When I hit play on Joe Rogan Podcast (JRE) #1395 with Glenn Villeneuve I did not know what to expect. I had never heard of Villeneuve, but surprisingly realized that this episode is one of the most fascinating JRE episodes of all time.
Glenn Villeneuve is a superior outdoorsman, hunter, expert in wilderness survival, and star of the reality show Life Below Zero. For those that don’t remember his name, he is often referred to as the “Alaskan Wilderness guy” from the JRE podcast episode #1395.
Rogan himself has become quite a skilled outdoorsman, so these two made an outstanding discussion about hunting wild game, trekking, and living in extreme conditions. In fact, Villeneuve’s story was so inspiring that it made our list of The 13 Best Joe Rogan Podcast Guests for Motivation.
#1: Villeneuve – Moving to Alaska
Some years ago, Villeneuve decided to move to the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska to start from scratch and try surviving on his own. He found that he really enjoyed this way of life, preferring it over the Western world where everything you need is at your fingertips.
“Northern Alaska is the most wild place left in this America.”
– Glenn Villeneuve on JRE #1395
Read on to see 10 highlights of his talk with Joe Rogan…
#2: Villeneuve fends off Bears & Wolves
Villeneuve spent a lot of time around dangerous predators like bears, wolves, and wolverines. That’s why he told Rogan: “My rifle is my trusted companion.”
When necessary, one strategy that Villeneuve used to get food was to track wolves and steal their kills, of course, thanks to his rifle.
Villeneuve also told Rogan, in his experience, that 99% of the time wolves and grizzly bears don’t want anything to do with humans. They intuitively know that humans are dangerous to them and usually just run away.
In one instance, his camp was being scouted and stalked by a large pack of wolves. An incredible story, check out the video of him describing it to Rogan on the podcast:
#3: Villeneuve Eats Weird Animals
For survival, Glenn hunted and ate all types of animals, including bears, weasels, wolves, caribou, moose, rats, rabbits, and more. Basically, anything he could get his hands on was necessary for survival when living in the Brooks Range.
Rogan can relate because he has expanded his diet of wild game, including bear meat, thanks to his improved skills as a hunter. Rogan has been mentored by two of the best hunters in the world in Steven Rinella and Cameron Hanes.
Villeneuve doesn’t waste any part of the animals he eats, telling Rogan, “I’ve eaten everything on the animal but the poop. And a lot of it you can eat raw.”
Also see: How Joe Rogan Cooks Steak & Elk: A Mouth-Watering Recipe!
#4: Villeneuve’s Shocking Way to Get Vegetables
Villeneuve shocked Rogan by saying that he would get vegetables from a caribou’s stomach and eat them. “That’s how I get vegetables,” he told Rogan.
This article describes the contents of a caribou’s stomach as having a slightly sweet and earthy taste, and are a “hunter’s reward.”
#5: Villeneuve on the Long Trail
Villeneuve told Rogan that when he was 12-13 years old, he walked the entire length of Vermont, a trail called The Long Trail. It is quite a journey, totaling about 272 miles and is the oldest continuous footpath in the United States.
Villeneuve quit school when he was just 13 years old, although he went back to high school for 9th grade, before dropping out. He found that his calling was to be outdoors, traveling, and getting a real-world degree.
That led him to working as a freelance courier, allowing him to travel and deliver mail. He told Rogan that he loved it because he got paid to travel.
Villeneuve never did get a high school degree, but described himself as having a “self-education.”
#6: Villeneuve Planned for 7 Years
Villeneuve’s journey to living in Northern Alaska took a significant amount of preparation and planning, about 7 years, he told Joe Rogan. When he was finally ready, he parked his van and walked 60 miles to the spot where he chose to live in the Brooks Range. There were no roads to get there, just seemingly untouched wilderness.
The year before Villeneuve moved to his camp, he dropped off a 50-gallon drum filled with necessary supplies to get started. In the drum were 2 months of food, a jug of oil, some flour, rice, and beans.
Other supplies he had left: a wall tent, rifle, and fishing equipment. One year he ran out of food by September and had only flour left!
“I just wanted to dispose of everything I couldn’t live with.”
– Glenn Villeneuve on Joe Rogan’s Podcast, #1395
Also see: Who Does Joe Rogan Hunt With?
#7: The Present Moment
Rogan told Villeneuve that the show Life Below Zero is so appealing to people, especially because most people work mundane office jobs and are stuck there. They get curious and wish they could try living the way Villeneuve does.
“It’s an outlet and beautiful thing to share with people,” Rogan said.
Villeneuve described living in the wilderness as, instead of tuning out all of the noise that exists in the Western world, you are tuning into the present moment. His life depends on it.
#8: Villeneuve Doesn’t Like Bear Meat
Glenn doesn’t like to eat bear meat because he thinks that it is not a “clean meat.” Bears eat a lot of rotten food and have parasites that can harm humans. For example, Villeneuve talked about bears having tape worms coming out of their butt.
Villeneuve and Rogan talked about baylisascaris, a worm infection and that when a worm is in an unfamiliar host, like a human, it doesn’t know where to go.
#9: Villeneuve Experienced Re-Feeding Edema
Villeneuve told Rogan that he experienced refeeding edema, a condition that can happen when a person eats after a period of starvation. His life on the Brooks Range wasn’t all joy and happiness, as there were times when he was having serious problems getting food.
Also see: 7 Reasons Why Elk is Joe Rogan’s Favorite Meat
#10: Villeneuve Notices Global Warming
On global warming, Villeneuve has anecdotally noticed the ice is thinner where he lives. He told Rogan that Alaska is now using salt on roads, where it used to be too cold for salt to even work. Where he lives there is a lake the ice there has gone from 4 feet to 2.5 thick.
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Thanks you so much for reading!
Check out Glenn Villeneuve on Instagram and Twitter: @glennvilleneuve