Why Tom Oar left Mountain Men? Wiki-bio, career, family.

Tom Oar is an old soul in the truest meaning of the word. A rodeo, trapper, hunter, and outdoorsman, Tom admits that he was born a hundred or two hundred years too late. Tom enjoyed life as a cowboy which later brought him to the set of the survival TV series, Mountain Men. One of the original cast members of the series, Tom joined the series in 2012 and stayed with the series up until 2020. He left the series after deciding to move to Florida from Montana.

Leaving the series:

Tom Oar was an instant hit amongst the fans right from the first episode of the series. The veteran outdoorsmen knew what he was doing and had an understanding of everything around him. So, when news broke out that Tom would be leaving the show, fans were left distraught. While many wondered if Tom was fired from the series, Tom revealed that it was not the case. At 76-years of age, Tom decided to retire from his life as an outdoorsman and enjoy his retirement. Tom also revealed that he was not a huge fan of all the publicity that came with the show. In an interview with Allegheny Mountain Radio, Tom revealed that the show brought unnecessary attention to his family and afforded little privacy.

“We live out here in the woods. We live four miles from the British Columbia border and about fifteen miles east of the Idaho Panhandle. We live in the middle of the Kootenai National Forest. We had over 300 people that came to our house last summer to take our picture and shake our hand. We had honeymooners here two years ago from Switzerland!”

Tom Oar: Life after the series

Following his departure on the 7th season of the show, Tom decided to move to Florida and is currently living there with his wife, Nancy with whom he is happily married for more than 40 years. Chad is the pairs only son who appears in the series alongside his father. The family also owns a dog named Ellie and it seems like the family is living a healthy and blissful life. In an interview with American Cowboy, Tom revealed the effort it took him to get things in order. When asked if he was considering retirement, Tom revealed,

“Yeah. I’m 70 years old. It takes eight or nine cords of wood to keep this place warm. It’s just Nancy and me and an old Dodge pickup and 30-foot chain. We can’t keep doing this forever. I keep telling Nancy, one of these days you’ll probably just find me stretched out dead over the fleshing block.”

Early inspiration, life, and TV series:

Tom Oar was born in 1943 in Illinois. Born to Chike Oar, Tom’s father was an entertainer and performed in US Wild West shows. Born and raised in Illinois, Tom has an older brother, Jack, and the due were taught horse-riding when they were just seven years old. When he was 15-years of age, Tom discovered rodeo and fell in love with the sport. By the early 1960s, Tom had climbed the ranks of the International Rodeo Association and established himself as a champion rider. After a horrible accident in the arena, Tom decided to hang up his rodeo boots and set-off to Montana. Tom took up trapping and tanning and later developed a niche for his handmade wares. After staying with the Mountain Men for six seasons, Tom decided to retire from the show and moved to Florida with his wife, Nancy.