It's Joe. Pickett. The game warden.
Don't worry, it's just me.
Jesus, Joe Pickett.
Well, what's going on?
I'm right in the middle of something.
You can keep our secret.
So you're the new Vern Dunnegan. I am.
Vern Dunnegan would never pull this shit.
I'm not Vern Dunnegan.
No. You sure as hell ain't.
Here we are,
you finally have your own post.
Girls started their new school.
We made it, Joe.
What's a girl gotta do to make some new friends in this town?
Divorce the game warden?
I recommend keeping the door closed.
He does like watching Jeopardy.
I'm gonna have to write you up.
This job will break you, unless you learn how to bend.
I can be pretty stubborn.
Do you feel like we're safe?
No. I don't.
I'm not sure how much safer they gonna feel
if you go out there and get yourself killed.
Tell Sheriff Barnum the man he's looking for
is lying dead on the woodpile behind my house.
There's a reason game wardens are killed
more than any other officer of the law.
County Sheriff's Department.
You're under arrest for the murder of Ote Keeley.
I didn't kill Ote Keeley.
Can I trust you to look for the truth? - Yes.
The land under our feet.
Everyone is here to steal from it.
Wacey!
You just saved my life.
You're a goddamn hero.
You are too special
to be some park ranger's wife.
You have a law degree.
See you've been drinking again, Mom.
Who could blame me on a night like tonight
if I did have a glass, hmm? Or two!
Somebody coming to get ya?
My mom's supposed to. God, forgive me.
Maybe she left me.
You'll stay with us till we find her, all right?
You went out there, you bought all that land with the Scarletts.
Now, we all become very rich.
This extinct weasel, it could keep
a small handful of people from making a lot of money.
You got some secrets. Because I know people.
They wanna kill everybody
who knows about those little critters.
You have got to promise to be careful.
That's my middle name.
You're the endangered species, Joe.
You're just too stupid to see it.
No, Mom, no!
They pushed the wrong guy this time.
Vern...
I didn't want it to come to this.
What about the baby?
I'm so sorry.
Remember how I told you things weren't gonna escalate?
I was wrong.
CREDITS
Good morning, Wyoming!
This is "Master Tracker" Buck Lothar,
and you're listening toBuck Talk coming to you live
through that clean Wyoming air
on this gorgeous morning for hunting.
Remember, if you can hear the radio,
then the elk can hear the radio, too.
In other hunting news, more updates from that bastion of idiocy,
Saddlestring, or as I like to call it, "Weaselville."
Ever since the local Lame Warden, discovered an extinct weasel
half the county has been shut down from hunting.
Hunters are having to travel hours away
from some of the richest hunting ground in all of Wyoming
to hunt in South Dakota.
Boo!
Nice job there, Lame Warden.
Sending a big old, warm scat sandwich your way.
I don't know who he's talking about,
but whoever he is talking about,
sounds like a cool guy.
Don't you think?
Sorry, boss.
Come on, girl.
Come on.
Move over, girl. You're in back.
She didn't oversleep.
All right. Where are we going? Something exciting?
Probably not.
Shouldn't you tell me?
Why? Well...
Because I'm your new trainee and all.
Shouldn't you be training me?
The first rule of becoming a game warden,
get comfortable with silence.
Hmm.
Interesting. Good note.
Is it true that you shot the guy that trained you?
Yeah.
Vern Dunnegan, right?
Mmm-hmm.
Is he dead? No, prison.
But the other guy died, right?
The neighboring game warden you also shot?
Yeah.
Man, you sure
seem to shoot a lot of game wardens, don't you?
Should I be nervous?
Yes, you should.
Get out of there. I need to brush my teeth.
You should have brushed them when you had a chance.
Seriously stop rushing me. Sheridan, where's my top?
Bathroom hog!
- Let's go. - Oh, my God.
Can I not get some peace and quiet?
Mom, I need to brush my teeth.
Oh, my God.
Get out!
Mom, the bus.
