Heimo Korth: Inside the Daily Life of The Last Alaskans Star in 2025

Heimo Korth, best known from The Last Alaskans series, has long captivated viewers with his rugged, off-grid lifestyle. But his story is far richer and more grounded than reality television often reveals. Through his stories and daily routines, Heimo invites audiences into a more personal space—both literally and figuratively—as he shares life between his cabin in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and his home in Fort Yukon.

A Year Split Between Town and Wilderness

Each year, Heimo and his wife Edna divide their time between their remote wilderness cabin and their modest home in Fort Yukon, Alaska. From August to early April, they live in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, completely isolated and self-reliant. In spring, typically from April through July, they transition to Fort Yukon, a small village accessible only by plane or boat.

“This is our house in town here. It’s small, but it’s nice,” Heimo says, seated in a cozy Fort Yukon living room decorated with taxidermy mounts, framed wilderness photos, and bush gear—captured in his 2025 video update. He explains how they use this time to prepare for the next winter—hunting ducks and geese, cutting firewood, and fishing for salmon and bait.

Spring Hunting and Subsistence Living

May is the height of waterfowl hunting season for rural Alaskans like the Korths. “It’s legal for us to kill ducks and geese in the spring because we’re rural residents,” Heimo explains. This allows them to stock up before their focus shifts to fall hunting of larger game such as caribou and moose.

In the video, Heimo heads out to icy ponds searching for geese and ducks, carefully navigating spring ice with wisdom from years of experience: “You don’t want to step in the dark areas… stay on the lighter-colored ice.” Despite a few near misses and shy birds, he eventually bags a white-fronted goose—also called a specklebelly—which he plans to pluck and use not just for food, but also for bait in winter trapping.

Work in Town and Preparing for Winter

When not hunting, Heimo picks up seasonal work as a heavy equipment operator in Fort Yukon to earn cash for winter supplies. He also cuts firewood, prepares nets for fishing, and stocks up on essentials during supply trips to Fairbanks. They fish for bait and trapping purposes, and when permitted, catch salmon using a set net during the summer season. Everything revolves around self-reliance, timing, and long-term planning.

A Journey That Began in 1975

Heimo first came to Fort Yukon in August 1975 while working as a packer for a hunting guide. After years of moving between trapping seasons and visits to St. Lawrence Island—where Edna is originally from—he eventually settled in northeastern Alaska full-time after marrying Edna. During his early years, Heimo credits the wisdom of older native residents for teaching him critical bush survival skills: “Sixty percent was self-taught… but the other 40% I learned from the old people here.”

Modern Comforts in Fort Yukon, But the Wilderness Is Home

While Fort Yukon has basic infrastructure—power, water, sewer, a store, and a post office—Heimo still considers the cabin in the wilderness his real home. “

It’s different here,” Heimo reflects. “There’s running water, power… and I take advantage of being able to shower every night. But we spend eight months of the year up at the cabin—and that would be really home.”

Still, Heimo doesn’t shy away from the reality of aging. “If me and Edna get way too old that we can’t make it out there because we can’t physically do anything because of age… then we’ll have to come in town here and live in here. That’s just life,” he says.

Fun Facts 

• Heimo prefers duck soup, while Edna only likes roast goose.
• He carefully avoids shooting shovelers (spoonbills), calling them undesirable.
• He uses goose wings as bait for trapping martens.
• He carries slugs in case of bear encounters during hunting.
• He considers lighter-colored spring ice safer and uses it as a visual cue while walking.

Watch: Heimo Korth’s 2025 Spring Update

In this video, Heimo shares his duck hunting routine, talks about life in Fort Yukon, and reflects on decades of living off the land.