Yukon Men

Yukon Men
Genre Adventure
Narrated by Pat Duke
Darren O'Hare
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 48
Production
Executive producer(s) French Horwitz[1]
Location(s) Tanana, Alaska, United States
Camera setup Multiple
Running time 40–45 minutes
Production company(s) Paper Route Productions
Release
Original network Discovery Channel
Animal Planet
Picture format 16:9 HD
Original release August 24, 2012 (2012-08-24) – present
External links
Website

Yukon Men is an unscripted American cable television series aired on the Discovery Channel. It is produced by Paper Route Productions and has premiered on August 24, 2012.[2]

The series details the lives of several inhabitants of the remote Alaskan village of Tanana which is situated by the Yukon River. These men make their living by fishing, hunting and trapping game as well as raising sled dogs and logging.[3][4]
The show's prominent themes are community and survival.

Initial reception

Yukon Men's critical reception by media has been mostly positive. Mark A. Perigard from the Boston Herald stated "For a network that specializes in tough-guy shows (think "Survivorman" and "Deadliest Catch"), "Yukon Men" doesn’t stint on testosterone."[5] Tom Conroy from Media Life Magazine said "The show doesn't need all this dramatic foreshadowing. The scenes of hunting, setting traps, dressing a carcass and even stoking the furnaces at the water plant are enlightening and fun. Most of the men work with their sons, and the bonding isn't overhyped. The half light of winter gives an extra beauty to the spectacular landscapes."[4]

Key personnel

Stan Zuray: Stan was raised in Boston, Massachusetts before he moved to Alaska. He is an outdoorsman with over 40 years of experience in the Alaskan wilderness.[5]

Joey Zuray: Joey is Stan's son in his early twenties. According to his father, he is a natural at home in the Alaskan interior. He hunts and traps to sustain himself, his family and elders of the community.

Charlie Wright: Charlie is a water-plant operator, mechanic, trapper and hunter.[5]

Robert "Bob" Wright: Robert is Charlie's son in his early twenties. Throughout the show he is being taught family traditions and skills such as beaver trapping by his father.

The Moore family: Pat Moore owns the leading local kennel where his children Thomas Moore and Courtney Agnes work. He also has to care for his wife Lorraine.

James Roberts: James is a major provider of lumber for Tanana. He also owns a kennel. His teenage sons help with the businesses.

List of episodes

Season 1 (2012)

Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
1"Hunt or Starve"August 24, 2012 (2012-08-24)1.955[6]
Stan Zuray, a hunter/trapper with 40 years of experience and his son Joey are hunting for caribou near the Ray Mountains in dog sleds and snowmobiles but ultimately come up empty handed after a three-day hunt. Courtney Agnes, whose husband works in a nearby oil field discovers a wolf has been scavenging dried fish hung in her nearby smokehouse. Local outdoorsman, trapper and handyman Charlie Wright sets up traps nearby in an attempt to catch the wolf. Charlie is then called to the town water plant where they are low on wood to keep the water from freezing. He calls upon the village wood dealer James Roberts for 10 cords of firewood to heat the water plant. Stan Zuray and Charlie Wright then get a fresh report of a caribou herd 90 miles away and set out with their sons. Their hunt is successful and they return to Tanana with four caribou that they distribute to friends and family.
2"The Race for Fur"August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31)1.484[7]
Stan and Joey Zuray set a line of traps for animal furs. Charlie and Bob Wright set lines for trapping beavers in the river. Stan and Joey wind up with a wolverine in one of their traps while Charlie and Bob catch a beaver. Tanana's only gas pump is subject to a mechanical failure. While going to check traps with Joey, Bob's snowmobile breaks and he has to hike six miles to cut down trees to pay for its repair costs. Charlie shoots the wolf that has been scavenging food stores from the village.
3"Going for Broke"September 7, 2012 (2012-09-07)1.518[8]
Charlie and Bob search for beavers; Stan and Joe have a run-in with a bear.
4"On Thin Ice"September 14, 2012 (2012-09-14)1.642[9]
Stan and Joey go goose hunting; Charlie and Bob compete in a contest.
5"Tragic Spring"September 21, 2012 (2012-09-21)TBD
Charlie's brother-in-law goes missing.
6"Man Up, Move Out"September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28)TBD
Joey is tasked with moving a house; Charlie hunts a terrorizing black bear.
7"Logjam"October 5, 2012 (2012-10-05)TBD
Driftwood is collected from local rivers to be used as firewood; Stan gets caught in a storm; and Charlie has a run-in with a black bear.
8"Wheel of Misfortune"October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12)TBD
Stan and Pat place fish wheels in the river to prepare for an 18-hour fishing window; Charlie begins seting up fishing nets to catch salmon. Stan was able to catch several pounds of bering ciscos for his dogs and four or five king salmon for his family, but the Moores caught only one cisco from their own fish wheel.
9"Last Chance"October 19, 2012 (2012-10-19)TBD
A hunt turns dangerous for Joey and Bob; grizzly bears begin stealing food from fish camps. Bob is placed in charge of clearing his father's trapline, while his father is out fishing for salmon. In addition to a caribou that Joey and Bob caught on their hunt, Stan and Joey catch a large amount of chum salmon to supply their dogs for the winter, as well as between 30 and 40 king salmon for their family. They also shot and killed a grizzly that had been stalking their camp, supplying them with several hundred pounds of meat for their smokehouse. The Moores caught altogether several pounds of chum salmon for their dogs and less than 30 king salmon for their extended family, which is not enough for the winter. James Roberts caught only a few chum salmon and king salmon in his net for himself, his family, and his sled dogs, but is relieved a bit when Joey brings him several pounds of grizzly meat to supply his family and his dogs for a few days.

