, then, dang it.
Where is it? You probably scared them down here.
This one might hopefully be right over the top.
Just want to ease up and peek over.
One step at a time the next 50 yards.
Easy.
They could be anywhere.
Come on.
Not many caribou.
I can't find a-one up here.
Steve: I wonder where the big ones are today.
They have to be over here.
They have to be over here.
Sarah: I swear they have to be around here.
It's gonna take an hour and a half to get home.
Day is done.
Saddle up.
Sarah: After all that hiking, we're not seeing an animal, And it gets a little bit frustrating, But as my dad always says, hunting is about opportunity.
So we're gonna call it a day and try our luck tomorrow.
Yeah, we'll have to play all our options tomorrow.
They're laughing at us.
Steve: We were all a little bit disappointed That we weren't successful the first day.
Aah! That's part of the rules of fair chase.
Hunting isn't supposed to be easy.
If it were easy, then it wouldn't be a fair competition.
I think we'll still get a caribou.
They move so much.
It's just a matter of time.
What do we have for dinner? Any sandwiches? Spam in a can.
Spam.
I don't think we even have hot dogs to roast this time.
Uh-oh.
Hey, there's still caribou up on the summit, Right on the skyline.
Oh, skyline.
See the caribou over there? Three.
There's another one.
The one on the right's coming down.
Don't make me sad.
Well, he's coming down.
That's not sad.
I'm thinking I'm gonna go after him.
Chuck sr.
: I was pooped, sarah was soaking wet, And her boots were waterlogged, And she said, "eh, we'll wait and see.
" You're gonna go look for those caribou.
They headed over.
I'm gonna go see which way they're heading, And hopefully I can cut them off up on this point.
Steve: I wanted to get the first one.
I didn't want to sit in camp the rest of the night going, "geez, maybe I could have done it.
" Oh, there he is.
There he is, up on top.
Okay.
I don't know.
That's pretty far.
That's what I wish we would have had.
Steve: Chuck! What? Look at this.
I'm not looking.
I bring home the food! You missed dinner.
I brought dinner.
How was it? It was a blast.
Oh, my gosh.
Let me help you.
It had the velvet on it even, huh? I was jealous, and I'm sure my dad was a little bit, too.
A dollar for the first one.
Okay.
You get your flippin' dollar.
So, that's a dollar.
Right now, it's the biggest.
It's sweet! So I'm thinking this is a $6 bill right now.
[ laughter .]
Becker and I had a bet going -- A buck for the first animal And five bucks for the biggest animal.
And so far, he's got six bucks coming.
Kind of threw down the gauntlet.
Ticks me off, because I don't like to lose a bet.
But happy for him because his freezer needs some meat, too.
You guys got water? Steve: I've got four water.
I have granola bars in here, couple of sandwiches.
Chuck sr.
: Are you ready? I'm ready.
Let's go get them.
Let's go west, young man.
But that's east.
Well, then, let's go east.
I'll follow you.
Follow me.
You know where you're going? I know I'm going east.
Remember? East.
Just take us to the caribou.
It doesn't matter what direction.
The last day in the camp, We got to make it worth it this day.
We have to be able to bag an animal today.
This is it for us.
There's caribou tracks around here.
Steve: These are pretty fresh.
Yeah.
Look at this trail here.
They're teasing us.
Well, you know, a wolf could be hiding.
I know.
We walked right up on a bear on our last hunt last week.
He jumped up and looked at us.
Yeah.
Steve: I've never shot a bear.
Chuck sr.
: You can't really eat them.
This one guy I guided with years ago, He was from kentucky.
I remember he had no teeth.
He was a real hillbilly type.
I asked him if he ever ate grizzly bear, and he says, "just what floated to the top when I was boiling the skull.
" [ sarah gulps .]
Geez.
Kind of some of the sinewy stuff.
What are you thinking, chuck? We're gonna go stake out this gully.
Let's stop in a big blueberry patch.
I'm hungry.
Sarah: As we're glassing, we're not seeing an animal, And my thought is, "oh, no.
Not another day like yesterday.
" Everything's such a flippin' gamble.
I know, but that's hunting.
I know, and that's the rules of fair chase.
I don't know about you guys.
I'm sweating up a storm.
Oh, man.
Me too.
Hey, there's blueberries, becker.
Steve: Can you imagine a whole blueberry pie made with these? I know.
The caribou will wait.
The blueberries have to go.
Chuck sr.
: Nothing's stirring out here.
Oh, these are good.
I'm gonna forget what we're here for.
Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[ gunshot .]
You missed.
Take your time.
Take your time.
[ gunshot .]
Chuck sr.
: You're not hitting it.
I know that.
I know I didn't hit it.
Take your time.
[ gunshot .]
Uh-oh.
What do you want to do, chuck? Give me your gun.
Something's not right here, 'cause this gun's right on.
[ gunshot .]
That was high, too.
Here you go, sarah.
Damn it.
What do you want to do, chuck? Keep going, chuck.
He's gonna stop again.
Come on.
Perfect shot.
Chuck sr.
: Come on.
Perfect shot.
Perfect shot.
Right in the shoulder.
[ gunshot .]
Use becker's gun.
Safety's off, ready to go.
Wait for him to stop.
