Petersburg wolf trapper featured on hunting show ‘MeatEater’

Petersburg wolf trapper David Benitz (right) guides “MeatEater” big Clay Newcomb (left) connected a hunt successful Southeast Alaska. (Courtesy “MeatEater” YouTube channel)

Petersburg was nan backdrop of respective films, documentaries, and reality TV shows complete nan past year. But this winter, nan spotlight was connected 1 of nan town’s residents, erstwhile a section hunting guideline reluctantly showcased his talent for trapping wolves, on pinch his emotion and respect for nan animal connected a celebrated hunting program.  

“MeatEater” is simply a Netflix series, a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a manner institution based astir each things hunting, fishing, and trapping. Clay Newcomb is 1 of nan show’s hosts. It was his thought to film an episode for nan “MeatEater” YouTube transmission astir hunting Sitka blacktail cervid and wolves successful nan region’s dense coastal rainforests.

“In North America, Southeast Alaska ranks astatine nan apical of nan heap for conscionable ocular beauty,” said Newcomb. “Being astatine oversea level, but besides seeing these immense mountains successful nan distance. Just — nan assortment of wildlife that is successful Southeast Alaska, from nan whales and oversea lions and each nan waterfowl to nan cervid and nan wolves… It was incredible. It genuinely was.”

The programme has a salient culinary element: it’s successful nan name, aft all. So, episodes usually wrap up pinch nan big and their guideline cooking up their catch. And this time, nan “MeatEater” unit were catching wolves. But Newcomb decided against sampling his quarry.

“No, we didn’t (eat nan wolf),” Newcomb said, laughing. “In nan North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, 1 of nan 7 tenets of nan exemplary intends we ne'er termination wildlife for nary reason. Primarily, nan logic that we harvest wildlife is to eat them. You do that pinch cervid and moose and elk… And moreover upland lions and different predators. Bear nutrient is incredible! The measurement we position wolf guidance is — fur-bearers. And so, we didn’t eat nan wolf.”

That’s not to opportunity Newcomb hadn’t astatine least considered eating nan wolf. But, he says he didn’t want it to beryllium a stunt — he conscionable kept nan fur instead. 

Newcomb says erstwhile he group retired to movie nan episode, they were bracing for antagonistic reactions from nan public. Wolf hunting is arguable crossed nan country, and particularly successful definite parts of Southeast. Several conservation groups have challenged nan Alaska Department of Fish and Game complete nan past fewer years for allowing group to harvest what they see to be too many of nan region’s Alexander Archipelago wolves.  But immoderate residents judge location are really excessively galore wolves preying connected deer, which they trust connected for meat.

Petersburg maestro huntsman David Benitz was Newcomb’s guideline for nan trip. He’s besides a longtime friend. Benitz has hunted successful Southeast Alaska for complete 30 years, and he says he’s invested successful keeping wolves connected nan scenery — moreover though he hunts them. 

“I mean, I bask nan wolves arsenic overmuch arsenic nan adjacent guy,” said Benitz. “I emotion listening to them howl. When I’m retired there, I for illustration seeing them. I for illustration seeing their tracks and stuff, but they’re a renewable resource. I for illustration to harvest them erstwhile I can.”

Hunting wolves and braving nan elements to get to wherever they unrecorded is nary tegument disconnected Benitz’s teeth. But doing each of that connected camera? He says that was a small retired of his comfortableness zone. 

Benitz describes himself arsenic a “man of fewer words,” and arsenic personification who mostly avoids nan spotlight. Newcomb had to request and plead pinch him for respective years to travel connected nan show. 

“Having a camera travel you astir each nan clip is not that overmuch fun,” said Benitz. “I’m not really a group person, truthful being astir a camera is different for me.”

Eventually, he warmed to nan idea. That was truthful he could springiness nan world a peek into his manner successful Southeast Alaska, and to nett immoderate vulnerability for his guiding business. 

“Trapping successful wide — it’s conscionable successful my blood,” said Benitz. “It’s thing my grandfather did up present and conscionable thing I really enjoyed doing. Trapping wolves is challenging, they’re beautiful smart. Certain measurement to do it, and it’s conscionable a bully challenging athletics to get retired there. It’s a measurement of life for a batch of america guys up present and there’s rather a fewer of america that do it. And it was conscionable a measurement to put it retired location and fto group spot it for what it is.”

In spite of his first reluctance to guideline a hunt connected camera, Benitz says he’s fresh to do it again. “MeatEater” unit didn’t corroborate aliases contradict whether they’re readying to return to Southeast for information two. But Benitz says he’s agreed to guideline nan movie unit connected different hunt successful August — this time, for upland goats.