Season 2 (2013)

Title Original air date
1"Feast or Famine"February 22, 2013 (2013-02-22)
Courtney hunts for moose in the Season 2 opener. Later, Stan nearly loses his fish supply; and James' dogs are threatened by a fatal illness.
2"New Kid in Town"March 1, 2013 (2013-03-01)
Emergency surgery is needed for Stan's new lead sled dog, Crackers. The Moores hire an inexperienced dog handler to help them with their 40 sled dogs, while Bob helps his father clear the trapline and hunt for moose in the Alaskan bush.
3"Hell Freezes Over"March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08)
Tempers flare as the villagers prepare for winter.
4"Tough Choices"March 15, 2013 (2013-03-15)
Charlie and Bob battle a vicious wolverine threatening their trapline.
5"Fresh Blood"March 22, 2013 (2013-03-22)
A wolverine threatens the Moore's fish camp; Charlie and Bob hunt a bear.
6"Pray for Snow"March 30, 2013 (2013-03-30)
Joey sets a new trap line; James is plagued by a shortage of wood.
7"Eeling and Dealing"April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)
Eels are fed to dogs; Stan and Joe go moose hunting.
8"Dead of Winter"April 12, 2013 (2013-04-12)
A town crisis prevents Charlie from hunting; James' snow machine is destroyed.
9"No Quarter"October 20, 2013 (2013-10-20)
The dark days of winter are over. Stan is out checking his trap-line when a blizzard hits Yukon Valley. Bob is supposed to set beaver traps for Charlie. The Moores install a fish trap.
10"Turf War"October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27)
Stan's brother comes to visit. The Moores try their luck at beaver trapping. Charlie has to defend his trap-line. Wolves are showing up close to the village.
11"Wolf Invasion"November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03)
The annual dog sled race is taking place while a wolf pack threatens the village.
12"Deadly Crossing"November 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)
Stan and Joey have to cross a thawing river so they can close up their cabin for the summer. The Moores have a new dog handler. Francis has to help his father James with the lumber business.
13"Rite of Spring"November 17, 2013 (2013-11-17)
It's goose hunting season. Conflicts between fathers and sons ensue. Pat and Courtney fly to Anchorage because their wife and mother is in hospital. Their new dog handler has to take care of the dogs by himself.
14"River Rising"November 24, 2013 (2013-11-24)
The village gets prepared for high water when the ice on the river finally melts. At the same time, a black bear comes too close to some houses.
15"Aftermath"November 30, 2013 (2013-11-30)
The ice on the river has gone. James, Francis and Joey want to collect driftwood. Charlie and Bob try to catch fish. Pat hires a new dog handler.
16"Season of Change"December 1, 2013 (2013-12-01)
The Moores have to think about the future of their business. Stan and his daughter set the fishweel. Bob leaves Tanana.

