Surviorman, Season 2, Ep 3: Labrador

I thought it was a decent episode. He did a great job breaking up the dog fight and I am a dog guy and generally an animal guy. You've got to show those dogs whose in charge, plain and simple. The survival kit was a bit of a disappointment to me. I would like to see him show how much survival gear a person can pack into an Altoids tin or something along those lines. For example, start a bunch of fires, snare a rabbit or two, boil some water in a bowl made of tin foil, and maybe even catch a freakin' fish for once. Les is still da man, though, in my mind and all in all I give the "Labrador" episode a thumbs up.

-DT
 
According to the bio's I have read on him he and his wife lived in the Central Canadian wilderness for a year with no modern tools at all. All Native American technology except for the cameras that document the story. His web site has copies of the videos for sale but they are pretty pricey. I have been wanting to see them.

In the spring of 1994, Les Stroud and Sue Jamison bade farewell to modern society and followed their hearts north into the remote reaches of the Canadian wilderness. Leaving home, family and jobs behind, they would spend the next year living closer to the land than most of us could ever imagine. And they did it without the luxury of a single modern convenience.

Traveling by canoe and in the winter by snowshoe, Les and Sue were attempting to replicate life in North America some 500 years ago, before Europeans first set foot on the continent. They created fire without matches. They built a shelter with a stone axe. They survived on what the bush provided. In doing so they realized the true meaning of living wild, and how closely life and death coexist when you're many miles from human contact.

Snowshoes and Solitude is the incredible story of Les and Sue's year in the Wabakimi wilderness. It chronicles the struggles and triumphs of their daily lives, and their burning love and respect for the natural world.

Snowshoes and Solitude is one of the great wilderness adventures of our time
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http://wildernessfilms.ca/productions.html

If he and his wife survived thru the winter in Canada under those conditions the stunts on his show are child's play for him.

It sounds a lot like he is the real deal.
 
Actually, my brother-in-law reads a lot of Stroud’s post and info on him. He said there has been a couple adventures Les said he would not be repeating any time soon. I think I remember him saying it was the one in the Georgia swamp Stroud cited as his worst survival episode. Sick as hell. Scared to death. Half froze at night. Did NOT like it.

By the way, I hope no one on this form would be crazy enough to drill holes in their hunting rifle and stack full metal jacket or high velocity hollow point ammo. Naaah! Pointy tip to ammo primer, high power recoil, chain fire, shrapnel everywhere surely not?

Just a thought.

chiger,
 
Tell me he did not cut that fuel can towards himself, while it was on his leg! If so, that was incredibly stupid! That could prove a fatal injury that far out in the bush.
He does need some schooling on fishing, what about using tip-ups? I don't remember seeing him catch a fish on any episode.
 
chiger said:
Pointy tip to ammo primer, high power recoil, chain fire, shrapnel everywhere surely not?
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If 22LR ammunition was going to detonate on being stacked many of us would have been dead at the hands of our tube fed 22s a long time ago. Stacking a few rounds in the relatively soft stock should be as safe as petting a kitten.
 
What really happened to the dogs after he 'lost' them? Why didn't he set the hook on the sled before going to break up a fight or whatever? And how much do you think it cost to have Les, the safety team, and all the gear and snowmobiles airlifted out of there?
 
led4them said:
Tell me he did not cut that fuel can towards himself, while it was on his leg! If so, that was incredibly stupid! That could prove a fatal injury that far out in the bush.
He does need some schooling on fishing, what about using tip-ups? I don't remember seeing him catch a fish on any episode.
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It is true that sometimes he doesn't think things through. Like in the jungle episode when he almost cut his finger off while trying to slice through the vine because he got distracted by some monkeys up in a tree. I laughed my a$$ off when he did that. I would not have been laughing if he had cut through his femural artery and bled out on camera. Be that as it may, I still think that Les Stroud puts on a very cool and for the most part realistic show. Unlike that other dumba$$ Bear "I'd like to order some room service" Grylls. -DT
 
on_the_edge said:
Did anybody notice Les making sparks with a ferro rod and the blade edge of his knife or was just drinking too much???
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You may well have been drinking too much but I noticed the same thing after drinking too much. What about the other drunks?

Les uses his equipment hard often teetering on what many would consider abuse. He appears not to notice the condition of the quipment as long as it continues to function properly. But what happens when a tool no longer works as it should? Maybe he touches up the edge of his knife daily but we do not see it on the show.

I wonder if Les is really negligent of his equipment or if maintenance is ignored becasue it would be too boring for TV.

I am thinking of getting a copy of "Snowshoes and Solitude" which might provide more insight into Les's attitudes and philosophy than "Survivorman".
 
I wasn't drunk; does that make my seeing him use the edge of the blade on the rod suspect? :) :cool:
 
Citori said:
If 22LR ammunition was going to detonate on being stacked many of us would have been dead at the hands of our tube fed 22s a long time ago. Stacking a few rounds in the relatively soft stock should be as safe as petting a kitten.
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Not .22s of course, but someone who watched the show and thought it would be a good idea to do it with their .30-06 or .45-70.
 
The Leatherman was the wave he always takes with him. Did like seeing him use a fixed blade (Buck 119) and ax. Seems he uses stuff the average person can afford to put in his kit.
 
znode said:
Not .22s of course, but someone who watched the show and thought it would be a good idea to do it with their .30-06 or .45-70.
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45-70 would be fine, 30-06 would not unless you were using some roundnose or flatnose bullets.

As far as Les being rough on the equipment, he doesn't have to pay for it and it is not a "real" survival situation, he has a safety crew and radio/sat phone. If he busts a critical piece of gear he can call out for a new one, in a real situation you obviously can't.

Did anyone catch when Les was showing his survival stash on his rifle, the muzzle was buried in the snow. :eek: I enjoy Les' show and I do pick up some good info but as has been said over and over it is TV.

I think it is funny that les said his worst show was the GA swamp, that is my home and I have pulled hundreds of pounds of deer, hogs and catfish out of the altamaha river basin. I would sure as hell be a lot more comfortable there than I would be in labrador. I also caught the most mistakes on the swamp show, if it is cold enough to frost there are no bugs, turtles, snakes or gators. Chris
 
Isn't .45-70 typically loaded with a blunt/flat nosed bullet? If so it isn't an issue.
 
Here's a list of the multi's that he's used so far:

Season 1:

Canadian Boreal Forest - SAK
Northern Ontario (Plane Crash) - Leatherman Wave
Arizona Desert - Leatherman Wave
Costa Rica - Leatherman Wave
Georgia Swamp - SAK
Canadian Arctic - Leatherman Wave
Rocky Mountains - Victorinox Swiss Tool
Utah Canyonlands - Victorinox Swiss Tool
Lost at Sea - Victorinox Swiss Tool


Season 2:
Kalahari: Leatherman Charge
Equadorian Rainforest: Leatherman Charge
Labrador: Leatherman Charge
 
MORIMOTOM said:
most 45-70's have tube magazines.
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I stand corrected. I thought high recoil, but forgot it was a lever-action round.

billym said:
The rifle is a CZ 452.
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I don't think so, unless you know differently. The CZ action puts the bolt handle quite a bit back, behind the trigger. In the video the bolt handle was forward of the trigger. The trigger assembly looks quite different as well.

It looks a lot more Marlin or Winchester.
 
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