Seriously. Finally!
Okay... Ugh!
You're stupid.
We missed it again!
It was your fault for taking such a long shower.
Oh, really? - Yes.
Whatever! Hey!
Hey, no time for that this morning.
Missy says this is what happens when you have three girls and one bathroom.
Really, Lucy? Okay. Can you just finish getting ready?
Honey, we gotta hurry. We're gonna get another tardy.
That's probably true.
Why are you so fast?
Morning, Richard.
Herd of elk did this?
Not just elk.
Drunk elk.
Old apples ferment on the ground. Gets them drunk.
They... They do this a lot this time of year.
She's wasted.
She's a he.
He's wasted.
Okay.
Everything okay, Blaire?
Oh, yeah, I'm sure
it's just me being a worrywart.
I'm sure everything's fine.
How's the estate plan going? It's going well.
I have a handful of questions for you, but getting pretty close.
Sure, happy to answer any questions.
Well, I noticed your husband has been depositing money into an account,
the Bull Grove Foundation, is that a charity?
Honestly, knowing Frank,
it's probably some sort of bullshit tax shelter or something.
I swear, that man considers each penny
he gives to the tax man a personal affront.
It makes him crazy.
And I just hope that the old fool is okay.
Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?
Frank was supposed to come home last night from a hunting trip.
I'm sure he's just sleeping one off. Thank you.
He spends half those trips hunting Budweisers.
Why don't I ask Joe to go look for him? No.
But thank you.
I'll just give him a little more time.
How about you?
You need to talk?
What do you mean?
You seem distracted.
I think maybe you still have your pajamas on.
Oh, my God.
I'm sorry if I seem off.
It's a tough day.
I'll bill partial hours for today.
That is not what I meant
and stop negotiating yourself out of pay.
You think that would have been the first thing they taught you in lawyer school.
I'll get back to it.
Why don't you take it home?
You don't have to work here.
Sure. Okay.
Do you guys serve applesauce here? No.
Applesauce is pretty delicious.
My mom used to make it with cinnamon, I think.
I once ate so much I went to the hospital.
You guys should sell artisanal applesauce.
Where'd you get this kid?
They just gave him to me.
Does your boss hate you?
As a matter of fact, he does.
Excuse me.Yeah.
Hey, Luke, I got to look into something.
You mind staying here with Richard?
So is this how it's gonna roll with us?
What's that?
You go do the glamorous part
while you leave me behind to clean up.
Yes.
Have fun.
Hey, hun, your dad's here.
No, Mom! No!
Joe?
Mom?
Hey, you did that on purpose.
What's that?
I can't understand you.
Because I don't speak wet weasel.
I'm not a weasel.
No, I thought your house was filled with weasels.
And second-hand kids.
Does it make you feel good to make fun of a little girl?
I'm not a little girl.
You know, in our family, we stand up for each other.
Doesn't surprise me.
I thought all those Keeleys abandon their family.
Hey! Hey! Stop it! That's enough.
Miss Whiteplume.
Shoving is not okay from either of you.
Miss Whiteplume! Yes, Lucy.
Look!
Everyone to the cafeteria, now!
Ote Keeley, isn't it?
Hi, this is Marybeth.
Hey. I need you to call me, hun.
You're home early.
Yeah.
I was worried about you when I didn't hear from you.
Oh.
I turned my ringer off. I was trying to work.
I brought you a coffee and a... And a sandwich.
In case you're hungry.
Thank you.
It's hot.
You know what today is?
Yeah.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
I was just... I was just worried about you.
A year.
? I've been worryin' all my life
? I've been worryin' all my days
? Oh, it's a shame
? Why I gotta think that way
? I've been wonderin' all my life
? I've been wonderin' all my days
? Oh, sorrow and strife
? Tell me ain't that the life
? All I know is life can be a grind
? Sometimes you gotta give it time
? I can't tell you just how deep it goes
? I can't lie to you Tell you it's an easy road
? My mama always told me "Darling, don't give in"
? Sometimes you gotta bare and grin ?
