Plot Synopsis

MOUNTAIN MEN follows men who live off the grid -- and off the land -- in different wilderness areas of the United States, where ancient survival skills can mean the difference between life and death. Plus, they must race against time to obtain the food and supplies they'll need to make it through the brutal winter months ahead, where staying alive is a full-time job. For more than 25 years, Eustace Conway has lived off the land deep at the western edge of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, where dangers like mudslides, falling trees, ravaging weather and hungry bears are a fact of life. Plus, he does his own lumbering, tanning, and blacksmithing, subsisting solely on what he can grow, fish or hunt, and hosts interns who want to learn the old ways of living with nature in a self-sustaining society. For Tom Oar, it takes him a whole year to prepare for the seven-month-long winters on the Yaak River in Montana, where he needs to chop some 700 square feet of wood to heat his home and find enough food to last the long, unrelenting winter. Plus, he must keep a vigilant eye out for aggressive grizzlies, mountain lions, and wolves, while his wife Nancy is concerned that they'll be forced to give up the life they love and move to Florida with his kids if his health or hers should fail. Meanwhile, Marty Meierotto is piloting his bush plane in search of animal pelts to make a living in the northern range of Alaska, where he must cut and gather enough wood to survive to survive an Arctic winter that can reach 60 degrees below zero. Plus, he lives off mountain sheep and caribou -- if the wolves and bears don't get him first -- with his wife Dominique and their daughter Noah in his primitive one-room log cabin 200 miles from civilization.

The second season -- which debuted on Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT on History -- picked up where Tom, Marty and Eustace left off last season and introduced four new mountain men: Rich Lewis, who makes his living in southwest Montana in pursuit of one of North America's deadliest predators, the mountain lion; George Michaud, a trapper devoted to Native American hunting and trapping techniques, relying on his dogsled team to navigate the treacherous terrain of Idaho's Grand Tetons; Charlie Tucker, an axman-turned-mountain man, who leaves the only job he's ever known to pursue his dream of trapping fur full-time in the forests of northern Maine; and Jason Hawk, a hunter and blacksmith, who is committed to a thoroughly self-sufficient life in the harsh Arizona desert.

History broadcast a one-hour special, "Closest Calls," at 8pm ET/PT and the two-hour Season 3 premiere from 9-11pm ET/PT on Sunday, June 1, 2014. Season 3 opened as a polar vortex swept across the nation and plunged America into a brutal early winter. Tom is behind on his winter preparations because he's spending time with family in Florida and facing a possibly life-changing decision. In the Ruby Valley, a bloody encounter with a mountain lion leaves Rich's lead hunting dog, Brandy, in a life or death situation, and could end her career forever. Marty takes advantage of a break in the harsh weather to embark on his annual trip to the Great Alaskan Range, but this year instead of leaving his wife, Dominique, and their daughter, Noah, behind he's taking them with him. And in New Mexico's rugged and relentless High Desert, MOUNTAIN MEN introduces Kyle Bell who is teaching his son the dying ways of the mountain man lifestyle. Kyle and his son, Ben, scramble to save a herd of bison from a fast approaching winter storm.

On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT, History premiered the fourth season of MOUNTAIN MEN, immediately following a brand-new one-hour special, "Man vs. Predator," at 8pm. This season, Marty, Tom, Eustace, Rich, Kyle and new Mountain Man Morgan, are preparing early for another long and brutal winter, but remain determined to face the season head on. In the season opener, "Adapt or Die," the Mountain Men return more prepared than ever to do battle against Mother Nature after surviving last year's record breaking cold, but unpredictable extremes in an ever-changing world force them to find new ways to adapt or die. In Alaska, Marty returns to the Revelation Mountains to put down roots with a new trapline and his family is coming along for the ride, as long as he can finish building the cabin in time. In Montana, a new threat deals an early blow to veteran mountain man Tom, who is left to pick up the pieces as winter sets in and the rules of nature he's come to rely on over his many decades in the Yaak get upended. Rich finds himself battling a full-scale predator invasion in Montana's Ruby Valley as he tries to keep the area's livestock safe and in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Eustace takes a gamble on a new opportunity wrestling 100-foot-tall trees that he hopes will jumpstart his lumber business. While in New Mexico's rugged Cimarron, Kyle works to secure a legacy to pass on to his son, Ben and in Alaska's harsh heart, new mountain man, Morgan, attempts the most epic trek of his life -- a nearly 300-mile journey across the Great Alaska Range -- to claim his own piece of the last frontier.

Season 5 of MOUNTAIN MEN premiered on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT on History. In the season opener, "The Wasteland," Morgan's land fails to provide, leaving him locked in a life or death battle with hunger; Tom's bad luck streak continues into a new season; Rich takes a bruising fall.

On Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT, History premiered the sixth season of MOUNTAIN MEN, immediately following a brand-new one-hour special. The night opens at 8pm with "Escape to the Wild," a new special. Tom Oar, Marty Meierotto, and Eustace Conway reveal what it takes to answer the call of the wild; the untold stories of their first winter, and the early trials that forged them into legends of the mountains. Then, in the season opener (9pm), "No Goin' Back," Winter descends on the mountains without mercy; Marty is trapped in 50 below, Morgan and Tom forge new alliances; Rich battles a rogue grizzly.