Season 3 (2014)

Title Original air date
1"Breaking Points"September 2, 2014 (2014-09-02)
The inhabitants of Tanana learn that there are plans to build a road into town.
2"Day of Reckoning"September 9, 2014 (2014-09-09)
The town gets shut down due to a double homicide.
3"The Longest Day"September 16, 2014 (2014-09-16)
Joey transports a truck on a self-made log raft. Pat's nephew returns to Tanana after having been gone for years. Charlie and James go moose hunting for a potlatch. Stan almost loses his boat.
4"Rising Sons"September 23, 2014 (2014-09-23)
Charlie's claim on his trap line gets threatened. Joey and Bob go hunting with a bow and arrows. James tests his younger sons' survival abilities.
5"New Blood"September 30, 2014 (2014-09-30)
An old friend of Stan's comes into town with a proposition for Stan. A former inhabitant of Tanana wants to return and learn the subsistence lifestyle, which Courtney helps her with. Charlie and Bob go hunting.
6"Mother vs. Nature"October 7, 2014 (2014-10-07)
An unusually big number of black bears comes near and into Tanana. Charlie has to come up with ways to fix the water plant. Stan and his friend work on their mining project.
7"Stan's Gamble"October 14, 2014 (2014-10-14)
Stan and his friend try to bring a bulldozer back to life. Charlie and Joey want to test their hunting skills on a Dall sheep hunt. Pat's son Thomas returns from Fairbanks.
8"Winter takes All"October 21, 2014 (2014-10-21)
Stan hauls his winter food supply home; James strives to fortify his wood business.

Season 4 (2015)

Title Original air date
1"Dark Days"September 15, 2015 (2015-09-15)
2"The Black Wolf[10]"September 22, 2015 (2015-09-22)
3"On Thin Ice[11]"September 29, 2015 (2015-09-29)
4"Gut check"October 6, 2015 (2015-10-06)
5"Tanana's test"October 13, 2015 (2015-10-13)
6"Life on the line"October 20, 2015 (2015-10-20)
7"Blood on their Hands"October 27, 2015 (2015-10-27)
8"All In[12]"November 3, 2015 (2015-11-03)
9"Breaking Point[13]"November 10, 2015 (2015-11-10)

Season 5 (2016)

Title Original air date
1"Tanana's Last Stand"March 11, 2016 (2016-03-11)
2"From the Ashes"March 18, 2016 (2016-03-18)
3"No Man's Land"March 25, 2016 (2016-03-25)
4"Desperate Measures"April 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)
5"Drive to Survive"April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)
6"The Yukon Way"April 15, 2016 (2016-04-15)
7"The Edge"April 22, 2016 (2016-04-22)
8"The Final Shot"April 22, 2016 (2016-04-22)

References

  1. "Men of Yukon". Video Clip. Discovery Channel. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  2. Bridget Brady (Aug 13, 2012). "Yukon Men, Friday at 10PM E/P". Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  3. O'Connell, Michael (2012-08-23). "'Yukon Men' Takes Discovery to Tanana, Alaska". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 Tom Conroy (August 24, 2012). "'Yukon Men,' turn off the sound". media life magazine. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Mark A. Perigard (August 24, 2012). "Danger lurks in 'Yukon Men'". Boston Herald. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 27, 2012). "Friday Cable Ratings: 'Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice' & 'Yukon Men' Win Night, + 'WWE Friday Night SmackDown', 'For Better or Worse' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  7. Bibel, Sara (September 4, 2012). "Friday Cable Ratings: College Football Wins Night, 'WWE Smackdown', 'Robot Chicken', 'For Better or Worse','American Hoggers','Lost Girl ' & More". Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  8. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 10, 2012). "Friday Cable Ratings: WWE on Top + 'Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice', 'Daily Show', 'American Pickers', 'Hardcore History', 'Yukon Men' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  9. Bibel, Sara (September 17, 2012). "Friday Cable Ratings: 'WWE Smackdown' Wins Night, 'Yukon Men', 'Bering Sea Gold', 'Ultimate Fighter', 'Lost Girl', 'Gravity Falls' & More". Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  10. "The Black Wolf". Zap2it. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  11. "On Thin Ice". Zap2it. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  12. "All In". Zap2it. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  13. "Breaking Point". Zap2it. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
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