An Inside Look at the New Season of Yukon Men

02/21/2013

Tune in to Season Two of Yukon Men, premiering Friday, February 22 at 10|9c!

Just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle is a town on the edge of civilization: Tanana, Alaska. This frozen village of 200 people is part of an unknown America where men hunt and trap to survive. Each changing season brings new struggles, new threats and new dangers.

Season Two brings new challenges and even greater fights for survival as the people of Tanana prepare for the oncoming winter. Executive Producer French Horwitz sheds some light on what we can expect from Season Two below.

How is the new season different from Season One?

FH: One thing we tried in Season Two was to get a little deeper into the characters and learn more about their motivations. Why do they live here? Why do they love this place? What do they think of outsiders?

Plus, I think the other really interesting part is, it just so happened that Pat Moore was looking for a new dog handler and hired one who was from the lower 48, from North Carolina. In Season Two, we will truly show everyone out there how hard it is to survive in this terrain. How hard it is to adapt and just to make it through the day.

How have the kids in Yukon Men changed since Season One?

FH: We’ve seen Joey go from living in his father’s house to having his own cabin. That’s a massive responsibility in a town like this. You just can’t go leave and party for six months and then come back – your house would be destroyed. There’s so much riding on their everyday life that, yes they screw up like any other kids sometimes, but they have a much deeper responsibility than most of us have.

How has the town reacted to being filmed?

FH: I think at the beginning the town was a little nervous about having their lifestyle exposed on the big screen. But I think they have come to really appreciate it and now even celebrate the show.

In fact, Stan Zuray told me that every Friday night when the show is on, many people in Tanana get together and watch it and they love it, they absolutely love it.

That’s a credit to the production company, to the crew, and to the characters themselves for just really being honest with the American public. This is what life is like, this is how you live, we’re proud people. And I think it comes across on the show. That to me is a victory.

Why should people watch Yukon Men Season Two?

FH: I think for folks who like survival shows, this is real survival within a real town in America – one of the most remote places in America. These people live with danger every single day. I think it’s a slice of America that is almost 99% gone from our daily lives – very few of us live as free as these folks do, but also have to do so much just to survive. It’s the kind of place I think we can celebrate.

Want to chat with Yukon Men’s EP French Horwitz? He’ll be live tweeting during the season premiere from @frenchhorwitz!

Don’t forget to tune in to Season Two of Yukon Men, premiering Friday, February 22 at 10|9c after Gold Rush Live!

While you wait for the season to begin, here’s another sneak peek from the premiere:

Stan and Joey Zuray prepare a fish raft to transport food to feed their dogs through the winter.

Comments

[Geno]

Why does Stan need 12,000 lbs of prime salmon to feed his dogs. What a waste of a natural resource. Get rid of the dogs. You have snowmobiles and atvs. Keep a couple dogs Stan and save all of those fish. And smiley man. Whats his name? Charlie? Anyways he smiles all the time when he talks. Learn how to shoot smilely man. Wounding a moose and leaving it several days before your grandfather finally shoots it. That Agnes girl shoots better than you. You should all get jobs and buy your winter food.

[Damon]

This whole series is a crock of bs. If they are so remote, where do they get all their conveniences, gas, rifles, netting, new traps, etc, etc

[Paris Miller]

Joey,

I wonder why after you clubbed the wolverine, why didn't you club it again ? You had it down and a pelt with no holes is worth more than one with ? You could have dispatched it then and there ??????? As an old trapper I don't understand !

pmiller@utk.edu

[Ger]

Great Show Guys. Particularly loved the episode that demonstrated how animal power in sled dogs is more reliable and versatile than horse power in a mobile engine!!! Personally delighted that Joey had a windfall of fur in his traps first time out and totally understand why, even after he shot its brains out, was still very wary of getting bitten or mauled by the wolverine. Take care, may mother nature bless you all and keep you safe in one of the harshest environments on the planet!

[Cameron]

Is season 1 coming on discovery. Think i have just seen season 2

[Cameron]

One of the best series I have seen

[ricochet]

geeeeez, killing everything in sight.....more, more, more ... these are everyone's natural resources and I don't want mine killed

[ricochet]

AND, if can't care for your animals properly because you don't want to work, stop breeding the dogs !!!!!!!!

[Don]

Just saw the show where worthless Pat Moore and his worthless son Tom can't even go deer hunting or moose hunting. These two slobs leave it up to the daughter and little sister to fill the freezer with hunted game. All that fat slob Pat Moore can do is sit back and bark orders. Also felt sorry for the North Carolina kid that was bashed by the other worthless Tom Moore, he is nothing but a back stabber. Looks like neither one of these two slobs has missed many a dinner meal all no thanks to the daughter and little sister. These bozos need some umph to get working or need to move into the city and find work so they can feed themselves and all them dogs that they breed.

[concerned]

My family and friends would like to express our concerns about the animals in this series and how they are mistreatd. On one,of the recent shows the owner of sled dogs grabbed up one of the his sled dogs by the collar which put pressure on the dogs neck. The man was very aggitated that his lead dog could not perform. The dog was hurt and they showed them worksing on the dog that was whimpering due to the pain. I wonder what PETA would say???? Or Jane Goddall??
These men don't have to live like this. They have choices the animals don't. Why would he mistreat his dogs that are key to his survival?
I know you can or may cut these scenes out the show but it's not right that the Discovery Channel embraces this kind of cruelty. What are you teaching the children who watch these types of shows?

[Sarah]

Geno- Salmon is a renewable resource while oil and gas are not. The use of dogs instead of atvs and snowmobiles is infinitely more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
And Damon, they probably mail order those conveniences and get them flown in during the summer. They buy them with the money they get from trapping and hunting. They get a lot of staples that way too.

[Upset and Saddened]

Yukon Men: not a show I religiously watch, but have caught clips of here and there. I caught my LAST clip of this show recently, when an episode containing a scene with a beautiful Canadian Lynx was being tortured and killed. SHAME on Discovery Channel for airing this garbage. Shame on the law for allowing the torture of live creatures. Leg traps...why are they permitted to be used? And who buys the furs that these idiots sell? THEY should be caught by their leg in a trap and then strangled with a snare, along with the idiots that trap and kill these animals. I am not some prissy little city girl either...I am a country girl who lives with hunters. I have seen deer gutted and skinned...but they were EATEN, not wasted on some pretty outfit. I don't care how hard these guys have it...there has to be a better way to survive than by promoting the sale of animal fur. Quite the hunters too...cornering a beautiful cat who can't run away because its leg is crushed in a metal trap, then saying how "smart" animals are and that you "just have to find ways to trick them". Sick. I'm glad I didn't see the episode with the wolverine....that sounds equally as horrible and cruel. STOP promoting this garbage!!

[Cts]

Why is it that the discovery channel will show different snowmobile models ridden during differenct clips on different models during different shoots ? It also seems like they are splicing events together from different times......

[Frank]

For the most part I find this program incredibly disturbing.

Trapping with primitive leghold traps.

Killing thousands of salmon and other fish for dogfood.

Killing any moose or bear nearby for food. Calling animals that steal fish vermin etc. Saying a wolverine will slash your throat- really they run because they are afraid of you. Having little respect for nature. Saying this is the way we have always done it.

Running too many dogs and using all those fish to feed them. Complaining about wolverine and other animals that come to feed but not using electric fences.

No wonder the salmon runs are so poor on the Yukon.

This is not a rant- there is something wrong with your subsistence lifestyle.

[Frank]

And I agree Pat Moore and many others come across so very poorly. Its tough to grow up with abusive parents! Stan though is not so bad.

Some of these men are incredibly poor role models for their children and the US educational system. Alaskan is not the last frontier, it seems like its a place where all those off colour jokes about Arkansas seem to fit. the community looks like a trailor park in the bush.

[joan]

shame on you discovery

leg hold traps, strangling animals , smoking out bears with cubs from dens??? wtf?

i am a hunter, an outdoors woman, and i am appalled at these men and the lack of respect these men have for the animals they hunt

even when they use a gun, they are too far away and take poor shots to inflict needless suffering

i have yet to see a clean kill, these guys are losers and give all hunters a bad rap

and don't even get me started on their skinny and abused dogs

[Stan]

Don't they have hunter training courses there where eithics are taught?

The dogma that we need to get throught the winter is disturbing. Move out and get some work. Get an education and live part of the year in a larger town.

Most of the men conme across as cruel and stupid and self righeous.

[Wolverine]

My first name is Wolver, I was named after the wildest of boreal animals, the wolverine.

I am offended by the way these crude people speak about my family. Wolverines have a harsh life- its difficult to survive where we do. However, we are very playful and have many tender moments. We are not monsters, those bush people have so little understanding about nature and our lives as well as their place in society, its very sad.

This program should be taken off the air. Why not showcase remote islands around the world where people dance and sing and make art and socialize. All these boreal people do is complain and kill and eat (some way too much) and talk about the long hard winters.

[EthicalOne]

Take off this stupid show.

It's not survival it's an atrocity.

Whatever happened to the old discovery that used to be GOOD like playing wildlife shows and all the discovery based stuff.

How can you people ruin this channel with all this reality garbage.

Majorities of these hicks making that show have jobs and money.
This is not survival, It's ANIMAL ABUSE and profit making

[ton]

Hi can u tell me when yukon men is back on uk tv please