God, it's the girls' school.
Hello?
Oh. Yeah. Okay.
Hey, they're looking for you.
Me? Yeah.
Why would they want me? I don't know.
This is Joe Pickett.
Hey!
Come on!
Stay back, stay back.
Don't worry, everybody. My dad's here. He'll know what to do.
Hey, Lucy, why don't you help guide your friends back where it's safe, okay?
No way. I want to see this.
Hey! Luke! Luke, stop!
Luke, stop!
You've got 50 kids packed in here
and you're picking a fight with a 1,000 pound bull?
Look, he's eating applesauce.
Just sayin'...
Okay, get the... Get the kids back to the classrooms, alright?
Just quietly. Just quietly.
Save us, Dad. Nice and quiet, Lucy. Lucy, quiet.
That's it. That's it.
Luke! Luke, get off your phone.
Wait, wait, wait. I have an idea. I saw it on TikTok.
Jesus!
Luke! Are you okay? Shit! I'm fine!
That's it.
Yeah. Look at you.
You got a good feed, huh?
That's it.
What the hell is he doing?
Luke, what are you doing?
Elks love Seal.
The singer not the semi-aquatic marine mammal.
I saw this video once...
Get in the truck! Luke, turn the music off!
I can't. I dropped the phone.
Oh, Jesus!
Wait, wait, wait. I've got something else.
Hey, what are you doing? It's trying to kill us!
And you think blinding ourselves is a good idea?
Oh, shit.
That's so embarrassing. I'm sure glad that's not my dad.
Well, your dad's a drunken momma's boy.
I'd be more embarrassed of that if I were you.
Good one.
Didn't your truck get destroyed last year, too?
Yep.
It was a nice truck.
Yep.
Mr. Pickett? You're Sheridan's dad, right? I am.
I'm Alisha. I'm the school therapist and guidance counselor.
Sometimes even janitor. Do you mind if I have a word?
Sure.
We can go to my office.
Good?
You know Sheridan's been coming to see me for the last few weeks.
Oh, she has?
I talked to your wife about it.
Something came up today and I wanted to give you a heads up on it.
Sheridan told me that this is
the one year anniversary of the attack on your family.
I didn't know that she was clocking that.
She's a smart girl.
Yeah, she is.
But I want you to know that Sheridan
blames herself for her mom being shot,
and the loss of her little brother.
That's ridiculous.
She's just a kid,
and she had nothing to do with that.
Well, you can know that, and I can know that.
But Sheridan doesn't.
And I think that it could help
if you talked to her and tell her that yourself.
Uh... Yeah.
Okay. Thanks.
Can I... Can I ask you something?
Um, my wife...
What do you say to someone if you can...
If you can see they're hurting,
to make them feel better?
I just, I don't seem to know the right words.
There are no magic words.
Sometimes it just takes holding space
and allowing the other person
and yourself to feel what's real.
Myself? I mean there's enough big feelings in my home
without me getting in on the action.
Well, the feelings are there,
whether we acknowledge them or not,
and they don't stay buried forever.
Let me know if you ever need someone to talk to.
Oh, it's okay. I don't. Thank you.
Mom! Mom!
Dad saved the school from a drunk elk!
Hey, Sheri, hold up for a second.
Sheridan, you know that thing that happened last year?
It wasn't your fault.
You know that, right?
I'm the one that got Mom to come here.
Then she got shot,
lost the baby.
Now you and her are always so sad.
Well, we're not... Okay.
No. Okay. Okay. Yeah.
Sometimes we're sad.
But, Sheri, it wasn't your fault.
I want you to hear that.
It was mine.
If I had figured it out sooner,
if I hadn't trusted the wrong guy,
if I hadn't pushed it so hard...
And anyway, it's my job to keep you safe,
not the other way around, okay?
No. We're family.
We're supposed to keep each other safe.
You are a really great kid, you know that?
I'm so proud to be your dad.
