Classes in the Hudson Valley & Central Park

Shane Hobel

Shane Hobel is the founder of Mountain Scout Survival School, & has been featured on Doomsday Preppers, Mansome, WPIX 11, Cablevision, History Channel's MonsterQuest,The New York Times, The New Yorker, and CNN as well as prominent regional newspapers and news stations.

Shane Hobel, also known as 'White Feather', was introduced as a child to awareness of nature and martial arts. He continues to walk both paths with integrity today.

Shane's mother and grandfather passed on a reverence for nature to him at very young age. His family's Native American heritage was passed on to him. Shane dedicated himself to learning and applying survival skills. This became the foundation for his interest and development of his expertise.

Under the guidance of his father, Shane walked into his first martial arts dojo at the age of 3 and continues his dedicated study. Presently, Shane holds a Go-Renshi Dan (5th Degree Black Belt) in the original forms of Traditional Okinawan Karate.

Shane's unique skills opened doors in the entertainment and education fields. Shane performed as a professional stuntman for 15 years, appearing in live shows and independent films. Shane�s performance experience includes stunt coordination, acting & stage combat. Shane holds various certifications including Wilderness First Responder, CPR, First Aid and is a Licensed Guide by NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. Shane was a certified instructor for the American Red Cross for water safety programs. Shane was a national licensed motorcycle instructor, teaching the 'Safe Rider' licensing courses to many residents of Dutchess and Rockland Counties.

Shane has a love of teaching and has shared his unique skills and experiences by presenting many nature programs over the past 20 years in the Hudson Valley and the Greater New York Area.The opportunity to truly develop nature and wilderness skills presented itself under the teaching of Tom Brown Jr. and his teacher, Stalking Wolf. This made a profound impact on Shane and he immersed himself in the writings and philosophy of the Native Scout. In the 1990's he began attending workshops with Tom Brown Jr. at the Omega Institute. Today he continues his study of the ancient ways at the world famous Tracker School in the Pine Barrens of NJ. Shane is amongst a class of the highest trained individuals in the United States. Shane applies his years of training, knowledge and experience to teaching at Mountain Scout Survival School as well as training members of law enforcement and military in tracking.

In 2009 Shane was invited to be one of five members of Tom Brown Jr's elite Tracker Search and Forensic Investigation Team Tracker Search & Forensic Investigation Team. This team is dispatched whenever called upon to track and find lost children, hunters who became disoriented in the woods or fugitives escaping the law. Shane has personally participated in several cases, including a case featured in New Yorker magazine and History Channel's Monster Quest involving two panthers that were loose in Rockland County. Shane was the head tracker in this case and successfully tracked the panthers and provided authorities with their location.

Shane's expertise has drawn recent media attention including appearances on and episode of Doomsday Preppers, where he was featured providing his customized private family consulting to a family in New York City. Mountain Scout Survival School has also been featured on WPIX 11 as a rewarding one day program offered in Manhattan.

As a native of Putnam County and long time resident of Beacon, NY, Shane is proud to have founded Mountain Scout Survival School in the Hudson Valley.