August 6, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A popular and colorful character from the Duck Dynasty reality television series which aired on A&E from 2012 to 2017 is making his home in Smithville.
Tim Guraedy, best known to the show’s millions of hard-core fans as “Mountain Man,” was invited to the monthly meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen Monday evening to offer the opening prayer.
As a regular on Duck Dynasty, Guraedy was the slow-talking air-conditioning repairman/radio host and a neighbor to the Robertsons, the Louisiana family that made a fortune from best-selling duck calls, and around which the Duck Dynasty show was based. Mountain Man was the only semi-regular cast member who was not a Robertson family member or employee of Duck Commander.
While he was born in Louisiana, Guraedy moved around a bit in his youth, spending time in Minnesota, Tennessee and Indiana. But the lure of the Bayou State was too strong, and Guraedy returned to Louisiana, where he made his home for several years before moving back to Tennessee. He lived in West Monroe, LA, the small town made famous by Duck Dynasty and Duck Commander. For to know Mountain Man is to know a man whose Christian faith is a big part of who he is. “Life’s not easy, but I have God in my life and it’s so much better. So much better,” he has said. This faith, as well as his celebrity, is now allowing him the opportunity to reach out to people who need inspiration. Guraedy is also an avid outdoorsman, enjoying both fresh and saltwater fishing, as well as hunting for everything from wild boar to, well, ducks, of course.