It kicks.
It kicks.
This kicks? It's okay.
I can't -- this isn't comfortable.
He's not gonna go anywhere.
Get settled down, sarah.
Sarah, put -- Okay.
You guys.
Wait for him to stop.
He's coming right at you.
Just wait, wait.
Wait till it turns broad side and stops.
Go ahead.
Right in the neck.
[ gunshot .]
Good.
There you go, baby! There you go! Okay, good.
There you go.
Okay, good.
That's just perfect.
When you're shooting, Everything seems to be happening very, very quickly.
Instructions flying at you.
You're shooting, and the gun's kicking, But then, when you see that you have a successful hit, It's a great feeling of accomplishment.
Okay.
Wait right there, sarah.
Wait right there.
We got to make sure it's dead.
It's dead.
In the words of ted nugent, we thank that mighty animal For living a good life and now sustaining a nice family.
Okay.
Chuck sr.
: Feel better now? I feel a lot better now.
Well, I'm always really happy when I do get an animal, Because usually my dad is by my side when I'm hunting, And it's like, "see, dad? I did it! "I listened to what you said, and I learned something, And we accomplished it together.
" So, that's a really nice feeling, too.
I want you to take each leg like this, about right there.
Is this knife good? No.
Use this one.
I'm not gonna gut this.
We're gonna quarter it and take him home so I don't gut him.
You'll see, as we take the quarters off, How easy it is, the procedure we're gonna use.
Get that underneath there.
You have to be prepared after you bag that animal To haul it out, And you want to get all the meat that you possibly can.
So we skinned the thing, And we're gonna take those hind quarters And the four legs with us And as much backstrap meat and rib meat as we can.
Now we got to get the ribs.
That's good eating there.
Good brisket.
Yeah.
Now if we can find a big one -- yeah.
Now if we can find a big one and I get to shoot it, I get my five bucks back from becker.
Steve: My $5 is secure right now.
So far.
Sarah: To know that we have good meat in the freezer For at least part of the year, that is the main thing.
Outstanding.
That is outstanding.
Yep.
Congratulations once again.
Every time I hunt with dad, I learn something new.
I learned something new skinning the animal today, A different way that he had learned From one of our fishing partners.
I would never have known that had I not been out there today.
I'm gonna shoot that gun and show you it's hitting right on.
I'm gonna bet you $5 that your scope is off.
You're off.
Chuck sr.
: Well, that was fun.
That was fun.
That was a distance but not as bad as yesterday.
Okay, let's prove my point.
I kept missing the caribou, Even though it was squarely in my sights.
I don't care what my dad says.
I know there's something off with his gun.
So, to prove him wrong, We set up a little test when we returned to camp.
Right here, chuck? Go to the grass there.
That was about the same distance You were shooting at that caribou.
Oh, no.
Mine was twice as far.
That's good.
Yeah.
[ gunshot .]
Nothing.
Nothing? Nothing.
I don't see no point of impact, neither.
Want to try again? [ gunshot .]
You missed, dad.
Something's off.
Nothing? Nothing! Oh! You shot above it! I owe sarah $5.
Right on.
Just pay becker, 'cause I owe him five bucks.
You'll make sure that fire's gone, gone? Oh, yes, ma'am.
Thank you, sir.
I'm excited that we got our caribou, But the trip is far from over.
We still have to pack everything up And get our gear all the way back home to wasilla So that we can start processing the meat before it goes bad.
So, the plane just came in.
Who's going out first, guys? I will go back to kavik, And I will see you guys there in a few hours.
[ chuckles .]
Hey, sarah, thank you for coming with me.
Thank you, dad.
It was a blast.
Glad to get to know you again.
[ chuckles .]
Just like old times.
Chuck sr.
: When sarah shot that caribou, I immediately thought, "that's my girl.
That's the girl I raised, and I'm glad I raised her that way.
" [ engine turns over .]
Sarah: A couple times a year, most alaskans, Their kitchen or their garage Turn into a meat-processing plant.
Piper, want to see the heart? [ squawking .]
Oh, come on.
Yeah, buddy.
[ squeaks .]
Hey, big hunter.
Yes, I am the successful hunter.
It was alast, you guys! Let me grab something for you.
I'll take something really light.
Just the boots.
Just the boots is good.
[ laughs .]
well, cool.
These mornings have been beautiful, Not all fogged in, even.
Great day, huh? You know, when sarah came back from the trip, I was so excited, you know? And she got off the plane, and we sat and talked.
You know, the tundra is a type of landscape That will make a man out of anybody.
And it looked so easy.
It looked so smooth, you know? Oh, four miles out.
Sure, let's go.
You know, after a mile, it's like, "geez.
" And my dad, he didn't let up.
Becker and I are looking at each other like, "really? "we're only a quarter of the way there? This is crazy.
" Hey.
Oh, I miss this part of this camp.
Yeah! Good to see you again, sue.
Hey.
Sue: Hey, guys.
This is the part that I detest.
I know.
We don't like "feelings," either.
Well, safe trip home.
Thank you.
Safe journey.
Oh, you be safe.
Have fun.
And don't let it be the last time.
We'll be back.
We'll be back.
Keep the same attitude, too.
Same perspective.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you, guys.
