Recaps

Su Wei used Tracking Assistance and Black’s thermal imager to locate a suspected poacher hiding in the birch forest, but hesitated to shoot. When the figure fled, Black urgently ordered Su Wei back into the vehicle, leaving the reason for his alarm unclear.

• Su Wei activated Tracking Assistance on the dying black-tailed deer and followed the bullet trail toward a thicket by a fallen spruce.
• Black located a motionless figure with the thermal imager and warned Su Wei that the person was aiming at him.
• Su Wei spotted the figure’s camouflage cap through his scope but hesitated to shoot, unsure whether the person was the poacher.
• The figure rolled down a slope and fled when Su Wei seemed to reveal his position.
• Su Wei lowered his rifle to pursue, but Black shouted for him to get back into the vehicle immediately.

After Black rescued Su Wei from a poacher’s line of fire, he reprimanded him for exposing himself in the open. Su Wei acknowledged his recklessness and promised to remember Black’s lesson about surviving human threats in the wilderness.

• Black reversed the tracked vehicle into a snow pit after Su Wei climbed inside, shielding them from the fleeing poacher.
• Black angrily warned Su Wei that the armed poacher could have killed him while he stood exposed.
• Su Wei realized he had treated the encounter like a game and apologized without making excuses.
• Black explained that people were more dangerous than animals and taught Su Wei never to expose himself to a stranger’s gun.
• Su Wei sincerely called Black his teacher and promised to remember the lesson.

Su Wei and Black examined the poached black-tailed deer and discovered it had been killed with a .338 Lapua round, confirming that the well-equipped poacher was the same dangerous man they had encountered before. Black warned Su Wei to keep his gun close as they prepared to leave, and Su Wei loaded the deer into the tracked vehicle.

• Su Wei carefully checked the surroundings with Black before approaching the dead deer.
• Su Wei examined the fatal wound and recovered a deformed bullet fragment from the carcass.
• Su Wei identified the fragment as a .338-caliber round, and Black recognized it as a .338 Lapua like the one used in the previous attack.
• Black warned Su Wei that the poacher killed for pleasure and told him to keep his gun with him at all times.
• Su Wei lifted the deer into the tracked vehicle’s cargo bed.

Black stopped Su Wei from pursuing an armed poacher and called Kodiak Dispatch to coordinate the Fish and Game Department’s response. As Black drove them away, he explained how the authorities would trap the fleeing suspect.

• Su Wei urged Black to pursue the poacher, but Black ordered him into the vehicle.
• Black reported the armed suspect’s location and weapon to Kodiak Dispatch and advised authorities to block the northern road and guard the eastern logging yard.
• Black refused to pursue the suspect, saying Su Wei was still a rookie and the enforcement team could handle the capture.
• Black drove down the mountain and taught Su Wei to use communication and terrain rather than recklessly chase an armed suspect.

Su Wei returned to Kodiak Town with Black after encountering a poacher and killing a deer. At Black’s home, he received a call informing him that the insurance company had reversed its denial of his parents’ death claim and begun processing it.

• Su Wei rode back with Black, troubled by the poacher who had shot the black-tailed deer.
• Black drove past the Hunters' Guild and brought Su Wei and the frozen deer to his fortified log cabin.
• Su Wei answered a call from Jennifer, an insurance broker retained by the Kodiak Island Fisheries Union.
• Jennifer told Su Wei that the company had reversed its denial of the claim over his parents’ maritime deaths and officially begun processing it.
• Su Wei steadied himself and asked Jennifer to continue with the final settlement details.

Su Wei learned that his parents’ deaths had secured him a $3.25 million settlement after evidence proved the fishing company had ordered their boat to sea despite the danger. He accepted the amount and prepared to sign the agreement in Kodiak Town, leaving him free to invest in the land and life he had dreamed of.

• Jennifer outlined the crew insurance, life insurance, and punitive damages awarded after the black box recording proved the fishing company had forced the boat to sea.
• Jennifer told Su Wei that the final settlement, after allowances and deductions, totaled $3.25 million.
• Su Wei, overwhelmed by the amount and its contrast with his $160,000 debt, told Jennifer he had no objections.
• Jennifer asked Su Wei to bring his identification and bank details to the Fisheries Union office in Kodiak Town the next morning to sign the settlement agreement.
• Jennifer confirmed that the money would be deposited as a lump sum within three business days after signing, and Su Wei imagined using it to improve his land and build a better life.

After learning that the insurance company would pay him $3.25 million for the Kodiak Town shipwreck, Su Wei told Black that his debt was cleared and his land was safe. Black urged him to celebrate the good news, ending with an invitation to laugh wildly in the wilderness.