Me, too.
Joe, there might be a situation.
Hi, honey. Hi, Mama.
Uh-huh?
Blaire's husband, Frank, went hunting
up over at Swanson Lake with his nephews.
They were supposed to come home last night,
but his nephew's called this morning to say,
they got separated on the mountain,
and nobody's heard from Frank since.
Uh, up on Swanson Lake.
Why? Is that bad?
There's been some weird reports this season.
Um, they call it Bermuda Mountain, like Bermuda Triangle.
There's no GPS service,
and there's a strong magnetic pull
that scrambles compasses.
It would be really easy to get lost if you didn't know the area.
Have you told the sheriff yet?
No. No, Frank wouldn't like that.
I swear that man would rather die alone in the woods
than have me embarrass him
by sending the sheriff out looking for him.
Could you go, Joe?
Could you go look for him?
Yeah, of course.
Yes. Yes, I could.
Will you take your trainee?
No.
He doesn't like horses.
And he wants to be a game warden?
He gave me an hour long speech
about how an ATV is a better horse than a horse.
Oh, I bet you love him.Mmm.
Yeah, it's really working.
Daddy? Yeah.
I don't like it when you leave at night.
Can't you just, I don't know, head out in the morning?
Well, if I did head out in the morning,
then I'd be searching at night.
And if he's hurt, getting there sooner
could make all the difference.
Hey, I'll tell you what.
I have my satellite phone. Okay?
I'm gonna call you every hour to check in,
and I'll set an alarm and everything.
What about when I'm sleeping?
Well, when you're sleeping, then I'll, I'll call,
and I'll let it ring once,
so you know I'm okay.
And then I'm available if you want to call me.
Sound good?
Shake on it.
Okay.
Go brush your teeth.
Twice.
I really appreciate you doing this.
Yeah.
You know there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you.
I know.
I just wish, um...
I could be here with you tonight.
I know. Yeah.
I love you, Joe Pickett.
I love you more.
Hey.Mmm.
Be careful.
Yeah. It's my middle name.
Joe Careful Pickett.
That's Frank's truck.
Frank Urman?
I'm a state law enforcement officer.
I am armed.
I can hear you.
Best to make yourself known.
Shit. Ah.
Good evening, Warden.
I didn't hear you there.
I'm Dave Farkus.
And, uh, well, you should know,
I voted for you in the last election.
Game Warden's not an elected position.
Wouldn't happen to be night hunting, would you?
You know, hunting after 5:00 p.m, it's illegal.
Well, as it should be.
I was actually, uh, tracking a wounded animal
after accidentally making a bad shot.
And when I finally found it,
the elk was already stripped clean.
Another hunter stole your game meat?
Or a Wendigo.
What?
A Wendigo.
What's that?
Pure evil.
It's, uh...
It's like a zombie cannibal.
One has been haunting these woods for a while now,
ransacking camps and mutilating animals.
You haven't seen a guy up here, have you?
About six feet, burly?
Drives this truck.
Well, I've seen, uh, nobody up here.
Yeah.
Let's just hope the Wendigo hasn't gotten him.
You're not gonna drive home like that, are you?
Like what?
Ah. Drunk.
Dang no.
No, I am a model citizen.
And that's why I always keep
a sleeping bag in my car.
That's not your car.
Sleep tight, Mr. Farkus.
Don't let that Wendigo bite.
Hey.
What's the matter?
Something spooking you, huh?
Huh.
I guess Dave Farkus wasn't completely full of shit after all.
Yeah, you're probably right.
Since when does the sun rise in the west?
Frank Urman,
if you can hear me, please respond.
Yeah.
Yeah. Curious, huh?
We'll take that with us.
Easy, easy.
All right.
Oh, boy.
How's it going, Mom? Oh.
Sweetheart, I'm here for you
on this difficult day.
Oh, that was yesterday.
I... I don't...
I don't know what you want from me. I try.
Thank you.
Mmm. What is this?
My coffee.
