‘Mountain Men’ Returns With A Challenging New Season Of Drama And Adventure

Nothing comes easily to those who strive to live off the land. At times the land provides a bountiful harvest, at other times everything is a struggle. Premiere Date shared that over the previous five seasons of Mountain Men, fans of the show have learned a lot about these tough and hardy, off-the-grid homesteaders. Mountain Men reveals what it’s really like to live without many of the conveniences so many take for granted, such as phones and the Internet.

For most of the self-reliant people featured on Mountain Men, hunting and trapping is the main way they can provide for their families. Hunting for food, gathering wood for brutal winters, and setting up traps is just a part of the Mountain Men way of life. Their impressive wilderness skills enable them to not only just survive, but to thrive and to take care of the people who depend on them. On each season of Mountain Men, they rise to the challenge as they overcome brutal winters, the ever-present threat of predators, and more.

Nancy and Tom Oar (who happens to be a former rodeo cowboy) are regulars on Mountain Men, and for them, nothing is better than living in a remote area near the Yaak River in northwestern Montana. He knows the ancient ways of tanning hides and also produces some amazing custom-made knife handles made from shed deer antlers. The pair works hard all year long, and Tom’s extensive knowledge and skill sets make his work a sought after commodity.

Wool clothing offers the best protection when boating on cold water. #MountainMen pic.twitter.com/mrDOfsM3oh

— Mountain Men (@MountainMen) May 26, 2015

Last season, trapping was poor for this Mountain Men couple, and Tom had to resort to leaving his home and trying his hand at trapping near his brother’s property. He had some modest success, but Tom is getting older and finding it more difficult every year to endure the rigors of living off the land. This season will be no different as they face another long, seven-month winter season, but perhaps the trapping will improve. If not, they may be looking at other alternatives such as moving closer to the rest of their family. Inevitably, they will have to make some difficult choices for the future, but Tom isn’t quite ready to leave the Yaak Valley just yet.

Another Mountain Men regular is Eustace Conway, who lives on his property that he named Turtle Island. Located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Eustace enjoys living off what the land and nature can provide. Like Tom, he enjoys using ancient methods to work the land, which includes harvesting wood to earn an income. He loves to share his knowledge with others and hosts basic survival skills classes as well as several different summer camps for children and families.

Last season on Mountain Men, Eustace suffered a frightening fall, and the resulting concussion took some time to recover from. Being down was an unfamiliar and uncomfortable experience for Eustace, but he began to realize he needed to take care of himself to heal from his ordeal. On this season of Mountain Men, he will undoubtedly be back to working hard on Turtle Island.

Marty Meierotto is featured on Mountain Men as well, and he lives in the small Alaskan town of Two Rivers with his wife, Dominique, and young daughter, Noah. Marty has worked hard to establish a new trap line in the Revelation Mountains, but he has had his share of difficulties. Marty and his family depend on the income generated from fur trapping, but recently almost every fur he managed to harvest took a lot of time and effort. Mountain Men recently posted to their Facebook page that, “The wilderness will fight back.” Along with the post is a sneak-peek video that seems to show Marty having some type of trouble flying his plane, which he uses to get to get back and forth from home to his trap lines. Marty depends on his plane and if he could no longer fly it could easily spell disaster for him and his family.

Take a walk on the wild side. #MountainMen pic.twitter.com/IU0X9Ae7U3

— Mountain Men (@MountainMen) June 22, 2015

Other Mountain Men regulars such as Rich Lewis and Morgan Beasley will be returning as well, adding even more drama and adventure to the series. The Futon Critic shared that last season on Mountain Men, Rich finds himself battling a full-scale predator invasion in Montana’s Ruby Valley. He suffered a serious fall which set him back for awhile, but hopefully, he has fully recovered from his injuries, which included broken ribs.

Are you a fan of Mountain Men? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions concerning Mountain Men below. Mountain Men premieres on Thursday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET on the History Channel.

[Featured Image by History Channel]