• Black noticed Su Wei looking shaken after a phone call and reminded him that there was always hope as long as he was alive.
• Su Wei told Black that the insurance company had agreed to pay compensation for the Kodiak Town shipwreck.
• Su Wei said he was no longer in debt, while keeping the compensation amount to himself.
• Black congratulated Su Wei and said that the money was in his hands, the debt was paid, and the land was safe.
• Black urged Su Wei to laugh out loud in the wilderness, then grinned at him.

After learning that the compensation had cleared his debts, Su Wei and Black laughed with relief in the snow. Su Wei butchered the deer and reaffirmed that he would pursue the poacher, while the damage to the carcass sharpened his anger at the waste.

• Black laughed at Su Wei’s good fortune, and Su Wei joined him in an unrestrained release of pent-up emotion.
• Black told Su Wei to butcher the deer and asked whether he would still track down the poacher.
• Su Wei said he would pursue the poacher, and Black showed his approval as he split a piece of wood with his axe.
• Su Wei examined the deer’s bullet wound and condemned the severe damage as wasteful and stupid.

Su Wei faced Black’s pack of Alaskan mixed-breed hunting dogs and used his Animal Affinity to earn their acceptance. The dogs welcomed him as a new member of the pack, while Black watched the test unfold.

• Black showed Su Wei the hunting dogs in the fenced backyard and left him to earn their respect.
• The black-backed male dog confronted Su Wei, while the other three watched.
• Su Wei stayed calm, and the Beast Taming Module’s Animal Affinity reduced the dogs’ hostility.
• Su Wei removed his glove and crouched within the lead dog’s reach, offering his bare hand.
• The lead dog sniffed and licked Su Wei’s palm, then nuzzled his hand as the other dogs gathered around and accepted him.

Su Wei earned Black’s respect and was offered a puppy from Bella’s upcoming litter, then butchered a deer while Black maintained his rifle. The chapter ended with Su Wei asking why a poacher had destroyed a deer with expensive bullets while seemingly caring nothing for its meat or antlers.

• Black praised Su Wei’s ability to approach the dogs and offered him a pup from Bella’s litter once it was weaned.
• Su Wei accepted Black’s offer and said the puppy would become a hunter on Kodiak Island and protect Cotton Candy.
• Su Wei butchered the deer, salvaged about forty pounds of meat, and set aside its heart for Black.
• Black cleaned his M70 rifle as he watched Su Wei work.
• Su Wei asked Black why the poacher had used expensive bullets to destroy the deer without taking its meat or antlers.

Su Wei learned from Black that the Hunters' Guild existed to stop people who hunted for the power to take lives. After Charlie reported repeated gunshots near Su Wei’s Roosevelt elk herd, Black and Su Wei set out for the valley to confront the hunters.

• Black explained that some hunters enjoyed deciding whether another life survived, and that the Hunters' Guild hunted or expelled such people.
• Su Wei agreed that the men should be dealt with like mad dogs.
• Charlie told Black that a gunman had entered a U-shaped valley on Pilan Creek, where Roosevelt elk were wintering and breeding, and that repeated shots had been heard.
• Su Wei realized the endangered herd was the same one he had discovered and hoped would help pay off his debts.
• Black armed himself and told Su Wei to bring his gun and knife.
• Su Wei said his gun was at home and asked to stop at his cabin for his Browning on the way to the valley.

Su Wei and Black raced back to U-Shaped Valley to confront a gunman carrying a .338 rifle. Black ordered Su Wei to observe rather than shoot unless the gunman targeted him or Black went down, and Su Wei armed himself with his Browning rifle before they approached the valley.

• Black drove the tracked vehicle toward Su Wei's cabin and warned him about the gunman's range and firepower.
• Black told Su Wei to watch and only shoot if the gunman targeted him or Black was incapacitated.
• Su Wei entered his dark cabin, retrieved his Browning rifle, ammunition, and a Zeiss scope, then prepared the rifle.
• Su Wei returned to the vehicle, and Black drove toward the entrance to U-Shaped Valley.

Su Wei and Black entered the valley to hunt the poacher slaughtering elk, but a burst of radio static abruptly stopped them. The chapter left Charlie calling Black as both hunters took cover.

• Charlie told Black that the poacher had fired a .338 rifle at the helicopter and killed a young bull elk.
• Black and Su Wei left the tracked vehicle, put on camouflage and thermal gear, and prepared to approach the poacher quietly.
• Black led Su Wei through the snowy woods, warning him to step in his footprints and reminding him they were in Kodiak.
• A radio crackled, and Black and Su Wei immediately took cover among a boulder and fir-tree roots.
• Charlie called Black over the radio.

