‘Hoffman Family Gold’: Todd Encounters Hungry Grizzly Bear in Sneak Peek (VIDEO)
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Todd Hoffman has faced his share of obstacles as he and the rest of the crew hope to uncover 1,000 ounces of gold. During season 2 of Hoffman Family Gold, the father-son relationship between him and Hunter is tested with the two working their respective crews and philosophies. Then there are equipment issues, the time crunch, and the unpredictability of the elements.
Of course, when you’re mining in the Alaskan wilderness you never know what kind of wildlife you may encounter. This is evident in the exclusive TV Insider sneak peek above from the August 11 episode. The clip of the Discovery Channel series sees a grizzly bear pay a visit to the Hoffman site in Mammoth Valley.
And by Todd’s surmising, it’s not there to search for picnic baskets. He is only concerned about the crew but the nearby family of foxes. “We have our fox den right here straight across, and they have Mom and Dad fox and five little pups,” Todd said. “It’s kind of scary. Just out of the blue, here comes a grizzly bear out of the middle of nowhere to take out our whole fox family.”
For the gold miner, the thought of having a bear running into camp is a sobering reminder Mother Nature is really in charge. He advises the crew to stay in the truck as the grizzly nears as close as 75 yards from their trucks. Even with gunshots, the bear doesn’t get the hint.
“We’ve had encounters with bears. If they start coming towards you or in your camp, you better be prepared,” Todd’s dad Jack advises. “They will attack you, and you got to be super cautious. A good bear is a bear that runs away from you. Sometimes you have to fire a couple of shots in the air to make it safe for miners and the bears. Sometimes the bear is smart enough to take off.”
Foreman Andy Spinks adds they need to get the bear out of the area so they can get back to work. He hypothesizes it smells the kitchen grease and all their breakfast. “These bears are serious, and they’re very, very hungry,” Todd declares. Watch the suspense unfold on Hoffman Family Gold on Friday nights.
Hoffman Family Gold, Fridays, 9/8c, Discovery Channel
