NARRATOR: Off Alaska's southern coast on Kodiak Island,
winter is late.
And the longer the warm ocean currents keep the snows at bay,
the bigger the lucky break for outfitter and island
veteran, Mike Horstman, who lost a kill to a predator last week.
There's been a bear in here and got my deer,
carried it off.
NARRATOR: He's still short on his quota of protein
for the season, so he's taking advantage of the weather
and heading out on another hunt.
MIKE HORSTMAN: I still need to find one more
deer so that I'll have enough meat
to make it through the winter.
NARRATOR: But if winter hasn't come yet to Kodiak,
then neither has hibernation.
[DOG WHINGING]
MIKE HORSTMAN: Shh, shh, shh, shh.
We've got a bear right here about 60 yards.
NARRATOR: The island's bears aren't just a danger,
they're also competition.
He has no idea we're here.
NARRATOR: Looking to pack on the pounds
before their long winter sleep, the bears
are on the prowl for anything and everything edible.
He's coming down through this beaver slew looking for a fish.
But what he don't understand is there's
not very many fish in there.
NARRATOR: Kodiak bears depend on the annual salmon
run for the bulk of their hibernation weight.
MIKE HORSTMAN: I haven't seen him catch a fish yet.
But I'm just going to move on out of here.
And good luck to him.
NARRATOR: Mike has 30 years of experience
living among Kodiak bears.
He knows how to assess a threat.
For now, it's safe to move on, but he'll stay on high alert
while he hunts.
MIKE HORSTMAN: With this many bears around,
there is a chance that we're going to have a problem.
So I'm definitely paying attention
to what's going on here.
NARRATOR: The risks of another encounter are high.
But without enough meat in his freezer,
Mike's not backing down.
(WHISPERING) Get with me.
[DOG WHINGING]
Shh.
It's OK.
Relax.
There's a buck right there.
He's in the bottom.
He's broadside.
I'm going to take him.
[GUNSHOT]
I hit him.
He shouldn't have gone far at all.
Come on, honey.
I'm not going to waste any time cutting it up because we ran
into a bear a little earlier, and I'm sure he's
still right in this area.
And he would love to have the opportunity
to take this one away from me.
NARRATOR: It can take more than an hour
to break down a deer this size.
MIKE HORSTMAN: The more meat we have exposed
to the air, the more chance we have of a bear smelling it,
so I need to get this done quick.
These quarters are cooled off now.
And I'll get them in my pack.
I'm going to head out.
Go back to camp.
Walking downwind on this trail going back to camp,
the advantage is for the bear here because with the wind
at my back, if there's a bear in front of me,
he's going to smell me before I get there.
So Adele and I are really paying attention.
There's a bear right there.
He's coming down the trail exactly where I'm going.
He's going to come right through here.
At some point, he's going to get my wind right here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
We got to get out of here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I don't see him.
I'm not sure where he went.
I think the bear left.
NARRATOR: It's not clear where the bear's gone,
but Mike's not waiting around to find out.
He's on the final stretch home.
MIKE HORSTMAN: Been a long pack, long day.
But in this case, I'm pretty lucky because I've
got deer on my back, and I'm almost home.
And it's sure good to be done.
Now that I've got enough meat for the winter,
I'm going to go make some dinner and call the day a success.