Su Wei used the Hunting Module to track the shooter who had killed a young Roosevelt elk, then advanced with Black toward the shooter's position. As Charlie redirected the teams to help them, Su Wei spotted a figure that the thermal imager could not detect.

• Su Wei and Black found a young Roosevelt elk that had been cruelly shot and killed, and Black determined the shooter was nearby.
• Su Wei activated the Hunting Module and followed its golden trail to a defensible high point in the U-Shaped Valley.
• Black followed Su Wei as they approached the high ground from the side and rear instead of waiting for Charlie's teams.
• Charlie saw their movements on the thermal imager, abandoned the original flanking plan, and ordered the teams toward the high ground as the helicopter followed.
• Su Wei saw a blurry person at the end of the trail, though the thermal imager showed no heat signature there.

Su Wei and Black confronted the outlaw hiding beneath a paralyzed bull elk, then captured him after Su Wei shot him as he charged with a knife. The outlaw was restrained, and Su Wei realized he had fired at a person for the first time.

• Su Wei and Black found the outlaw concealed beneath a wounded bull elk and recognized that he was using it as cover.
• Black threw a flashbang at the rock pile, startling the elk and forcing the outlaw out of hiding.
• The outlaw charged Su Wei and Black with a serrated hunting knife while his gun remained trapped beneath the elk.
• Su Wei shot the outlaw in the thigh, stopping his charge and knocking him into the snow.
• Black restrained the outlaw, and Su Wei kept his rifle trained on him until Black called the scene clear.

Su Wei shot and wounded a dangerous poacher who had threatened him and Black, then learned why the poacher’s crimes endangered Kodiak Official Hunting Area No. 1’s rating. The poacher was taken into custody, and Charlie recognized Su Wei’s skill as a hunter.

• Su Wei picked up his spent casing while Black searched the wounded poacher and applied a tourniquet.
• Charlie and another Fish and Game enforcement officer arrived by helicopter and took charge of the suspect.
• Black revealed that Su Wei had made the precise shot, surprising Charlie, who praised Su Wei and agreed it was self-defense.
• The officers carried the poacher to the helicopter, and Su Wei learned that poaching could reduce the hunting area’s star rating by harming its signature Roosevelt elk population.

Charlie’s team discovered that the poacher Su Wei helped capture was wanted murderer Garrett Hawk, but the incident had badly damaged the Roosevelt elk population and could lower the hunting area’s rating. Su Wei left the contaminated stag for wildlife to feed on and was allowed to keep its antlers.

• Tom identified the captured poacher as Garrett Hawk, a former Marine sniper wanted for murder and armed robbery.
• Charlie pieced together how Garrett’s fear of arrest had led him to flee through the hunting area and shoot the elk, while the damage threatened the area’s rating and funding.
• Black said the enforcement team could take Garrett and headed back to the tracked vehicle.
• Su Wei inspected the dead Roosevelt elk and learned its meat was contaminated and its hide damaged.
• Su Wei said the stag should be left for the wildlife, and Charlie told him he could keep its antlers.

After the Fish and Game officers took Garrett away, Black helped Su Wei claim the dead Roosevelt elk’s antlers as his trophy. Black estimated the exceptional 7x7 rack was worth $80,000, leaving Su Wei stunned.

• Charlie invited Su Wei to join the Fish and Game Department, but Black shut the helicopter door and told Su Wei to collect his own trophy.
• After the helicopter departed, Black and Su Wei inspected the dead elk and found its meat ruined.
• Black explained that Charlie had left the antlers for Su Wei because Su Wei had brought Garrett down and hunters’ rules gave him the right to decide the trophy’s fate.
• Su Wei counted seven points on each side of the elk’s crown-class rack.
• Black said a slightly smaller rack had sold for $80,000 at the New York Autumn Hunting Exhibition, and Su Wei reacted in disbelief.

Su Wei harvested the Roosevelt elk’s valuable skull and antlers after Black helped him survive the hunt. Black refused his offer to share the trophy, urging him to keep it as a reminder of his first milestone as a professional hunter, and they drove back through the storm.

• Black told Su Wei that an elk skull had once sold for eighty thousand dollars, and Su Wei’s system identified the Roosevelt elk skull as a perfect-grade collector’s item.
• Su Wei used Black’s bone saw to remove the skull without damaging its antlers or eye sockets.
• Su Wei offered the antlers to Black in gratitude, but Black refused and told him to keep the trophy as a memento of the hunt.
• Su Wei secured the antlers to the tracked vehicle and climbed aboard, asking Black to make roasted elk heart when they returned.
• Black drove the tracked vehicle deeper into the storm with Su Wei and the trophy aboard.

