Living out in the cold and hunting the wild for food while trying to avoid getting devoured by the animals you kill for survival. Sounds like some adventure movie, but that is the real life that Chip Hailstone and his family lives. A daredevil, Chip can even employ his bare hands to make a kill when neither of his weapons which includes a bow and arrow is available, little wonder why his motto is: live for the day but plan for tomorrow.
The Hailstones are among the 6 families whose lifestyles are documented in the National Geographic reality TV series Life Below Zero.
Living what many would consider a primitive life in this modern era has made Hailstone a celebrity of some sort. A word of advice: You don’t even want to say anything discriminative to the hearing of his fans, as you’d be in for some serious tongue-lash. Follow us as we attempt to unveil some truth about this American hunter.
Chip Hailstone Biography, Children
Mr. Chip was born as Edward V Hailstone in 1969 in Kalispell, Montana to Daniel Franklin Hailstone and Mary Lois Hailstone. Chip was also raised in Kalispell where he learned the craft and skills of hunting and fishing.
During his late teens, 19 years old to be exact, which would be in 1988, Hailstone visited Alaska. As fate would have it, Chip’s visit soon turned into an unplanned permanent stay in Noorvik, a small city of roughly 700 inhabitants.
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After some years living in Noorvik, Hailstone met fellow hunter Agnes, a native Alaskan hailing from Inupiat. The pair developed from friends to lovers and later got married. The exact date of their marriage is unknown, however, judging from the ages of their children who also feature in Life Below Zero, Chip and Agnes probably tied the knot in the mid-1990s.
Agnes was born in 1972, making her just 3 years younger than her husband. Together the couple shares 5 children together, they are daughters; Tinmiaq, Iriqtaq, Mary, Caroline and, Qutan.
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Hailstone’s daughters, despite playing active parts in the family’s survival lifestyle have not neglected their academics. Iriqtaq graduated from high school in 2015 and afterward, proceeded to college. Both Iriqtaq and Mary were active athletes in school with the later serving as her team’s basketball captain in her freshman year. Iritaq has a kid making her dad Chip a grandfather.
Additionally, Agnes had two sons from her previous relationship, they are Douglas and Jon. They are also full-time hunters. The oldest, Douglas who was born in the 1980s is married to Gloria Iyatunguk and together they have 5 children. Jon is also married with kids.
While the family primarily lives near Noorvik’s Kobuk River, the Hailstones migrate seasonally in order not to miss out on the best the wild has to offer. In addition to eating the game they hunt, the Hailstones also utilize the non-edible part of their game by making them into craft and arts which they trade to make a living. Most of their trade, however, is done by barter.
Why He Is In Jail
Sadly, Chip Hailstone found himself on the wrong side of the law. In a case that dates back to July 2011, Chip was convicted of two counts of perjury and counts of providing false information to police officers.
As a result, he was ordered to serve 3 years of probation. After years of appealing his 15-months sentence behind bars by raising five claims of error, he lost and had to face his conviction. Chips would be incarcerated in the Anchorage Correctional Complex beginning in 2018.
So how exactly did Chip get himself in trouble? As the story goes, Chip claimed that an Alaska state Trooper Christopher Bitz physically assaulted his then-17-year-old daughter, Tinmiaq.
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According to his interview with the Arctic Sounder, Chip related that the officer held his daughter in a submissive hold after she stretched her hands towards him while talking. However, another Trooper, Gordon Young’s statement at the indictment disputed Chip’s claims. Chip also told the news outlet that the Trooper’s actions had left him and his family in fear for their lives.
On behalf of his daughter, Chip filed a restraining order against the Trooper. However, despite his appeal, he was still found guilty of perjury. Many of his fans have expressed their disappointment in Chip’s conviction stating that the length of incarceration is unfair. However, while he serves time, his family would continue on the show without him.
Other Facts
Chip Hailstone is estimated to have a net worth of $100,000.
Because of tribal and federal hunting legislation of which Chip is bound, he cannot hunt marine mammals as they are reserved only for local natives. While his wife is a tribal member, marriage to her only makes him her husband and nothing more.