As one of the last few survivors living in the harsh, remote wilderness of northern Alaska, Heimo Korth stands tall. Now nearing 70 years of age, Heimo has lived in this land for nearly half a century. He and his wife Edna raised three daughters in the bush, surviving solely on what food they could hunt, fish and gather. They lived in small log cabins built from the surrounding … [Read more...]
Trapline Chatter: Life and Love with Last Alaskan Bob Harte
Only seven cabin permits remain. It’s a sobering statement in the intro to the Discovery Channel’s docu-series, “The Last Alaskans”, which aired from 2015-2018 and highlighted the lives of several families living a subsistence lifestyle in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. These folks – Heimo Korth, Paul Jagow, Bob Harte and others, settled into this twenty million acre … [Read more...]
In the Land of Wilderness: Marty Meierotto
Many of us have dreamed of living on a remote wilderness trap line, and believe it or not, a few have actually done it. Marty Meierotto is one of those few. You might remember Marty from the hit TV show “Mountain Men”, which followed his adventures trapping in the Alaska bush for eight seasons. Marty grew up in northern Wisconsin where he began hunting and developed a love … [Read more...]
Back from Alaska! Podcast Episode 119
I'm back from a dream trip, trapping in Alaska for lynx and wolverine! In this episode I go over my impressions of trapping in AK and do a broad overview of the trip. Enjoy - I know I did!! Support our Sponsors:Kaatz Bros LuresFur Harvesters Auction, Inc.OnXMaps (use promo code 'trap' for 20% off!) Mentioned in this episode:Hunters of the Northern ForestEpisode 75 with … [Read more...]
Trails of an Alaska Trapper
Running a trapline in the remote Alaskan bush sounds like a pretty sweet gig for a young man seeking adventure and independence. But how would you go about finding such a place? All of the good ground must be claimed by other trappers, right? Ray Tremblay, a young man from the Lower 48, found himself in the arctic in the late 1940’s. He’d dreamed of running a trapline … [Read more...]
Born on Snowshoes
Three girls, their mother and an old man, 280 miles deep in the wilderness, running traplines for a living. It may seem like an odd combination, but it was reality for much of Evelyn Berglund Shore’s young life. George Berglund and his brother caught gold fever during the Klondike gold rush of 1898. They returned years later to work mining claims, searching for riches along … [Read more...]
Above the Arctic Circle
Most of the early Alaskan pioneers moved up from the Lower 48 for seeking opportunity and adventure. The majority left when times got tough, but the best and the toughest stayed on, and helped make the frontier what it is today. Minnesota-born James Carroll was one of those guys. Carroll journeyed to Alaska in 1910, in search of opportunities made possible by the gold rush. … [Read more...]
The Alaskan Trapper’s Handbook
Most of us outsiders consider Alaska the last great place for a trapper, and dream of trapping the vast wilderness offering high quality pelts and lots of adventure. Trapping in Alaska is much different than anywhere in the lower 48 states, and though some northern states have conditions that come close, nothing is quite like the Alaska trapping experience. For the uninitiated, … [Read more...]