You're great.
One last hug.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, sarah.
It's been nice getting to know you as a person.
Thank you.
Appreciate that.
Sue: You know, when sarah, chuck, and becker leave, I won't see anybody for nine months.
You know, as governor, Sarah really affected my life as an alaskan, But to be able to meet them, get to know them as humans, They became my friends very quickly, And very hard to see your friends leave.
You know, they're not just people that I hear about.
They're neighbors now But my neighbors just live a thousand miles away.
Sarah: She's a very amazing and inspiring woman, Encapsulating that alaska spirit, Pioneering, independent, Not looking for anybody else to meet challenges for her.
She's gonna do it herself.
That's what you see in sue.
That was an awesome trip.
Oh, yeah.
That was a blast.
Thanks again for inviting me.
You are so welcome.
Coffee, sarah? Yes, please.
Did you miss me? [ grunting .]
yeah.
Good! Aah! [ squeaks .]
Wait till you see what I got, piper.
You'd be so proud.
Not really, but you'll be.
Hey, piper, want to see mama's caribou? I'll go get the horns.
Ooh, you're gonna be impressed.
Steve, you won't be able to carry it by yourself.
I may have to help you, becker.
That's tiny.
[ chuckles .]
Would you like that on your bedroom wall? No.
How about in your locker? No.
Come on! Tell me you're proud, impressed! Steve: Sarah, I'm gonna go grab that meat.
A couple times a year, most alaskans, Their kitchen or their garage Turn into a meat-processing plant -- Getting some of the meat packaged right then In the freezer for steaks and stew later through the winter.
Piper, want to see the heart? Piper: It reeks.
Chuck sr.
: This is when the real work begins.
This is time-consuming.
What is that, grandpa? That's its leg.
That's a tiny caribou.
Shh! Your mom shot the tiny one.
I took an animal out of a herd of about 120,000 caribou, And there are that many animals in other herds All around alaska.
We manage our wildlife for abundance.
We allow sustainability to ensure That the next generation and the next and the next Are assured the same opportunities For hunting and for viewing of wildlife, Whatever it is that you want to do.
This is awesome -- Filling the freezer like we set out to do.
The caribou that sarah shot will be fantastic for eating.
It's a young cow.
It'll be very, very good.
Sarah: My dad -- he's my hero.
I've hunted with him all my life.
Dad has always said, "life is too short to be stuck in a rut.
" It's one of the lessons that I learned from him When I was a little girl.
We want to seize the moment.
We want to get out there and enjoy And produce and contribute and work.
My dad has taught me that, If you want to have wild, organic, healthy food, You're gonna go out there and hunt yourself and fish yourself, And you're gonna fill up your freezer.
You know, my dad has lived that, and I got to see it firsthand, How somebody like my dad has been happy andulfilled, Because he's worked so hard.
That's what he instilled in me, And that is now what I get to pass on to my children.
Next time on "sarah palin's alaska" Say I'm going camping with a gal who's never camped before.
It's so good to meet you.
Was the tongue removable before? Oh, perfect, 'cause it is now.
Get him! Get him, sarah! Get him, sarah! Yeah! Look at that! This should have been a trip to vegas instead.
Oh, trust me.
I'm there.
There's wild animals around here.
Don't go near the river.
You can see russia from here Almost.
brrr! Hunting is something most alaskans do To fill their freezer with meat for the winter, And I've been going out with my dad to hunt Ever since I was a little girl.
Chuck sr.
: Wolf tracks right here.
That's a pretty big wolf.
That's as big as my hand.
Big enough to take you down.
Sarah: Out here, the hunter can become the hunted If you're not careful, Because in this tundra, There are dangerous predators everywhere, And we're outnumbered.
He just drug me up into this part of the tundra here.
Man.
Feel right here where his teeth went into my head.
Oh, lord.
On this two-day trip, we're heading into One of the most uninhabited areas in all of alaska To hunt one of the state's many herds of caribou.
Holy geez.
I don't think my dad's even been to this hunting camp, And that tells you it's out in the middle of nowhere.
This is more than a sport.
There are still caribou up on the summit.
Let's go find those puppies.
That rifle in your hand can mean food d d d d d d d d.
you need a place to be your sanctuary follow me there come on, follow me there where love, like a river, flows peace like you've never known and joy never-ending lives won't you follow me there? won't you follow me there? where love, like a river, flows peace like you've never known and joy never-ending lives a place where faith can find hope that will never die follow me there ââ¢Âª come on, follow me there ââ¢Âª -- Captions by vitac -- Captions paid for by discovery communications [ hawk cries .]
Hey, there's your blueberries, becker.
Gosh, these are good-tasting ones.
Steve: They've got to be loaded with vitamin "c.
" Chuck sr.
: Nothing stirring out here.
Old eagle eye -- he sees it all, doesn't he? Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
Look at that one.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
We'll wait till he stops.
Shoot him right in the center of the chest.
Damn it.
Steve: Uh-oh.
What do you want to do, chuck? Something's not right here.
Sarah: Oh, you forgot one thing, piper.
Piper: What? You know, your spelling test is today, okay? Lookit, lookit, lookit.
You're gonna go up to fairbanks with molly for a football game.
