'Mountain Man' Reveals How He Landed on 'Duck Dynasty', His Take on Faith and Fame — and the Common Critter He Just Loves to Eat

Tim "Mountain Man" Guraedy, a friend of the Robertson family who sporadically appears on A&E's "Duck Dynasty," dropped by TheBlaze newsroom Wednesday to discuss his faith, how he met America's most famous reality TV family — and to share some pearls of wisdom.

Guraedy, who recently released a book about his life and perspective titled, "Keepin' a Slow Profile," began by explaining the origins of "Mountain Man," the name he's become most known by.

"It came from an old buddy of mine when I moved from Tennessee to Louisiana," he said during an interview for the Freefall audio series, noting that Tennessee has hills and mountains. "I was brought up in Tennessee and moved to Louisiana."

Guraedy's path to the small screen has been a fascinating one. Though he said he has known Phil Robertson for quite some time, he became a bit closer with the family while repairing air conditioners in Willie Robertson's home. 

"When I got [done with one of the jobs] , he asked me to be in a film shoot and I had no idea it was going to be A&E and all the people and producers and stuff [that came] with it," he said.

But when Guraedy arrived on set, he realized that "Duck Dynasty" was a much bigger production than he had ever imagined, bringing his image into millions of American homes. Like many of the individuals who have appeared on the show, he's now a familiar face to scores of fans.

"A twenty minute trip to Walmart takes two hours now," he quipped.

Guraedy said that he believes he's simply living out God's plan for his life.

"I would just say, 'Hey the Lord works in mysterious ways,'" he told TheBlaze. "He's always had a plan for me and this is it."

Among the other subjects covered during his time in the newsroom was the cooking and serving of squirrel — a food that Guraedy counts among his favorite cuisines.

"It tastes a little bit like chicken … a cross between a chicken and a rabbit," he explained, noting that he sometimes puts it in gumbo or adds gravy and rice. "You have to cook them slow, because they are a little tough."

As for his book, "Keepin' a Slow Profile," Guraedy said he wrote it to give people a better idea about who he is and to encourage them to slow down and consider the finer points of life. His Christian faith is among the themes he highlighted prominently in the text.

"The role of faith is something that you always have to keep first out in front. It's like the engine on a train. You have you keep your faith first," he told TheBlaze. "Through my faith I remain strong and I'm ready to keep that train going."

Listen to the interview below: