Joey Zuray Today: From Yukon Men to Yukon 800 Racing, Family Life & Living Off the Land in Alaska

If you’ve ever tuned into Discovery Channel’s Yukon Men, chances are you remember Joey Zuray—the quiet, determined son of Stan Zuray who grew up surviving some of the harshest conditions in interior Alaska. From trapping and dog mushing to helping build a life completely off the grid, Joey stood out as someone who didn’t just inherit his father’s skills—he lived them. But what happened after the show wrapped up? Here’s a closer look at Joey’s life today and how he continues to embrace the wilderness.

Growing Up in Tanana: A Life Built on Survival

Joey Zuray was born on June 27, 1990, in the remote village of Tanana, Alaska—an off-grid community nestled along the Yukon River. From the beginning, his life was shaped by the rugged demands of the Alaskan interior, where daily survival depended on practical skills, resilience, and self-reliance.

His parents, Stan and Kathleen Zuray, raised three children together—Ariel, Joey, and Kate—with Joey being the second. He also has an older half-sister, Monica, from Stan’s previous marriage. Monica was part of the family in early Alaska years but later relocated to Boston after Stan moved to Tanana.

From an early age, Joey was immersed in bush life—learning to trap, hunt, fish, and mush sled dogs. His father, Stan, who moved to Alaska in the 1970s in search of a simpler, more purposeful life, served as his mentor. In the Zuray home, self-reliance wasn’t just a family value—it was a daily survival skill.

This resilience was echoed in memories shared by his sister Kate, who recalled how fearless Joey was as a child. At their remote fish camp—40 miles from the nearest clinic—Joey once strapped together wooden wings and tried to fly off a cliff. Another time, when a sled dog severely bit their father, Joey and Kate had to respond fast. Stan used the incident to teach them emergency survival tactics—how to use a rifle, fire signal shots, and draw help from neighboring camps.

These defining moments instilled in Joey a deep sense of independence, quick decision-making under pressure, and an unshakable comfort in remote and risky environments—skills that would serve him for life, both in private and on screen.

Television Career on Yukon Men (2012–2017)

Joey Zuray rose to public recognition through his role on the Discovery Channel series Yukon Men, which premiered on August 24, 2012. In the show’s debut episode, “Hunt or Starve,” he joined his father, Stan Zuray, on a rugged multi-day caribou hunt to help address a village-wide meat shortage. From the outset, Joey was presented not just as a supporting figure, but as a young man actively learning the skills required to thrive in Alaska’s harsh interior.

As the show progressed, Joey became a central presence in the series, showcasing his growing independence and expertise in subsistence living. In Season 1 alone, he took on major responsibilities—running his own traplines, operating heavy equipment, helping construct cabins and smokehouses, and participating in critical moose and goose hunts. By the finale, Joey had transitioned from apprentice to capable provider, regularly handling high-risk tasks with minimal supervision.

One standout segment highlighted his knowledge of wolf trapping, a necessary practice in Tanana to manage predator populations. The episode detailed Joey’s scent-control methods, including boiling traps and using specialized gear to eliminate human scent—illustrating his deep understanding of animal behavior and trapping ethics.

Among the many moments that demonstrated Joey’s growth and raw experience in the field, one particularly gripping story stood out. During a moose hunt near Fish Lake, he and a friend tracked a large bull moose after an initial shot. When they finally caught up, the animal was still alive—and charged at Joey. Armed only with a small-caliber AR rifle, he reacted swiftly under pressure. Joey later described the moment as terrifying but defining, capturing the unpredictable and often dangerous reality of subsistence hunting in the Alaskan bush.

Over the course of Yukon Men’s six seasons, Joey appeared in storylines involving salmon harvesting, wildfire response, bear encounters, emergency prep, and even family boat-building efforts. These episodes chronicled his coming-of-age journey and positioned him as a symbol of generational continuity—passing on the Zuray family’s resilience, discipline, and connection to the land.

