Customer Reviews

Alaska Hunting Adventure: 700 Miles Alone by Backpack and Raft [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very nicely put together video. In our world today of big corporate studios making todays hunting videos, this video shows that you can just document the beauty of the landscape without having to show huge racked animals being harvested in order to get the results of a great hunting video. My grandfather always told me that 90% of hunting was enjoying and respecting the beauty of the landscape. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Great video and a very respectable man that sends it.

I have lived in Alaska several years and I can say with out a doubt, this video captures Alaska's beauty from start to finish. It takes a look at the remoteness Alaska has to offer; from contract bush plane operations, very very remote Dall Sheep adventures, moose and caribou trekking, the rigors and triumphs of remote river rafting to the ultimate harvesting of big game animals, this video has it all.

I rate this video an easy 5 star rating. Scotty.

This video captures the hunt, and almost everything that goes with it, directly from the hunter's eye. There is no hype, political or environmental propaganda, no "Hollywood" narration, no "spin" of any kind and no ulterior motives.

The videographer travels hundreds of miles by foot and raft in remote North Eastern Alaska, a wild, isolated, game-rich area held in deep reverence by experienced bush residents, hunters, trappers and dreamers.

Views of of wolves, wolverines, grizzlies, sheep, moose and caribou are personal, if not always "up close."

Indeed, the best part of this video is that you see things the way you would if you were an isolated, solitary hunter in the area today, or thousands of years ago.

It's also enough to make you think that you could put together a trip like this yourself; that if you were in good physical condition, could exercise common sense (essential for solitary wilderness travel!), and if you had sufficient experience and equipment that you could hunt this country in this way.

The single complaint I have about this video is that you never see "the moment of truth." Not once do you hear the crack of Buck's hunting rifle, which looks like the venerable "get-it-done" .30-06.

I'd also have liked more shots of camp. I've spent lots of time in the outdoors and one of the best parts is setting up camp, relaxing around a camp fire and then crawling into a warm sleeping bag and falling asleep to the sound running water, wind and wild animals. There are a few shots of camp, the campfire and the tent but not many. Of course, that sort of thing can be boring to some people.

I'm going to venture that many of us are cut from the same mold as Buck, and that--whether we realize it or not--in one incarnation or another we were hunters, that hunting is woven into the double-helix of our DNA and lives in the wild, primevil instinct deep in our hearts and in the core of our souls.

This is a terrfic video. I watched it every night for the first two weeks I owned it. And I recommend it to anybody who loves hunting, remote wilderness travel, isolated living or the outdoors.

I live in Alaska and I would like to say that this video is a great documentary of Alaska's remote wilderness. It shows all kinds of wildlife and fish from grizzlies to wolves. I new this was an adventure film, but i also thought i was buying a hunting video too... Before you read the next part I want you to know that I am a very ethical and responsible hunter, I only hunt to fill the freezer so my family can survive. I watch hunting videos so that i can become a more efficient and humane hunter, so please dont take offense to fact that i didnt like this film because it didnt show the guy making any kills... The adventure was good despite the fact that the guy was a little boring, but when it came to hunting there was very little footage. It didnt show hardly any stalks and it didnt show him take down any animals. Plus all he shot was caribou, when i made the purchase I was under the impression that he also bagged Dall sheep and moose. If I wanted a film that was just observing wild animals I would have saved my 20 bucks and just watched the Discovery Channel.

Perhaps THE BEST hunting/adventure video I've ever had the pleasure of watching. My husband is still raving about it 3 weeks later. I felt compelled to watch EVERY moment of this video. Well worth every penny.

Very exciting, informative video of a journey across remote Alaska. A great primer to help get you motivated for that Alaska hunting trip.

I would have to rate this DVD a 5 also. I have hunted Alaska all my life and although I have never gone 700 miles alone it brings back alot of memories. I generally don't buy videos because I tend to watch something only once but I have watched this 3 times the first week I had it and will watch it again and again. Definately worth the money.

Fantastic video. None of the usual hype and high-five kill shots - one after the other. This is how hunting is supposed to be. It's about being outdoors in nature. Bringing meat home is just the icing on the cake.

Buck Nelson's videos are the best. My husband and I can watch them over and over again and every time we get just as excited as the first. They inspire us to go on our own new adventures and you really do feel like you are along with him for the journey. We like to hunt, fish, raft, and camp, and Buck's style of adventure is much like our own. It is refreshing to see a hunting video where even when he doesn't bag the animal, he still marvels at the experience and enjoys being out in the wilderness of Alaska...which is where we live too.

The best element of this video is you can picture it as your own adventure. Unlike most video's and today's big production videos, Buck succeeded in this adventure with no assistance or life line from the outside; he planned a multi-week backpacking and rafting trip and documented it better than most could by themselves. He made realistic decisions based on his own safety and I could sense his edginess with bear encounters (which would have been my biggest concern). The sheer effort put into the Ram hunt was motivating, and it was actually refreshing to see him fail and call the hunt a success simply because of the experience and adventure. It would have been cool to see better footage of him stalking big game and watch all the angles of him making the kill; but that would have required a team of people to pull off the footage and would have taken away from the single element that makes this a spectacular video. Even though I live in Alaska the odds of getting 6 + weeks off, planning and affording an adventure like this is unlikely. For now this video is a realistic look into what it "might" be like. I recommend this video to anybody who admires inner strength and adventure.