And grandpa and I, We're going to be up hunting, caribou hunting, So we'll bring you back some caribou meat, okay? Yeah, sure.
We'll be back in a couple of days.
Sarah: From as far back as I can remember, My dad and I have spent hours Outside in the alaskan wilderness Hunting and fishing together, And I want to continue that tradition with my family.
Many remote areas of alaska, especially native communities, There's no grocery store nearby.
It's 400 or 500 miles away.
You harvest the wildlife, and you put it in your freezer, And you live off that through the winter.
Oh, you didn't practice your spelling words.
We'll do it really quick.
"migrating.
" spell "migrating.
" M-I-g-r-a-t-e-- No.
T-I-e-r.
I-n-g.
Not "migrater.
" "migrating.
" Yeah.
You ready, piper? Sarah: Normally, we hunt together, but this year, todd and I Split the hunting and gathering responsibilities.
Todd is going hunting for moose Later in the week with his brother, But this weekend, I'm going hunting for caribou with my dad.
He's 72 years old, And yet he's got more stamina and more perseverance, I think, Than anybody else that I know.
Chuck sr.
: I got ammo.
I got my backpacks.
Bug dope.
My bug dope is in my stuff bag.
When I go hunting or fishing, I can't sleep the night before.
I just get so excited about it, Even though I've done it for 50 years, Just like a kid in a candy store.
I just love every second of it.
Hey, stranger! How's it going? Where have you been? I thought you were out fishing.
I was out fishing.
I hear you're going hunting with me.
Yes, sir, I am.
You better not miss.
[ chuckles .]
I'm really looking forward to this hunt.
I get to go with my daughter, sarah palin, And my buddy steve becker.
He's a kick in the rear end.
He's a lot of fun, a good hunter, And all I hope is he doesn't snore too much.
Chuck sr.
: Okay, steve, let's go in and see what we got inside there, And then we'll go from there, okay? Okay.
Sounds good.
Let's pick up these guns.
I have a 7mm magnum I want to take, And then I have a varmint gun for sarah to shoot.
She prefers the varmint gun Because it doesn't kick that much.
What are all these skulls, chuck? Oh, well, I show these things at school.
Well, what are we starting with here? We got a bear, a wolf, a bear, a wolf, A cougar, a coyote, a wolverine, A seal, a seal, a fox, A cat, a lynx, a lynx.
This would be a martin, a mink, And a weasel, yeah.
Weasel.
Weasel ermine, yeah.
Now, I don't even want to know what these are from.
These would be geese.
This would be some kind of a duck.
I mean, this is amazing.
A little bit of everything.
[ truck door opens, closes .]
There we go.
Time for a quick cup of coffee and hit the airport, huh? Sarah: Hello.
Chuck sr.
: You ready to go, heath? I'm ready, freddie.
You got your trigger finger warmed up? I do.
Chuck sr.
: I've hunted with my daughter, sarah palin, many times, And every hunting trip is an adventure.
She's a great shot.
She carries her own weight, Whether it's hunting or fishing or politics.
Anything sarah palin does, she does with all four feet.
Let me tell you that.
Here's the deal, guys, look.
What do we got? You know, we've got enough caribou sausage And moose pepperoni.
We have some buffalo.
But look.
We're down to just, you know, five moose packages, Three caribou packages, And we will fill this up with caribou.
It's that time of year you're looking in your freezer.
Winter's gonna just be right around the corner.
It's time to get out there and go caribou hunting And fill my freezer for my kids' meals this coming winter.
Maybe find a moose, too.
Maybe even a bear.
Where's todd? He's not coming this go 'round.
He's gonna go hunt in kotzebue.
So it is on your shoulders, becker.
Okay.
So, I think we should go a buck for the first one And $5 for the biggest one.
A buck for the first one, $5 for the biggest.
Okay.
Let's go.
Let's get the show on the road.
I'm ready.
Chuck sr.
: I'm ready.
I hope the caribou are ready.
You can hunt all over alaska, but no matter where you go, You have to prepare for the harsh weather conditions And some of the most dangerous predators on the planet.
Guns are all unloaded.
Where we're going to hunt is an extremely remote part of alaska, 250 miles north of the arctic circle in the tundra, Where we'll hunt from just one of alaska's many herds of caribou.
To get there, we fly about 600 miles from wasilla To a place called kavik.
Not a whole lot of people have heard of kavik, But, my goodness, what an interesting place This camp called kavik is.
Sue: Welcome to kavik.
Did you guys have a good flight? How are you doing? It got chilly.
It did.
It did.
When we landed in kavik, I had already met sue aikens before.
I'd done an interview with her for fox news, And sue aikens, man, she is the alaskan woman.
She is the mama grizzly.
I swear to god, nobody is ever gonna believe What she goes through.
You guys are gonna be doing some hunting? Hopefully some shooting.
Well, yeah, that's always the better part of it.
So, kavik population -- Population of me.
One.
Me.
This is it.
You get reelected to mayor every year? I do.
Sue: I work and live up at kavik river camp, Located 69.
4 north by 146.
54 west.
It's a geographic location.
It's not a town.
I'm the only resident here.
My closest neighbors are about 120 miles to the northeast.
You know, I have quite a few weapons to protect myself.