You want me to get you one?
Hmm. No.
Caffeine keeps me up at night.
So it has been a year.
When are you gonna let me see my grandkids again?
You can see them anytime, Mom.
Unsupervised, I mean.
I know... I know I made a mistake. A big mistake.
But you cannot keep punishing me, Marybeth.
McLANAHAN: Oh, yeah, there she is.
My little Nutter Butter.
Mmm, mmm, mmm. My woman.
Marybeth.Deputy.
Yeah.
Uh, your mother and I, we, um...
We're concerned about you.
Yeah. How is this difficult day for you?
Mom.
Well, in ten years, he's going to be the sheriff,
and you'll still be married to the game warden.
Well, that's if he doesn't get himself fired again.
Gosh, he makes me laugh.
Especially in bed. I bet.
What do you mean I make you laugh in bed?
I'm teasing you, honey.Okay.
Hey, um, did you tell her the news yet?
News?
Uh, it's true. I do have news.
Oh, God, Mom.
I got a job.
That's great. That's great.
Where? Stockman's Bar.
A bar?
I thought you'd be happy.
Mom, you're doing so well.
You really think a bar is the best place to work for an alcoholic?
Marybeth, you know I hate that "A" word.
Doesn't make it any less true.
I miss my baby girl.
Oh, this guy again.
Sir. Sir, please. I miss my daughter.
This is Marissa. Please help me find her.
Thank you. Who is he?
His daughter's missing. He's here to protest.
If you ask me, she probably just ran away.
Did you look for her? McLANAHAN: No, no.
We don't do Native cases.
See, she's on the rez,
so they have their own police force to deal with all that.
Yeah, that's what us officers of the law
call jurisdiction, Marybeth.
Hmm.
Now that I'm thinking about it,
I should probably get on out of here
before they expect me to do something about it.
Like your job?
Well, yeah. Exactly, yeah.
See, if I don't do anything, I don't have to do
the paperwork that goes with it.
It's a win-win, huh?
Come here, you.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.Mmm.
Bye.Ooh.
You should write that down. It's good fatherly advice.
Oh, Mother, he is awful.
Maybe the worst.
He's not even close to the worst.
Yeah, you're right.
You should be careful.
I might marry him just to irritate you.
That's a great way to make important life decisions.
Just like you did,
marrying the game warden.
Not why I did it, Mom.
My baby girl is missing.
I miss my daughter.
Marissa. Please help me find her.
I miss my daughter.
Without closure, there can be no peace.
Hello.
I'm Game Warden Joe Pickett.
I'm looking for a lost hunter.
His name's Frank Urman.
Have you seen him?
Hello? Can you hear me?
Nice catch.
How many you got there?
Legal limit's six.
Lost count.
Maybe ten.
That's a violation.
I'm gonna need to see your license.
Ain't got it on me.
Might be in my bag.
You mind if I take a look?
Is that a yes?
Yup.
While you look, I'm gonna keep fishing.
Suit yourself.
Careful what you wish for.
Come again?
I said I'm willing to let this go
if you just turn your horse around
ride back the way you came.
Because if you start messing with me, well...
Well what?
Well, it may not turn out too good.
Are you threatening me?
Just stating a fact.
Like saying the sky is blue.
You've got a choice, is what I'm saying.
Yeah, well, I'm choosing to check your license
because that's my job.
Oops.Yeah.
Oops is right. You hooked me.
I fouled the cast, I guess.
Yeah, seemed deliberate to me.
Maybe if you'd stay clear of my casting lane.
I don't see your license.
Must have left it back at camp then.
Where's your camp?
Up in those trees?
Over the top, down the other side
and up and down another mountain.
Okay, let's go.
You could've just rode away.
Your name Caleb?
It was written on the pack.
Yup.
Got a last name? Yup.
So, what is it?
Grimmengruber.
Sorry, what?
Grimmengruber.
Most people just say Grim
because they can't pronounce it.
How long you been up here?
This is tough country.
