Tastes a Little "Sprucy" | Life Below Zero

I've always got a lot more to do than I have time to do. Not necessarily just work that has to be done, but things I want to see, things I want to learn about.

Didn't find any Caribou out there, but I was lucky enough to get a porcupine. I've eaten muskrats, I've eaten squirrels, but if I'm going to eat a rodent, there's nothing better than a porcupine because of this fat. Fat's hard to come by; a lot of animals out here are really lean. But this porcupine, as you can see, he's got a good layer of fat on him.

Fat has more calories than protein or carbohydrates, and you need a lot of calories to stay warm; it takes energy. That's why porcupine is a special food for me out here. Look at that! I got a front leg, I got a back leg, and plenty of fat to go with that meat. That's what I'm having for dinner tonight: porcupine.

Everybody has to decide how they want to live, where they want to get their food. This is just the way I choose to do it because I enjoy it. I enjoy living out here, enjoy the lifestyle, feel more connected to my surroundings. I don't think this is for everybody, but I think, unfortunately, there are a lot of people that aren't doing what they love to do, and that's too bad.

To let life go by and not do what you really want to do—that's difficult. If you really want to do something, you got to get out and do it. This is what I want to do, so this is what I did.

I bet it's just about done. Oh yeah, that looks delicious! Look at that porcupine! Mmm, does that smell good? Look at that full moon! What a night to eat out! I eat mostly moose, and then Caribou comes next. But once in a while, I come across something like a porcupine to get a little variety.

That's porcupine fat! That's good stuff! Mmm, that's the best part right there. It is a little Sprucey; he's been feeding on Spruce bark lately. It connects me to the forest around here. Food tastes a little bit like the area.