Some women want perfume and diamonds.
Blood, guts, and bullets -- that's me.
Sue: I've been here eight years now.
Chuck sr.
: The coldest you've seen it? The coldest I've seen it here is about 75 below zero.
Whoo-whoo! But the wind out here, It just screams in the wintertime, you know? You're careful about attracting bears, I would imagine, here.
A couple of years ago, I knew I had a bear Hanging around and being very aggressive.
You've always got to be aware That you're a food group out here.
You're not top of the food chain.
And, so, I went in the river to get my pump out of the water, Laid down my rifle, and he was just around the cut bank And came and snatched me up.
Man! And he just drug me up into this part of the tundra here.
You can feel right here Where his teeth went into my head, you know.
Oh, lord.
Oh, my goodness.
Holy cow! But the jaws are on your head.
He tore the hips out of the sockets.
In my head, I had to get back to the dining hall to get a gun.
I didn't think about the one I had left.
And, so, I came, and I sewed my head back together 'cause it was bleeding too bad.
Steve: You what? Sewed my head back together.
Sewed your head back together.
There's no doctor.
Geez.
So, I got a gun, and I knew about where he was.
It was hard walking, but I shot him, gpsed it, And I laid here for about 10 days before a pilot found me.
That's an amazing story.
[ laughs .]
I got your rifle.
And one bandolier of bullets.
Okay.
Okay, so you're going on the plane, And I'm waiting for another plane.
See you later.
Okay.
How long a flight? 15 minutes? I'll go as fast as I can, red line the whole way.
There you go.
[ chuckles .]
Sarah: We're gonna spend the next two days at a very remote camp That's accessible only by a special plane That can carry only one passenger at a time.
See you on down the trail.
Okeydoke.
It's in the middle of nowhere, so you have to be prepared, You have to be so safe, you have to be careful Because, as we learned from sue, if something goes wrong, There's no one out there to help us.
Man: All right.
You're ready.
Yeah.
Okay.
We got to hustle.
The weather's coming.
Chuck's there.
He's working on camp.
It's all good.
Sarah: While this camp is remote, we're about to fly to an area That is set so deep in the alaskan tundra, You can only get there on one of these small bush planes, The piper super cub, only one person at a time.
It's like flying in a little, tiny tuna-fish can.
I know.
It's not the greatest.
These planes have a special place in our hearts.
We named our daughter piper after one.
Okay.
I'm gonna get in.
Right on.
Short flight.
Bye.
[ laughs .]
Thank you! We're going hunting deep in the alaskan tundra, Miles outside of kavik camp.
In the event of an emergency, There's no guarantee medical help could reach us out here, So we're on our own.
Thank you.
Could you see any caribou coming over? Good.
Finding firewood.
Is this ours? This is ours up here.
Anything you want to keep dry, Make sure it's in the tent or in a bag or something, 'cause that fog just soaks everything.
Yeah.
Give me one of those.
I loaded your gun.
All righty.
You guys got my sat phone.
If you need anything, call me.
Okay.
All righty.
Thank you very much.
Sarah: When that pilot disappeared over the horizon, It was scary because he was our last connection to civilization For the next two days.
[ speaks indistinctly .]
Hello.
See, the sun comes up this way.
Let's have the The opening that way.
Opening that way.
That's what the indians used to do.
Sarah: Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Two of us will sleep in here, And one will sleep in the other tent with the gear, huh? Okay.
So no bears yet, either.
So somebody needs to at least listen for them.
We'll have a gun in each tent.
I'm putting this rifle in here.
Put that rifle by your feet, do you think? I'll just lay it beside me.
Okay.
I'm gonna try one of the hand warmers in the sleeping bag.
When I spend the night in bear country, There are two things I always want with me -- A loaded rifle and my dad.
See you in the morning.
All right.
Good night, sarah.
[ animal howling in distance .]
[ birds chirping .]
[ squawking .]
Chuck sr.
: Let's see what we got here.
Those two moved back up the hill.
Sarah: Now, can you see antlers on those? No, but just body size.
That means they're far away.
What we're gonna do is go up on the top of that hill right there And glass and see where we need to go, And maybe we can pick up one of them up there Without going 2 1/2, 3 miles.
Oh, this is gonna be fun.
Glassing is using binoculars and surveying the area.
Probably 80% of my hunting is done by glassing.
You see your animal, then determine How you want to go about stalking that animal Or if he's worth stalking, if he's big enough.
If I didn't have my glasses, my binoculars, I wouldn't even go hunting.
I still want to go up behind and glass.
Yeah, there might be a herd of them up above the hill.
Let's go find those puppies.
Sarah: Alaska is the biggest state in the country, And even though there are many more caribou than people here, Sometimes tracking down just one can be a real challenge.
We don't have the advantage.
The animals have the advantage.
That is, until we have the bullet in the chamber.
Chuck sr.
: This is terrible stuff to walk on.
We're lucky we're not rolling ankles.
[ chuckles .]
yeah, it could happen.
We'll go on the crest of this hill And sit down and really glass it.
Okay.
I just saw your caribou.
He's the same place but going uphill.
You're kidding.
Yeah.
I just got a glimpse of him.
He turned sideways.
He was running.
Oh, yeah.