Love, Wedding, Married Life and children

Joey Zuray began his relationship with Samantha Roberts-Wright in 2016, during the fifth season of Yukon Men. As Joey gained recognition on national television, his personal life quietly flourished through a bond rooted in shared values, subsistence tradition, and community connection.

After three years together, Joey and Samantha married on July 26, 2019, in a traditional riverside ceremony held along the Yukon River in Tanana, Alaska. The couple stood beneath a handmade birchwood arch draped in white tulle and adorned with blue and white floral arrangements. Samantha wore a strapless lace wedding gown with a long train and carried a bouquet of white roses, while Joey wore a classic black suit with a white shirt and yellow tie, accented by a white boutonnière. The celebration reflected the spirit of the region—complete with coordinated blue and white attire, bridesmaids, flower girls, and close-knit community participation.

In July 2020, the couple searched for a rental cabin or small apartment in Fairbanks while simultaneously making plans to build a permanent home on Samantha’s grandfather’s land in Tanana. Their efforts reflected a balance of long-term homesteading goals with immediate housing needs—anchored in resilience and practical living.

A new chapter began with the birth of their daughter, Renee Ann Zuray, on April 6, 2022. Samantha later reflected on celebrating both her birthday and anniversary for the first time as a mother, sharing that Joey had been away at work that day providing for their family. Despite his absence, he surprised her during pickup with a gift, which deeply touched her. The gesture highlighted Joey’s thoughtfulness even during busy times and served as a reminder of the strength and care within their relationship as new parents.

As of mid-2025, Joey and Samantha are nearing their sixth wedding anniversary and celebrating nine years together—marking nearly a decade of shared life, love, and resilience in Alaska. They continue to honor their journey through heartfelt posts, like a 2020 reflection on their first year of marriage and a 2022 tribute to their early days of parenthood. The couple remains active in Tanana’s seasonal cycle—trapping, hunting, fishing, and contributing to community traditions. Their partnership reflects not only personal devotion but a broader dedication to the legacy of subsistence living in interior Alaska.

Life After Yukon Men

Traditional Practices and Youth Education

In 2017, Joey Zuray was actively involved in his family’s subsistence fishing operations along the Yukon River. That summer, Stan Zuray documented the difficult conditions at their Rapids fish camp, where slow salmon runs made it challenging for multiple households to put up enough fish. Despite the setback, Joey and the family continued to work through the season, relying on their deep knowledge of the river and seasonal rhythms to adapt. The Zurays remained resilient, holding out for more stable catches in the fall.

By the winter of 2018, Joey had turned his efforts toward trapping alongside Samantha. In a Facebook post that February, Stan Zuray shared that Sam and Joe had been trapping all winter and were largely surviving off their fur harvest. They prepared open-skinned wolf pelts and other furs for sale—some intended for local parka ruffs, others destined for international buyers through auction houses. The siblings endured financial hardship but sustained themselves through grit and resourcefulness. As fur prices had declined due to market disruptions and anti-fur sentiment, their success spoke volumes about their determination.

Joey focused on smaller furbearers like Marten—animals similar to mink, whose longer fur is sold as sable to buyers in China and Russia. Many local trappers in remote Alaska, including Joey, often face the choice between selling at reduced prices to nearby buyers for immediate cash or mailing shipments to auction houses in Canada for potentially better returns.

In August 2023, the Zuray family retired their long-running fish wheel, a cornerstone of their subsistence lifestyle for over a decade. With king salmon fishing closures persisting along the Yukon River, they made the decision to float the wheel to Tanana and cut it into firewood. According to Stan Zuray, the wheel had accumulated more hours and caught more fish than any other in the region, operating up to 24 hours a day for nearly four months each summer. It served both as a subsistence wheel and a tool in a fish-friendly video counting project that helped replace more harmful survey methods used across the Yukon River drainage. The retirement of the wheel marked the end of an era in the family’s fishing history.

