Been out cutting up some nails with the chainsaw today

There is a ton of 100 year old fencing on the farm and alot of it is right in the middle of nowhere? but there has always been cows on the land.

I have done pretty well fixing the chains that have found it so i might just stick with the cheaper ones..

 

Well some day you, Scotty and the rest of the gang will need to make time for a hunting or fishing trip and I'll put you up in a cabin I built for my youngest daughter, right on the North Fork. Bring your fly rods because you'll have a blue ribbon trout stream right in out in front. I'f you want to fish or hunt, I'll line you out with Tim Linehan one of Tom's best friends who is an Outfitter in these parts, Tom might even tag along. He is one of the kindest gentle in spirit men I know. I first met Tom a dozen years ago when I used to plow the road outta here. Used to have a rich city slicker neighbor from Seattle who fed the Elk, which is illegal. The county only plowed to the rich guys drive way, which meant the road would snow in during the winter, leaving the rest of us with only one way in and one way out. Me being the kind of guy I am, was not real comfortable with that arrangement, so I took it upon myself to plow the county road. Every time it would snow I'd plow my drive way which is about a mile long, and then another 3 miles of the county road with my old 67 M715 1 1/4 ton 4x4 plow truck. Up here we get dumped on quite regularly and a foot of snow is typical, I'd slap on my IPod with head phones and my Glock 10MM and me and Dave Koz would head out and plow some snow. I'm up on the main road listen to Dave play the Sax, pushin about a foot and half of snow, when this monster Bull Elk walks out in-front of me headed down to the neighbors place for Brunch. I was so stoked I forgot what I was doin and drove off the edge of the embankment and there I sat, front wheel hanging off the edge of the mountain, biggest trophy bull I had ever seen abut 6'-8' in front of me, looking at me as if to say, "we'll fella, now whatcha gonna do?" He and I looked at each other for a good 5 minutes that felt like hours, then as if to say "follow me" trotted off down the mountain. So being the ex city slicker, turned Montana Mountainman I was, I followed. Low and behold I met my neighbor, "Mr. Big Game Hunter" who was bating the Elk so he could invite his City Slicker friends to "Turkey Shoot" hunt off a platform out in front of his house and take home a trophy Elk. Needless to say this fella was not real happy that I was keeping the road above his place open so all the world could see his Hippocratic ways. When I asked him for help yanking my truck out, he said. "get the f___ off my property", I said, "yer kiddin right", he wasn't. When I asked him about the legalities of his standing there with bales of hay that he was loading in his truck to haul out to his bait pile where the heard of Elk was feedin..... he grabbed his rifle, but of course, when he turned around, I already had Mr. Glock at the ready. I backed outta there the way I came, up to my stuck truck. Needless to say.... my new neighbor and I were never neighborly after that. I'm a prayin man, so it all worked out, that fella is long gone, I'm still here. The fella on that land now is a Godly man and a real fine neighbor. Better yet the reason I got off on this Bunny Trail was when I got back to my truck, standin there scratchin my head.... not 3 minutes passed when a blue Dodge pickup pulled up, I met my new friend Tom who gave me a ride back to my place and told me stories of what it was like before Mr. City Slicker from Seattle moved in. The locals used to hunt that land as it was a prime pasture for Elk and Caribou that would come across the border just a couple miles away, from Canada. Mr. Oar gave me a ride back to my place where all my brothers were already showin up for our weekly Bible study, so we parted ways, Tom thanking me for keeping the road open for the locals so they did not have to make a 5 mile detour, as well as exposing my neighbor "Mr Big Game Hunter" dirty deeds. Today when I see Tom, I always ask him for his autograph, he just laughs that humble laugh he has and says "sure". I still don't have it. I was Blessed with smart children who understand computers and technology. We Home-schooled them and they think outside of the box like their folks. Because of them, satellite, and the internet, we have a thriving family and a Hearth business we can operate from our homestead in one of the most remote places in the lower 48. Tom on the other hand is an ex Rodeo guy with knees that are giving out, running a trap line and brain tannin hides, pickin horns are his trade. Had Nancy not wrote that letter and gotten them that gig on the History channel, they would be in Florida livin with their kids, which I'm afraid would kill Tom as these mountains are his home and like me, he'll die here if he has any say in the matter. He is a genuine as it gets and there is nothing Hollyweird about him or Nancy, just 'salt of the earth type folks' unlike one of the other "Mountainman" on that show that does nothing but whines about everything and everyone who is out to get him. There is a lot of Hollyweird theatrics on the show, most of which Tom hates. I have only watched the show a couple times, my favorite guy is the bush pilot in Alaska, now there is a fella with Kahunas the size of the State he lives in.

 

I love that show and always thought Tom was , one cool dude
I have a lot of respect for you guys living in an area like that

 

Yes Woody I would love to come out some time... I'm thinking I might not want to come back,, even living on my 96 care farm.. In my heart and soul, the more remote the better....Myself I love the independence.. I would bet my pinky that Tom Oar and myself would get along like old friends! I could just feel that watching him on the show... what a gentle spirit is right! How nice to have Tom for a neighbor..