I see him right there -- two.
Yeah, I can see the horns on the one on the right.
He's a good one, yeah.
And the one on the left has to be a bull also.
Might get your feet wet.
We'll see if we can piggyback you.
It's terrible, isn't it? Sarah: It looked easier from up there.
Holy moly.
Well, that will be fun packing the meat back up.
Hang onto the brush.
[ grunts .]
Dad? Holy moly.
Hang onto the brush.
[ grunts .]
Oh, my gosh.
Dad? Steve: Chuck? Chuck? I'm fine.
I'll be cramping tonight.
Sarah: When my dad fell, I was really afraid he'd been badly injured.
You know, we're stumbling.
We're falling.
There's little cliffs.
There's jagged rocks that we're climbing.
It's amazing we're not rolling our ankles or breaking a leg.
[ laughing .]
brrr! Crossing those creeks, it's a little bit treacherous, Because it's freakin' freezing cold.
Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Forget it.
Lovely! I know that my feet are gonna be wrinkled and blistered By the end of the day, But this is what has created within me A desire to be tough and to be self-sufficien And to be independent.
A lot of it has to do with the upbringing That I've had in alaska.
Tracks right here.
Predators.
I don't know.
That's a pretty big wolf.
That's as big as my hand.
Big enough to take you down.
Sarah: The caribou's biggest predator, their biggest threat, Is the pack of wolves.
The caribou don't fear man so much, But they certainly fear wolves.
Steve: We saw two wolves on our last trip, And you could hear them howling at night.
Chuck sr.
: Bunch of tracks here.
All we got to do is follow them.
How much walking do you think we've done today? I don't know.
We've only walked maybe five, six miles.
You know, there's definitely a lot of caribou around.
There's tracks everywhere we've been.
Yeah, and these are fresh tracks, too.
No big herds.
So, where the heck are they? 'cause look how fresh, dad.
The wind hasn't even disturbed that one.
That's fresh, yeah.
That's very fresh.
Well, then, dang it.
Where is it? You probably scared them down here.
This one might hopefully be right over the top.
Just want to ease up and peek over.
One step at a time the next 50 yards.
Easy.
They could be anywhere.
Come on.
Not many caribou.
I can't find a-one up here.
Steve: I wonder where the big ones are today.
They have to be over here.
They have to be over here.
Sarah: I swear they have to be around here.
It's gonna take an hour and a half to get home.
Day is done.
Saddle up.
Sarah: After all that hiking, we're not seeing an animal, And it gets a little bit frustrating, But as my dad always says, hunting is about opportunity.
So we're gonna call it a day and try our luck tomorrow.
Yeah, we'll have to play all our options tomorrow.
They're laughing at us.
Steve: We were all a little bit disappointed That we weren't successful the first day.
Aah! That's part of the rules of fair chase.
Hunting isn't supposed to be easy.
If it were easy, then it wouldn't be a fair competition.
I think we'll still get a caribou.
They move so much.
It's just a matter of time.
What do we have for dinner? Any sandwiches? Spam in a can.
Spam.
I don't think we even have hot dogs to roast this time.
Uh-oh.
Hey, there's still caribou up on the summit, Right on the skyline.
Oh, skyline.
See the caribou over there? Three.
There's another one.
The one on the right's coming down.
Don't make me sad.
Well, he's coming down.
That's not sad.
I'm thinking I'm gonna go after him.
Chuck sr.
: I was pooped, sarah was soaking wet, And her boots were waterlogged, And she said, "eh, we'll wait and see.
" You're gonna go look for those caribou.
They headed over.
I'm gonna go see which way they're heading, And hopefully I can cut them off up on this point.
Steve: I wanted to get the first one.
I didn't want to sit in camp the rest of the night going, "geez, maybe I could have done it.
" Oh, there he is.
There he is, up on top.
Okay.
I don't know.
That's pretty far.
That's what I wish we would have had.
Steve: Chuck! What? Look at this.
I'm not looking.
I bring home the food! You missed dinner.
I brought dinner.
How was it? It was a blast.
Oh, my gosh.
Let me help you.
It had the velvet on it even, huh? I was jealous, and I'm sure my dad was a little bit, too.
A dollar for the first one.
Okay.
You get your flippin' dollar.
So, that's a dollar.
Right now, it's the biggest.
It's sweet! So I'm thinking this is a $6 bill right now.
[ laughter .]
Becker and I had a bet going -- A buck for the first animal And five bucks for the biggest animal.
And so far, he's got six bucks coming.
Kind of threw down the gauntlet.
Ticks me off, because I don't like to lose a bet.
But happy for him because his freezer needs some meat, too.
You guys got water? Steve: I've got four water.
I have granola bars in here, couple of sandwiches.
Chuck sr.
: Are you ready? I'm ready.
Let's go get them.
Let's go west, young man.
But that's east.
Well, then, let's go east.
I'll follow you.
Follow me.
You know where you're going? I know I'm going east.
Remember? East.
Just take us to the caribou.
It doesn't matter what direction.
The last day in the camp, We got to make it worth it this day.
We have to be able to bag an animal today.
This is it for us.
There's caribou tracks around here.
Steve: These are pretty fresh.
Yeah.
Look at this trail here.
