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MeatEater Season 9 | Alaska Moose: The Guide Life Ep. 10

MeatEater

870,712 views

Steve enlists outfitter Mike “Buck” Bowden to take him down an unnamed river in Western Alaska in search of bull moose. Mike shares stories from 40 years of guiding the Alaskan wilds. Presented by @OfficialBuschBeer

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Chapters:
0:00 Sent to Alaska by a Judge
1:56 Steak Night and Moose Season Talk
4:21 Studying the Map, Floating for Moose
6:46 Calling for a Bull
8:00 From Illinois Kid to Alaska Guide
9:43 Bush Survival Tips and a Bear Charge
11:24 What Makes a Good Hunter
12:55 Arctic Grayling and Buck's Butter Trick
14:44 How to Call a Bull Moose: the nasal pinch and tongue trick
16:54 Why Hard Hunts Are Worth It
19:21 No Moose, and a Bear-Trashed Cabin

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20 Comments

@kellybrooks9899 3 weeks ago (edited)

The look on Buck’s face when Steve did the cow call 😂

@Jay-w5v 3 weeks ago

Just looked up the guided hunt prices for moose..... Sadly, I will never go on a guided moose hunt, unless I hit the lottery :(

@s-bomb6946 3 weeks ago

Would love to listen a weeks worth of campfire stories with the guy. I bet he’s got some fantastic stories. Great vid 👍

@MacMinoroutdoorsman 3 weeks ago

That's a dream for me. Not even the hunting just being out there working to survive. That's the way it was before. Now we have to wake up, go do stuff most of us don't care about. Just for a check that hardly gets us by. I feel like that living to live and to eat suits me much better than the life I'm stuck in now.

@TimWood-o5q 3 weeks ago

Be able to adapt your expectations and they become some of the best experiences. Great show.

@lewismooney3941 3 weeks ago

That’s just time well spent. No failures there.

@scottquenstedt1 3 weeks ago

The “bear fat” question cracked me up. That’s still one of the most iconic hunting videos of all time. Bear fried in blueberry bear fat. Probably watched it 100 times over the years

@adamhorton1601 3 weeks ago

This is the life of an Alaskan, as an Alaskan myself. Adventure and experience first, bonus comes with time and work.

@Polarbear43N1 2 weeks ago

I'd just about SWEAR...I was meant to live in Alaska. The bounty of the rivers and ocean. The hunts that can be taken in almost ANY direction. Plus, the scenery....MAN, I JUST CAN'T GET PAST THE GORGEOUS GOD GIVEN S C E N E R Y!! JUST BREATHTAKING! Steve you are very blessed my friend. Ain't no doubt about it. 🤯👍👍

@evulclown 3 weeks ago

Being out there in that beautiful area spending time with Buck is frankly a relaxing holiday all on its own.

@HoosierOutdoors92 3 weeks ago

Amen. Guys like that are a national treasure. Steve you are blessed to be able to spend time learning from them.

@Asusfilms 3 weeks ago

I have a once in a lifetime moose hunt in my state coming up. As much as I want to harvest a moose, I want to level my expectations in case I’m part of the 16% of hunters leaving empty handed. Still couldn’t be happier having this experience soon!

@augustingarnier4625 2 weeks ago

Mr. Rinella, these are always the best episodes.

@Billy-gn6ij 3 weeks ago

Buck is a cool dude. Beautiful country.

@jasonholliday1197 3 weeks ago

This was a great episode. I’d love to spend a week with Buck just to hear stories. That’d be rad.

@patarmitage2250 7 days ago

I have a camp in Northern Quebec. We see very big moose almost every day until the season opens and then they clock out.

@runnertwitch 3 weeks ago

These are so well done and a refreshing alternative to most of the rinse and repeat whitetail content on the tube.

@whitetailhabits 3 weeks ago

Love to see a video with my guy steve in it! steve you are one of my biggest role models in the industry.

@Last_Chance. 3 weeks ago

This man is living the dream. If I had it all to do all over again I would do exactly what he did.

@la3kzdfvsg 3 weeks ago

To Steve's point on the 10-day big game hunt: 10 days is a surprisingly large commitment for a normal working adult. If you include travel, packing, recovery, and getting caught up afterward, a “10-day hunt” can effectively consume two workweeks. Once someone has a career, spouse, kids, school schedules, etc., disappearing into the mountains becomes materially harder.

There's also a strange modern paradox: people have more recreational options than ever, but they're increasingly optimized around short-duration gratification. You can golf for four hours, watch football, game, go to dinner, scroll your phone, take a three-day vacation, etc. A 10-day hunt requires someone to basically say:

"I'm going to dedicate the next 10 days to one difficult thing, with no guarantee whatsoever that I succeed."

That's becoming unusual.