‘Mountain man’ returns home to inspire Charlo students

CHARLO — When Jake Herak went to school in Dixon and Charlo, he didn’t even like school. He butted heads constantly with teachers and coaches, ran around town with no shirt and shoes, and spent a lot of time in his grandmother’s ISS class (in-school suspension). But sports taught him lessons that stick with him to this day.

And now, at 32, he is a celebrity on national TV, signing autographs at his old school.

Herak will soon start his sixth season on The History Channel show “Mountain Men,” doing what he loves — chasing and treeing mountain lions with hounds. He got the job, he said, by just following his passion.

“I went out. I followed my dream. I treed every mountain lion in that valley. I built a reputation. Honest to God, one day my phone started ringing.”

Representatives from Warm Springs Productions out of Missoula said they had been following him on social media and asked if he wanted to be the next mountain man.

“I never looked back.”

Herak recently spoke at Charlo School at the request of his former football coach, Steve Love, who also serves as the district’s superintendent. Love had seen Herak speak at his grandmother’s funeral. “Miss Ingrid” Roberts was a very special lady, Love said, and had worked at Charlo schools for more than 30 years.

“I was so impressed with the way Jake talked at her funeral,” Love said. “He’s been through a lot and he’s done a lot.”

Love said he didn’t ask Herak to come speak at the school simply because he’s on TV.

“I asked him because he’s got a great message.”

Herak showed clips from “Mountain Men” that had many students on the edge of their seats. The cameras followed him as a mountain lion jumped out of the tree and was chased away from him by his dogs; as he climbed up trees and down cliffs, pulled fighting dogs apart or away from a bobcat, and even started a pickup with a dead battery by rolling in reverse.

“It’s pretty awesome to be able to go out and share your passion with the rest of the world,” Herak said. “You guys can tell, this is what I love to do. I feel like it’s what I was born to do.”

But, as it’s show business, the show is an altered reality.

“I’m always followed by a one- or two-man camera crew. They make me go up and down a mountain about five times before they say, ‘OK, let’s get going.’ What you see on the TV, don’t believe it. Just because you’ve seen it on TV does not mean it’s true.”

As a kid, Herak said, his family did not hunt or fish. He was 20 when he started chasing mountain lions, when he got his first dog. But in kindergarten he saw the movie “Jeremiah Johnson.”

“From that day on, I decided I wanted to be a mountain man,” he said. “And it’s pretty crazy that I get to play that character on national television.”

But he never forgot his roots.

“I was a Viking, no different than any of you guys,” Herak said. “It’s something I’m very proud of.”

“You may be from small town America, but that ain’t stopping you from achieving your dream. Just follow your heart. I was sitting right there in the bleachers like you are. Don’t think for a second that this can’t happen to you. TV might not be your thing, but no matter what it is, follow your heart, and I guarantee you’ll never regret a day of it.”

Growing up on the reservation is tough, Herak said.

“Believe me, I know all about it. You guys are going to be exposed to both drugs and alcohol at some point in your high school career. And it’s very important that you know, you don’t have to participate to be cool.”

He said he did not drink alcohol in high school and still doesn’t partake.

“If your buddy is your friend, he is not going to pressure you to do something you don’t want to do. If you stand up for yourself, they will respect you for that. And there will be some point you’re going to have to do that in life.”

Herak said he lost a lot of friends and family growing up, many related to drug overdoses, drinking and driving, suicides. That, and losing a best friend in a trailer fire, shaped who he is, he said. He joined the Twin Bridges Fire Department as soon as he was old enough.

One of the hardest things he did in life was transfer out of Charlo to Twin Bridges at the end of his junior year, when his family moved to Dillon. It was awkward to come back and play against his old team, and his hometown fans who had watched him grow up, the first game of his senior year.

Growing up in Charlo, he hadn’t realized how much everyone supported him.

“I battled with Mr. Love a lot of years. We had it out a lot of times. And I respect the heck out of him for that.”

But at the time, he said, he felt more supported when he showed up at Twin Bridges, and that is where he still makes his home, works on ranches and chases big cats. He works out several times a week with the football team there, which keeps him fit to run after his hounds.

“They send these guys [cameramen] to cross fit classes to try to keep up with me.”

“Coming back to this school is something I never thought I would do. And standing in front of a bunch of kids, talking, is very hard for me, believe it or not. As you can see, my hand’s shaking. I’m nervous as hell. But it’s really important to face your fears. When you get put in a position to spread good, you need to do it. Especially coming from a small town like this, it’s very, very important.”

“Sports meant the world to me.That led me to be competitive, and it actually led me to chase after these hound dogs up and down the mountain. This is the closest thing I could come to, to Friday night lights. I cannot tell you how much fun you guys are having right now. You better enjoy the moment because it flies by so fast.”

“I think that playing sports will teach you more life lessons than, honestly, going to high school. Sorry for saying that, teachers. But it’s really important that you know how to win, you know how to lose and you know how to accept it. Because in life, you’re going to win, you’re going to lose and you’re going to get knocked down. You’re going to need to get back up.”

“Everybody has bad days, everybody has good days. When you see somebody having a bad day, give them a pat on the back and try to lift them up. This is a small town. You guys are stuck with each other. From the most popular kid in the class to the nerdiest kid, you guys all need to stand together.”

Herak’s main message, he said, is: “Just be real, that’s the best you can do. Be yourself, be true to yourself. Never try to change who you are to impress somebody else.”

He choked up when over half the students raised their hands to say they had seen him on the show.

“I’m definitely not the best guy to be up on this TV screen. There’s a lot prettier men out there than me. But I’m taking this opportunity that I’m given and I’m running with it. And I hope that you guys can do the same one day.”