Tom Oar isn't some character cooked up in a Hollywood writers' room. He’s the real deal. When you see him on History Channel’s Mountain Men, wading through chest-deep Montana snow or scraping a deer hide with tools that look like they belong in a museum, you aren't looking at a performance. You’re looking at a man who decided, decades ago, that the modern world just didn’t have much to offer him. He moved to the Yaak Valley in the 1970s. It’s one of the most remote corners of the lower 48 states. No cell service. Barely any neighbors. Just a whole lot of grit and a wife, Nancy, who is just as tough as he is.
People often ask if the show is fake. Honestly, most "reality" TV is a mix of staged drama and clever editing, but with Tom, the struggle is mostly just the weather and the clock. He’s in his 80s now. Think about that. Most people his age are worried about their golf handicap or finding a good pharmacy. Tom Oar is worried about whether he has enough firewood to survive a Montana winter where temperatures regularly drop to -20°F. If he doesn't work, he doesn't eat. It’s a simple, brutal math that most of us have completely forgotten how to calculate.
How Tom Oar Ended Up in the Yaak
Tom didn't start out as a trapper. He was a trick rider and a rodeo cowboy. He spent years on the circuit, taking hits and learning how to handle animals under pressure. That background gave him a physical toughness that most people today can’t even fathom. But the rodeo life is a young man’s game. When the dust settled on his riding career, he and Nancy headed north. They didn't have a big plan or a mountain of cash. They had a dream of living off the land, and they found a spot in the Yaak Valley near the Troy area of Montana.
The Yaak is a different beast entirely. It’s part of the Kootenai National Forest. It’s thick, tangled, and full of predators. When they first arrived, they were basically starting from scratch. Tom learned the art of brain tanning—a traditional method of preserving hides that uses the animal's own brain matter to soften the skin. It’s a messy, grueling process. It takes hours of physical labor to stretch and scrape a hide until it feels like soft velvet. This became his trade. He makes buckskin clothing that is sought after by reenactors and enthusiasts all over the country.
You've gotta appreciate the irony. Tom lives a life of total isolation, yet he became an international celebrity because of a camera crew following him around. He’s admitted in interviews that the attention is "kinda strange." He doesn't even own a television. He’s never actually watched an episode of Mountain Men in his own home because he doesn't have the setup for it. He has to go to a neighbor’s house or into town if he wants to see himself on screen.
The Physical Toll of the Mountain Man Lifestyle
Living this way isn't just a "vibe." It’s a physical assault on the body. Tom Oar has talked openly about the reality of aging in the wilderness. His hands are scarred and weathered. His back aches from decades of hauling timber. On the show, we see him trapping beaver or warding off wolves, but the quiet moments are just as telling. It's the constant maintenance. If a roof leaks in the Yaak, you don't call a contractor. You fix it, or you get wet.
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There’s a misconception that he’s a hermit who hates people. That’s not really true. He’s incredibly polite and soft-spoken. But he values his privacy and the silence of the woods. The influx of fans trying to find his property has actually been a bit of a problem. Some people don't respect the boundaries of his "private" life, forgetting that while he’s a TV star to them, he’s just a guy trying to get his chores done before the sun goes down.
Why the Yaak Valley is No Joke
- Predators: Grizzly bears and wolves are a daily reality. This isn't a zoo. If you’re careless with food or livestock, you're inviting trouble.
- Isolation: The nearest major hospital is a long, dangerous drive away, especially in the winter.
- The Cold: We aren't talking about "put on a sweater" cold. We're talking about lungs-freezing, engine-block-cracking cold.
The Economics of Buckskin and Trapping
How does a man in his 80s make a living in the woods? It's not just the paycheck from the History Channel, though that certainly helps keep the lights on in his later years. For a long time, Tom’s primary income came from his craft. Brain-tanned buckskin is incredibly valuable because so few people know how to do it right. It’s a dying art.
He also traps. This is a controversial topic for some, but for Tom, it’s a matter of tradition and resource management. He uses the fur, he uses the meat, and he respects the animals. There’s a cycle to it that he’s been part of for nearly fifty years. He isn't out there for sport; he’s out there for survival. The market for furs has fluctuated wildly over the years, making it a precarious way to live. Some years are good. Some years, you’re just scraping by.
Nancy Oar is the unsung hero here. She’s been by his side through all of it. In the early days, they were living in a tent while they built their home. Think about that for a second. Imagine living in a tent in Montana with your spouse while trying to build a cabin from the ground up. That’s either going to forge a bond that can never be broken or lead to a very quick divorce. For the Oars, it was the former.
Moving to Florida? The Great Rumor
A few years back, rumors started swirling that Tom was retiring and moving to Florida. The internet went into a bit of a meltdown. People couldn't imagine a "Mountain Man" in the land of palm trees and air conditioning. The truth is more nuanced. Tom and Nancy do spend some time in Florida during the harshest parts of the winter to visit family.
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Can you blame him?
The man has spent half a century fighting Montana winters. If he wants to sit on a porch in the sun for a few weeks in February, he’s earned it. But his heart remains in the Yaak. He’s gone on record saying that as long as he can physically do the work, he wants to be in Montana. The wilderness is his home. Florida is just a break.
Why Tom Oar Resonates With Modern Audiences
Why are we so obsessed with a guy who lives in the woods? It’s probably because most of us feel trapped by our phones, our cubicles, and our bills. We look at Tom and see a version of freedom that seems impossible now. He doesn't care about Twitter trends or the latest iPhone. He cares about the wind direction and the depth of the snow.
There is a deep, ancestral pull toward that kind of self-reliance. We like to think that if everything went sideways, we could survive like him. But deep down, we know we probably couldn't. Most of us can't even start a fire without a lighter and a YouTube tutorial. Tom Oar represents the "Old West" that hasn't quite died out yet. He’s a living link to a time when your survival depended on your own two hands and your ability to read the landscape.
Lessons from the Yaak Valley
If you’re looking to take a page out of Tom’s book, you don't necessarily have to move to Montana and start tanning deer brains. But there are practical takeaways from his lifestyle that apply even if you live in a city apartment.
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- Master a Craft: Tom’s value comes from a skill that takes years to master. In a world of mass-produced junk, being able to make something with your hands is a superpower.
- Prepare for the Worst: He doesn't wait for the first blizzard to gather wood. He’s always six months ahead of the seasons.
- Respect the Environment: He doesn't take more than he needs. He understands that he is a guest in the Yaak, not the master of it.
- Value Partnership: He and Nancy are a team. Living in the wild alone is a death sentence; living it with a partner makes it a life.
What’s Next for Tom Oar?
Age is the one predator you can't outrun. Tom is slowing down, which is only natural. He has talked about the eventual need to step back from the heavy lifting, but he isn't there yet. As long as the Mountain Men cameras are rolling, we’ll likely get to see more of his life, but even when they stop, he’ll still be there.
He’s not doing it for the fame. He was doing this long before the show existed, and he’ll be doing it until he simply can't anymore. That’s the definition of authenticity. He isn't a mountain man because it’s a good brand; he’s a mountain man because that’s who he is.
If you want to support the lifestyle or learn more about the reality of the Yaak, look into local Montana conservation efforts. The land Tom loves is under constant pressure from development and climate shifts. Preserving that wilderness is the only way stories like his can continue into the next generation.
Take a look at your own level of self-sufficiency. You might not need to trap a beaver today, but learning how to fix a basic appliance or grow a small garden can give you a sliver of that independence Tom Oar has spent his whole life perfecting. Start small. Buy high-quality gear that lasts. Learn to appreciate the silence. That’s the real mountain man way.