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‘Mountain Men’ Returns With Even More Challenges And Obstacles To Overcome

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 05:47 PST, May 10, 2016

According to a May 10 Facebook post and preview clip on the Mountain Men page, the mantra for the fifth season is to live, work, build, trap, hunt, and bleed. The new season of Mountain Men will continue to follow six men as they strive to make a living off the grid and off the land. Most of these men live far away from any major hub of civilization, often using only their wits, survival skills, and unwavering determination to carve out a life for themselves and their families.

The new season of Mountain Men picks up with everyone working hard to rebound from another harsh winter. Each winter season brings something new, from brutal polar vortex conditions to mild conditions with little to no snow in some areas. Some of the mountain men will have a tough time just surviving.

Tom Oar and his wife, Nancy, work hard to maintain their beautiful, rustic home in the wilds of Montana. This Mountain Men couple lives near the Yaak River, located in the northwestern part of the state, and Tom takes advantage of the bounty the river has to offer. He is an expert trapper and drawing upon his extensive knowledge, he produces beautiful hides and pelts. The couple also crafts several other items to sell every year.

As Tom gets older, the rigors of living off the land is beginning to wear on him, and at times he has considered moving to be closer to his family. He’s not ready to go quite yet, and with the help of Nancy and his neighbors, he is able to continue his preparations for the next harsh winter season.

Marty Meierotto hails from the small Alaskan town of Two Rivers, living there with his wife, Dominique, and young daughter, Noah. Like Tom, this mountain man is also a serious trapper. Recently, he has been working to establish a new trap-line in the beautiful, but rugged Revelation Mountains. Perhaps on this season of Mountain Men, he will be bringing his family with him again since he now has a cabin built, instead of having to leave them behind while he traps. Like the Oars, Marty and his family depend on the profits from the furs he collects to see them through to another trapping season.

Rich Lewis and his wife, Diane, reside in Montana’s Ruby Valley. Even by Mountain Men standards, he has quite the unusual, and dangerous, profession. He tracks and hunts down nuisance mountain lions, using his specially-trained hound dogs to help him. He doesn’t kill the animals, but hopes to give them enough of a scare to run them off permanently. A preview of this season of Mountain Men shows Rich falling from a tree and telling someone, presumably from the Mountain Men film crew, that he’s hurt.

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Eustace Conway lives on his property that he named Turtle Island. Eustace enjoys using ancient methods to work his land, including harvesting wood to earn an income. He also teaches basic wilderness survival skills and hosts several different summer camps for not just children, but for families as well. Information on the camps can be found on the Turtle Island Preserve website and Facebook page. On this season of Mountain Men, Eustace also suffers some sort of injury to his face after falling on a large, flat boulder.

Kyle Bell lives with his 10-year-old son, Ben, in New Mexico’s Cimarron Valley. A hunter and outfitter by trade, Bell has over 45,000 acres available to hunt on. He wants to leave Ben a secure legacy, and is teaching his son everything he will ever need to know in order to survive off the land. The close relationship between father and son is very heartwarming to watch. On this season of Mountain Men, Kyle continues to hunt the land and instruct his son.

Mountain Men newcomer Morgan Beasley trekked almost 300 miles alone across the Great Alaska Range to stake his claim and set down roots. Morgan has a lot to do in a short time, hopefully all his planning and preparations will pay off. His knowledge of how to live off the land should serve him well until he gets better established and is able to get a homestead built. On this season of Mountain Men, unfortunately Morgan encounters serious problems when the land fails to provide him with what he needs to survive.

Are you a fan of Mountain Men? Leave your comments, thoughts and opinions below. The season premiere of Mountain Men kicks off on Thursday, May 12, at 10 p.m. ET on the History channel.

[Image via Mountain Men/Facebook]

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