They're teasing us.
Well, you know, a wolf could be hiding.
I know.
We walked right up on a bear on our last hunt last week.
He jumped up and looked at us.
Yeah.
Steve: I've never shot a bear.
Chuck sr.
: You can't really eat them.
This one guy I guided with years ago, He was from kentucky.
I remember he had no teeth.
He was a real hillbilly type.
I asked him if he ever ate grizzly bear, and he says, "just what floated to the top when I was boiling the skull.
" [ sarah gulps .]
Geez.
Kind of some of the sinewy stuff.
What are you thinking, chuck? We're gonna go stake out this gully.
Let's stop in a big blueberry patch.
I'm hungry.
Sarah: As we're glassing, we're not seeing an animal, And my thought is, "oh, no.
Not another day like yesterday.
" Everything's such a flippin' gamble.
I know, but that's hunting.
I know, and that's the rules of fair chase.
I don't know about you guys.
I'm sweating up a storm.
Oh, man.
Me too.
Hey, there's blueberries, becker.
Steve: Can you imagine a whole blueberry pie made with these? I know.
The caribou will wait.
The blueberries have to go.
Chuck sr.
: Nothing's stirring out here.
Oh, these are good.
I'm gonna forget what we're here for.
Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[ gunshot .]
You missed.
Take your time.
Take your time.
[ gunshot .]
Chuck sr.
: You're not hitting it.
I know that.
I know I didn't hit it.
Take your time.
[ gunshot .]
Uh-oh.
What do you want to do, chuck? Give me your gun.
Something's not right here, 'cause this gun's right on.
[ gunshot .]
That was high, too.
Here you go, sarah.
Damn it.
What do you want to do, chuck? Keep going, chuck.
He's gonna stop again.
Come on.
Perfect shot.
Chuck sr.
: Come on.
Perfect shot.
Perfect shot.
Right in the shoulder.
[ gunshot .]
Use becker's gun.
Safety's off, ready to go.
Wait for him to stop.
It kicks.
It kicks.
This kicks? It's okay.
I can't -- this isn't comfortable.
He's not gonna go anywhere.
Get settled down, sarah.
Sarah, put -- Okay.
You guys.
Wait for him to stop.
He's coming right at you.
Just wait, wait.
Wait till it turns broad side and stops.
Go ahead.
Right in the neck.
[ gunshot .]
Good.
There you go, baby! There you go! Okay, good.
There you go.
Okay, good.
That's just perfect.
When you're shooting, Everything seems to be happening very, very quickly.
Instructions flying at you.
You're shooting, and the gun's kicking, But then, when you see that you have a successful hit, It's a great feeling of accomplishment.
Okay.
Wait right there, sarah.
Wait right there.
We got to make sure it's dead.
It's dead.
In the words of ted nugent, we thank that mighty animal For living a good life and now sustaining a nice family.
Okay.
Chuck sr.
: Feel better now? I feel a lot better now.
Well, I'm always really happy when I do get an animal, Because usually my dad is by my side when I'm hunting, And it's like, "see, dad? I did it! "I listened to what you said, and I learned something, And we accomplished it together.
" So, that's a really nice feeling, too.
I want you to take each leg like this, about right there.
Is this knife good? No.
Use this one.
I'm not gonna gut this.
We're gonna quarter it and take him home so I don't gut him.
You'll see, as we take the quarters off, How easy it is, the procedure we're gonna use.
Get that underneath there.
You have to be prepared after you bag that animal To haul it out, And you want to get all the meat that you possibly can.
So we skinned the thing, And we're gonna take those hind quarters And the four legs with us And as much backstrap meat and rib meat as we can.
Now we got to get the ribs.
That's good eating there.
Good brisket.
Yeah.
Now if we can find a big one -- yeah.
Now if we can find a big one and I get to shoot it, I get my five bucks back from becker.
Steve: My $5 is secure right now.
So far.
Sarah: To know that we have good meat in the freezer For at least part of the year, that is the main thing.
Outstanding.
That is outstanding.
Yep.
Congratulations once again.
Every time I hunt with dad, I learn something new.
I learned something new skinning the animal today, A different way that he had learned From one of our fishing partners.
I would never have known that had I not been out there today.
I'm gonna shoot that gun and show you it's hitting right on.
I'm gonna bet you $5 that your scope is off.
You're off.
Chuck sr.
: Well, that was fun.
That was fun.
That was a distance but not as bad as yesterday.
Okay, let's prove my point.
I kept missing the caribou, Even though it was squarely in my sights.
I don't care what my dad says.
I know there's something off with his gun.
So, to prove him wrong, We set up a little test when we returned to camp.
Right here, chuck? Go to the grass there.
That was about the same distance You were shooting at that caribou.
Oh, no.
Mine was twice as far.
That's good.
Yeah.
[ gunshot .]
Nothing.
Nothing? Nothing.
I don't see no point of impact, neither.
Want to try again? [ gunshot .]
You missed, dad.
Something's off.
Nothing? Nothing! Oh! You shot above it! I owe sarah $5.
Right on.
Just pay becker, 'cause I owe him five bucks.
You'll make sure that fire's gone, gone? Oh, yes, ma'am.
Thank you, sir.