Why just the Old Testament?
I'm not answering any more
of your questions, government man.
Easy.
You found it already?
Why'd you bring him?
I didn't. He just followed me.
I thought we had an agreement
about this sort of thing.
You know what happened the last time you did this.
That was different, Camish. You know that.
They're all like that,
every damned one of them.
Especially when they got a badge to hide behind.
What happened last time?
Brothers Grim, huh?
We prefer the Grim Brothers.
Where are you boys from?
How about I just take a look at this fishing license, and then I'll get going?
Well, then,
guess I'll go see if I can find it.
How long you boys been up here?
Is that an official question?
An official question?
Like one I have to answer
or you'll give me a dang ticket or something?
I was just wondering.
Looks like you've been up here a while, living off the land.
How many deer and elk you boys killed and eaten?
If I don't answer you, it's not because I'm rude, mister,
it's because I don't care to incriminate myself
if it ain't an official question and all.
Okay.
Well, then it's an official question.
If I don't agree to see you as an authority,
then it ain't official.
Damned if I can't find it.
There's one other place I can look.
Where is that?
We got a couple of caches back in the trees.
I might have put my license in one of them.
Okay.
I'll follow you.
You ever hear of the Wendigo?
What about it?
Just wondering.
So, who owns these fish you're so worked up about?
What do you mean, who owns them?
Exactly what I asked.
These fish are native cutthroats mainly,
few rainbows planted years ago, right?
So who owns them? Do you own them?
Is that why you're so worked up?
I work for Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Note that word "fish."
We're the state agency that's charged with managing our wildlife.
So, you own the fish?
Technically, no.
But we're charged with managing the resource.
Everybody knows this.
Maybe.
But I like to get my mind clear on things.
What you're saying is that American citizens and citizens of this state
have to go out and buy a piece of paper from the state
in order to catch native fish in wild country.
So you're what? Sort of a tax collector for the government then?
So, if you don't own the fish
and you didn't put them here,
what gives you the right to collect a tax on folks like us?
Don't we have a say in this?
You can complain that to the judge.
And does a judge get his paycheck
from the same place you do?
Sounds like a racket to me.
You've got me wondering who the criminal is here and who ain't.
Let's go.
Pissed you off, didn't he?
No. No license here.
Is this a joke?
You didn't even look.
The hell I didn't.
Well, if you do have a valid license,
I'll be able to check it when I'm at a computer.
In the meantime, I'm going to write you a ticket.
Law is that you got to have your license in your possession.
You can't bury it in some hole.
You're funny.
I'm gonna write you another one.
Wanton destruction of game animals.
I saw all those bones you got back there.
You've been poaching game all summer.
Okay.
Let's get back.
If you say so.
There'll be a court date.
If you want to protest, well, you can show up with your license
and make your case.
We can't go see a judge. We got someone...
Shh, Caleb!
My phone. Oh, shit.
Shit.
What do you say
we get the hell out of here, Lizzie?
Just call, Joe.
Just call.
? I've been through Reno
? I've been through Beverly Hills
? And I'm here
? Reefer and vino Rest cures religion and pills
? But I'm here
? Been called a commie pinko tool
? Got by it stinko'd by my pool[CHUCKLES]
? I should have gone to an acting school
? That seems clear
? Well, still someone said she's sincere
? And I'm here... ?
Might wanna close your mouth there, bubs.
Wind up catching flies in that smelly thing.
She's like an angel.
? Top billing one day... ?
She's also my girlfriend.
Oh, she's way out of your league.
Well, to me, one's league is a state of mind.
But it's not.
And she is way out of yours.
Ah, so you think that she's in your league then, huh?
I mean, do you even own a mirror?
Asshat.
Lizzie, easy.
Hey! Lizzie!
Whoa, whoa, easy!
Easy.
Lizzie. Ah...
Oh, God, Lizzie.
Hey. I'm going to...
I'm going to help you out, okay?
We're gonna be okay.
Easy, easy.
CREDITS