Su Wei returned to Kodiak Town after Black agreed to take him to the Fish and Game Department so he could reach his snowmobile and make his appointment the next morning. With compensation, valuable elk antlers, and hunter points ahead of him, he began considering how to shape his future and stopped outside an old apartment building.

• Su Wei told Black he could not return to the remote cabin because his snowmobile was at the Fish and Game Department and his pickup could not manage the deep snow.
• Black agreed to take Su Wei to the Fish and Game Department and told him to call after his business the next day so they could claim Hunters' Guild points for their operation.
• Black gave Su Wei his phone number and said he would keep the Roosevelt elk antlers and bring them over the next day.
• Black dropped Su Wei off at the Fish and Game Department, then drove away with the antlers.
• Su Wei retrieved his snowmobile and rode through Kodiak Town, reflecting on his new prospects before stopping outside an old apartment building.

After returning from the wilderness, Su Wei reassured Emily that the poachers had been caught and took over cooking when her soup burned. They shared his beef and vegetable congee, and Su Wei fed some beef to Cotton Candy.

• Emily opened the door to Su Wei and admitted she had been about to call the Fish and Game Department.
• Su Wei put away his Browning rifle and told Emily the poachers had been caught and handed over to the enforcement team.
• Emily rushed to save her burning soup, but Su Wei took over the cooking and made beef and vegetable congee.
• Emily ate the congee with Su Wei and praised his cooking.
• Su Wei picked out beef from his bowl and fed it to Cotton Candy under the table.

Su Wei reassured Emily that the shipwreck compensation would clear his debts and promised he would avoid dangerous adventures for a while. The next morning, he headed to the Fisheries Union to sign the agreement, leaving his future plans unresolved.

• Su Wei told Emily he would collect the shipwreck compensation at the Fisheries Union and that it would cover his debts.
• Emily asked whether Su Wei would return to dangerous places, and he said he would not go anywhere like that for a while.
• Su Wei woke on the sofa, made coffee and breakfast with Emily, and confirmed the compensation was more than enough to repay his debts.
• Su Wei left for the Fisheries Union after promising Emily he would return for beef brisket stewed with potatoes.
• Su Wei arrived at the Fisheries Union in Kodiak Town and went upstairs to the insurance claims office.

Su Wei reviewed and signed the settlement agreement for his parents’ deaths, securing $3,257,400 after fees and taxes. With the payment due within three business days, he left the fishing union and saw that his $160,000 debt no longer seemed insurmountable.

• Jennifer explained that the fishing company had agreed to pay punitive damages because the black box showed management sent the fleet into a storm under threat of withholding bonuses.
• Jennifer calculated Su Wei’s final compensation as $3,257,400 after deductions for legal fees, taxes, and other costs.
• Su Wei carefully reviewed the agreement and signed his name without hesitation.
• Jennifer told Su Wei the funds would be transferred to his bank account within three business days and gave him a copy of the agreement.
• Su Wei left the fishing union, checked his banking app, and realized his $160,000 debt now seemed small beside the settlement.

After securing a $3,257,400 compensation agreement, Su Wei received a reminder about his $30,000 loan payment and realized his debt no longer threatened him. At the Fish and Game Department, Aruk invited him to join a bear hunt, but Su Wei hesitated over whether he still needed to risk his life for money.

• Su Wei read Wells Fargo’s reminder that his $30,000 loan payment was due and reflected that he was now legally a millionaire after signing a compensation agreement.
• Su Wei called Black, who told him to wait at the Fish and Game Department.
• Aruk enthusiastically told Su Wei that he and his father had killed a level-five black-tailed buck and earned six points.
• Aruk invited Su Wei to join him and his father on a Kodiak bear hunt, praising Su Wei’s tracking skills and promising to split the money equally.
• Su Wei considered the danger of bear hunting and wondered whether he still needed to take such risks now that his debt was gone.

Su Wei accompanied Black to the Fish and Game Department to register the points he earned for helping capture wanted criminal Garrett Hawk. Sarah confirmed the operation report and awarded him ten hunter points, while Aruk learned that his friend had played a key role in the capture.

• Su Wei declined Aruk's invitation to meet the King of the Island until he had time to consider it.
• Black arrived and summoned Su Wei to the Fish and Game Department, and Aruk followed them inside.
• Black told Sarah that Su Wei had assisted in capturing wanted criminal Garrett Hawk.
• Sarah checked Captain Charlie's operation report and confirmed Su Wei's contribution.
• Sarah awarded Su Wei ten hunter points for his major role in the operation.