Later that year, in 2023, Joey continued to expand his involvement in subsistence life by taking part in guided hunting trips through the Alaska Range. Although his group didn’t successfully harvest a moose, Joey documented the trip as part of his ongoing engagement with wilderness guiding and survival skills. His presence in these expeditions reflects his growing expertise in bushcraft and his commitment to sharing and preserving traditional practices.

Most recently in spring 2025, Joey led a beaver trapping class for schoolchildren in Tanana. As shown in a YouTube video posted by Stan Zuray, Joey guided the students through the entire process—from setting up snares to checking the first beaver house. The video captures Joey working alongside the kids, explaining the method for chipping through ice and safely extracting snares. The class was a success, with several beavers caught.

In addition to trapping, hunting, and youth education, Joey has remained a competitive presence in Alaska’s most challenging riverboat race—the Yukon 800.

Yukon 800 Racing and Fundraising

Joey Zuray is the captain of the race boat Deludaleelto, named after his niece and meaning “beautiful” in Koyukon Athabascan. In 2007, at just 17 years old, Joey entered his first Yukon 800 riverboat race—becoming the youngest person in race history to captain a boat.

The Yukon 800 is an 800-mile, high-speed riverboat endurance race that runs from Fairbanks to Galena and back. Known for rough weather, hidden logjams, submerged hazards, and high speeds, the race is one of Alaska’s most physically demanding and dangerous traditional competitions.

In 2018, Samantha Zuray (then Roberts-Wright), his girlfriend at the time, joined Joey for her first time in the Yukon 800. Ahead of the race, she shared her nervous excitement on social media, calling it a big milestone. That year, the team finished in third place, marking an early success for Team Deludaleelto.

In 2020, Samantha organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for their racing team. The fundraiser helped cover costs for racing coats, engine parts, fuel, safety gear, and entry fees. She also launched donation drives on social media, where community members could have their names featured on the boat in exchange for sponsorship.

In 2022, Joey and his crew encountered serious mechanical issues shortly after the race began—just 12 miles in, the steering system failed. Despite early setbacks that nearly forced them to withdraw, they performed makeshift repairs, including rope fixes and paddle assists. Once in Tanana, they replaced the steering box and resumed the race with renewed energy, ultimately reaching speeds of 69.5 mph near the Boneyard. Joey credited his crew—Clyde Mayo and Kyler Charlie—and the Tanana community for their support.

In June 2025, the team once again faced mechanical setbacks just before the race, damaging a key prop and lift two days prior. During the race, they encountered logs, water rollers, and unstable steering but managed to recover and hit 69 mph on the return leg. They ultimately placed third. Samantha continued to oversee sponsorships, community outreach, and post-race updates—helping ensure the visibility and momentum of Team Deludaleelto.

Joey Zuray Wiki Bio Facts

Full Name	Joseph Stanley Zuray
Date of Birth	June 27, 1990
Age	35 years old
Place of Birth	Tanana, Alaska, USA
Nationality	American
Parents	Stan Zuray (father), Kathleen Zuray (mother)
Spouse	Samantha Roberts-Wright (m. July 26, 2019)
Children	One daughter, Renee Ann Zuray (b. April 6, 2022)
Profession	Outdoorsman, subsistence hunter, trapper, wilderness educator, Yukon 800 race captain
Known For	Co-star on Discovery Channel’s Yukon Men (2012–2017)
TV Debut	Yukon Men, Season 1 Episode 1: “Hunt or Starve” (Aug 24, 2012)
Boat Name	Deludaleelto (Koyukon for “beautiful”)
First Yukon 800 Race	2007 (youngest captain in race history at age 17)
Race Highlights	3rd place in Yukon 800 (2018 & 2025); mechanical recovery in 2022
Residence	Tanana, Alaska
Notable Skills	Hunting, trapping, dog mushing, boat racing, cabin building, fish wheel operation
Active Years	2012–present (TV + racing + community involvement)