I'm excited that we got our caribou, But the trip is far from over.
We still have to pack everything up And get our gear all the way back home to wasilla So that we can start processing the meat before it goes bad.
So, the plane just came in.
Who's going out first, guys? I will go back to kavik, And I will see you guys there in a few hours.
[ chuckles .]
Hey, sarah, thank you for coming with me.
Thank you, dad.
It was a blast.
Glad to get to know you again.
[ chuckles .]
Just like old times.
Chuck sr.
: When sarah shot that caribou, I immediately thought, "that's my girl.
That's the girl I raised, and I'm glad I raised her that way.
" [ engine turns over .]
Sarah: A couple times a year, most alaskans, Their kitchen or their garage Turn into a meat-processing plant.
Piper, want to see the heart? [ squawking .]
Oh, come on.
Yeah, buddy.
[ squeaks .]
Hey, big hunter.
Yes, I am the successful hunter.
It was alast, you guys! Let me grab something for you.
I'll take something really light.
Just the boots.
Just the boots is good.
[ laughs .]
well, cool.
These mornings have been beautiful, Not all fogged in, even.
Great day, huh? You know, when sarah came back from the trip, I was so excited, you know? And she got off the plane, and we sat and talked.
You know, the tundra is a type of landscape That will make a man out of anybody.
And it looked so easy.
It looked so smooth, you know? Oh, four miles out.
Sure, let's go.
You know, after a mile, it's like, "geez.
" And my dad, he didn't let up.
Becker and I are looking at each other like, "really? "we're only a quarter of the way there? This is crazy.
" Hey.
Oh, I miss this part of this camp.
Yeah! Good to see you again, sue.
Hey.
Sue: Hey, guys.
This is the part that I detest.
I know.
We don't like "feelings," either.
Well, safe trip home.
Thank you.
Safe journey.
Oh, you be safe.
Have fun.
And don't let it be the last time.
We'll be back.
We'll be back.
Keep the same attitude, too.
Same perspective.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you, guys.
You're great.
One last hug.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, sarah.
It's been nice getting to know you as a person.
Thank you.
Appreciate that.
Sue: You know, when sarah, chuck, and becker leave, I won't see anybody for nine months.
You know, as governor, Sarah really affected my life as an alaskan, But to be able to meet them, get to know them as humans, They became my friends very quickly, And very hard to see your friends leave.
You know, they're not just people that I hear about.
They're neighbors now But my neighbors just live a thousand miles away.
Sarah: She's a very amazing and inspiring woman, Encapsulating that alaska spirit, Pioneering, independent, Not looking for anybody else to meet challenges for her.
She's gonna do it herself.
That's what you see in sue.
That was an awesome trip.
Oh, yeah.
That was a blast.
Thanks again for inviting me.
You are so welcome.
Coffee, sarah? Yes, please.
Did you miss me? [ grunting .]
yeah.
Good! Aah! [ squeaks .]
Wait till you see what I got, piper.
You'd be so proud.
Not really, but you'll be.
Hey, piper, want to see mama's caribou? I'll go get the horns.
Ooh, you're gonna be impressed.
Steve, you won't be able to carry it by yourself.
I may have to help you, becker.
That's tiny.
[ chuckles .]
Would you like that on your bedroom wall? No.
How about in your locker? No.
Come on! Tell me you're proud, impressed! Steve: Sarah, I'm gonna go grab that meat.
A couple times a year, most alaskans, Their kitchen or their garage Turn into a meat-processing plant -- Getting some of the meat packaged right then In the freezer for steaks and stew later through the winter.
Piper, want to see the heart? Piper: It reeks.
Chuck sr.
: This is when the real work begins.
This is time-consuming.
What is that, grandpa? That's its leg.
That's a tiny caribou.
Shh! Your mom shot the tiny one.
I took an animal out of a herd of about 120,000 caribou, And there are that many animals in other herds All around alaska.
We manage our wildlife for abundance.
We allow sustainability to ensure That the next generation and the next and the next Are assured the same opportunities For hunting and for viewing of wildlife, Whatever it is that you want to do.
This is awesome -- Filling the freezer like we set out to do.
The caribou that sarah shot will be fantastic for eating.
It's a young cow.
It'll be very, very good.
Sarah: My dad -- he's my hero.
I've hunted with him all my life.
Dad has always said, "life is too short to be stuck in a rut.
" It's one of the lessons that I learned from him When I was a little girl.
We want to seize the moment.
We want to get out there and enjoy And produce and contribute and work.
My dad has taught me that, If you want to have wild, organic, healthy food, You're gonna go out there and hunt yourself and fish yourself, And you're gonna fill up your freezer.
You know, my dad has lived that, and I got to see it firsthand, How somebody like my dad has been happy andulfilled, Because he's worked so hard.
That's what he instilled in me, And that is now what I get to pass on to my children.
Next time on "sarah palin's alaska" Say I'm going camping with a gal who's never camped before.
It's so good to meet you.
Was the tongue removable before? Oh, perfect, 'cause it is now.
Get him! Get him, sarah! Get him, sarah! Yeah! Look at that! This should have been a trip to vegas instead.
Oh, trust me.
I'm there.
There's wild animals around here.
Don't go near the river.
You can see russia from here Almost.