On Thursday, July 19, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT, History premiered the seventh season of MOUNTAIN MEN. In the season opener, "Nowhere to Run," as winter approaches, Morgan battles a bear-infested island for a critical head start on the season; Tom is caught in Montana's deadly wildfires; Eustace wrestles with the aftermath of Preston's death, and the Hawk clan prepares for a life-changing arrival.

Season 8 of MOUNTAIN MEN premiered on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT on History, immediately following a four-hour marathon (5-9pm) of encore episodes. In the season opener, "New Blood," as winter closes in, Morgan and Margaret fly North to track down the great caribou migration and secure meat; Marty preps his trapline for the arrival of his daughter, Noah; Jake starts his season tracking two lions. Eustace takes on an apprentice and uncovers some illicit activity on his new land; Kidd and Harry rescue horses from a pack of hungry wolves.

MOUNTAIN MEN returned for its ninth season on Thursday, June 4, 2020 from 9-11pm ET/PT on History, as the cable channel debuted back-to-back new episodes. In the season opener, "Hunt or Be Hunted" (9pm), winter descends in the mountains, and Jake's first lion hunt ends in a near-deadly dust up; Tom and Nancy face a surge in the local coyote population; Jason comes face to face with a marauding black bear; Mike fights predators on land and sea to secure some fish for the winter; and Josh Kirk hunts down a deer for the larder In the second episode, "Bloody Harvest" (10pm), Eustace and Raleigh try to restore an antique buzz saw; Tom takes on a massive new dugout canoe project; Jake's quest for winter meat takes him on a dangerous high-altitude hunt; Kidd and Harry race against a winter storm to round up rogue cattle; and Mike competes with a giant Kodiak bear to score his salmon supply for winter. After a five-month break, MOUNTAIN MEN returned with new Season 9 episodes on Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT, completing the season with four "Meltdown" installments, focusing on the spring thaw.

Season 10 of MOUNTAIN MEN premiered on Thursday, June 3, 2021 from 8-9:30pm ET/PT on History Channel, immediately following a 13-hour marathon (7am-8pm) of encore episodes. In the 90-minute season opener, "Hunt to Survive," Tom and Nancy face the challenges of isolation at the onset of winter; Jake hunts pronghorn antelope, and faces down a deadly rattlesnake; Eustace has new neighbors and begins teaching them his mountain man ways; Mike takes a perilous sea journey in search of better hunting grounds; and Martha puts her off road capability to the test while traversing Alaska's toughest terrain.

On Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT, History Channel premiered the eleventh season of MOUNTAIN MEN. In the season opener, "Forever Free," Montana's Tom and Nancy Oar prepare for the long winter ahead. Jake Herak battles dense fog and mountain terrain on foot in pursuit of elk. In Wyoming, Josh Kirk attempts to move a 150-year-old log cabin to the heart of his bison ranch, but the hazardous journey threatens to topple the historic structure. And in Alaska, Martha and Elli Tansy each harvest a caribou, sending them on an all-night off-road mission to extract their kills. In the season's second episode, "No Turning Back," Tom Oar reunites with partner Sean McAfee to set his winter trap line, but miles of grueling terrain put the veteran trapper's endurance to the test. Newly engaged Jake Herak and Anika Ward fire up their chainsaws and begin building a homestead from scratch. In Idaho, Kidd and Harry Youren round up their cattle from high mountain pastures, but a surprise bear encounter jeopardizes the mission. And in Alaska, Martha and Elli Tansy embark on an off-road expedition to new hunting grounds.

MOUNTAIN MEN returned for Season 12 on Thursday, August 24, 2023 from 8-9:30pm ET/PT on History Channel. The new season features a diverse set of pioneers with unique skills, knowledge, and expertise. From trapping and hunting to building shelters and crafting essential tools, these individuals possess an unrivaled connection to nature. Legendary trapper Tom Oar, primitive survivalist Eustace Conway, lion hunter Jake Herak and frontiersmen brothers Kidd and Harry Youren return as they stay true to their life's calling. Joining the series is Ray Livingston, an African American outdoor survivalist and elite hunter putting down new roots in the mountains of Northeast Washington, Paul Antczak, a hunter and trapper living a remote life in Northwest Montana, and Aron and Jennifer Toland, a couple thriving off-grid with no running water in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.
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Season 13 of MOUNTAIN MEN debuted on Thursday, October 3, 2024 from 9-11pm ET/PT on History Channel. This season, there's no rest for the self-reliant men and women who have left modern day life to embrace the enduring traditions that once defined the West. Even the basics -- food, heat, and shelter -- demand relentless effort from these fiercely independent individuals. But surviving in the wild means constantly forging ahead, and going to extraordinary lengths to protect the life they've built. This winter brings new traplines, fresh cabin constructions, and ambitious money-making ventures -- big dreams and even bigger projects that could either lead to booming success or crushing disappointment. For those courageous enough to embrace this way of life, the risks are worth it for the chance to stake a lasting claim in the mountains.

In the season opener, "Breaking New Ground," Marty installs floats on his bush plane and flies to a remote lake to hunt moose; Lauro and Neil harvest driftwood and build a log river raft from scratch; Mike traverses hostile terrain on Afognak Island to take down a bull elk; Jake cruises the Missouri River on the hunt for a mule deer buck; Paul sets dozens of coyote traps, targeting their valuable fur to bring in cash for his new homestead.