An all-new season of Ax Men starts with a bang. Swamp Man Shelby Stanga is in search of a million-dollar payday, but nemesis Richard is hot on his trail. In Florida, S&S Aqua Logging gets a new captain, but a rocky first day signals trouble on the horizon. In the northwest, reigning King of the Mountain Rygaard Logging returns with a surprising new addition, and in Alaska, the rowdy boys of Papac Alaska begin another season battling the toughest terrain in the country.

The season has only just begun, and already, things are off to a rough start. In Alaska, Joe Linderborg is back in the yarder seat and the whole crew is paying the price. At Rygaard, DJ comes face-to-face with Craig after two years and the reunion isn t a happy one. In the swamp, Shelby and niece Stephanie stumble into a wasp s nest, and in Florida, S&S realizes they aren t alone on the Withlacoochee River.

It s week three and logging country is falling apart. In the swamp, Shelby must rely on niece Stephanie and cousin Belinda to do his dirty work. At Rygaard, the rigging guys formulate a plan to get rid of DJ. In Alaska, wild man Joe Linderborg takes it out on a choker-setter, and in Florida, James must cope with his dad s health issues while also leading his crew.

As the season picks up speed, not everyone can keep up with the pace. At Rygaard, odd man out DJ Jeremiah is pushed to his breaking point. In Alaska, Coatsy boots Joe Linderborg from his seat in the yarder, but the consequences could prove deadly. In Florida, The Dreadknots find themselves on the wrong end of a falling log, and in the swamp, Shelby and his assistants fight to claim the biggest Cypress of the season.

Tempers have reached a fever pitch in logging country. At Rygaard, three years of tension between Craig and DJ comes to a head. In the swamp, the Swamp Man is on a special mission for wife Donna. At Papac, the end of the North Thorn site may mean the end of their season. And in Florida, the Dreadknots are in the line of fire, while Jimmy Smith takes a final ride down the river.

In Louisiana, the Swamp Man targets a money log, but it s in dangerous territory. At Rygaard, DJ gets put on notice, while in Florida, Brad and Swilley struggle to keep S&S from running off the rails. And from Canada, a new company is about to give them all a run for their money.

Tempers are on the rise across logging country, and some are pushed to their breaking point. At Rygaard, Gabe faces a crew mutiny. At Lemare, the guys put their chaser to the test logging on a rock slide. In the swamp, Shelby and Belinda take to the open road to bring home a money log, and in Florida, James Smith lashes out against his own crew.

As the season gets more competitive by the week, it takes more than ever to stay on top. In Louisiana, Shelby is building his new empire one big toy at a time. In Florida, the men of S&S Aqua Logging deal with last week s fallout. In Washington, DJ suffers an injury that could take him out of the season, and from the Midwest comes a whole new kind of logging.

In Florida, the Dreadknots come face-to-face with one of the most fearsome creatures in the river, while over in the swamp, Shelby and Donna are putting his new paddle barge to work. In Washington, DJ returns to work but faces another battle with Craig. And in Wisconsin, the Woodchucks are pushing hard to meet their deadline, but dangerous shortcuts could bring the whole operation down.

In the swamp, Shelby puts his new toys to work and discovers a huge payday right in his own backyard. At Rygaard, runaway logs send Craig over the edge, while in Montana, Joe and Coatsy strike out on their own. In Wisconsin, the Woodchucks battle a crumbling wall and in Florida, Jimmy Smith says goodbye.

When Hurricane Isaac hits the bayou, Shelby Stanga must race to save his logging empire and neighbors. At Rygaard, a string of crew meltdowns sends the site into chaos. In Florida, Brad and Swilley struggle to get S&S back in the Log-Off after losing their captain. In Canada, Lemare faces an equipment breakdown that could end their whole season, and in Wisconsin, a major accident at the Woodchucks causes the site boss to quit.

In Louisiana, the Swamp Man attempts a daring rescue of his aging relatives from the rising storm waters. In Wisconsin, the Woodchucks don't make their deadline and their company hangs in the balance. S&S finally hits a honey hole with the help of Swilley's "brother from another mother." And In Canada, Hook tender Mike has finally had enough and calls it quits on Lemare.

At Rygaard, Gabe is desperate to fill out his shorthanded crew–and brings in someone very unexpected. In Florida, S&S' bad luck streak continues when they wreck their boat and get into a fight with the Dreadknots. Joe and Coatsy start roadbuilding–to catastrophic results, and then come up with a new plan to start their own company. And The Swamp Man tries to assist his neighbors and relatives in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac.

In the Bayou, Shelby goes on a treasure-hunting mission, and ends up in a race against Belinda. At Big Gun Logging, Jesse's lesson on the whistles almost takes Luke out. On the river, S&S continues to struggle, while the Dreadknots' lucky charm gets destroyed. And at Rygaard, Dave's arrival turns the site upside-down.

Shelby finds a legendary old grave site and the crew has an accident. Big Gun has yet another yarder accident and Levi decides to make some major crew changes. Brad and Swilley are the victims of a prank and they lose yet another assistant. Joe and Coatsy are having a tough time keeping steady work, while at Rygaard, Craig and Gabe attempt to bury the hatchet, and Dave is forced to eat some humble pie.

In the Swamp, Shelby tries out a new assistant–and meets his match. In Florida, Brad has an MMA title fight–and wins himself a new assistant. In Canada, a new, inexperienced hook tender causes major chaos. In Oregon, the entire Big Gun crew heads out to cut the next road–in high winds. And at Rygaard, Craig drops a bomb.

Shelby is reunited with his old assistant DaVi and together, they go on a mission to help the people of New Orleans. In Oregon, the Big Gun crew is scrambling to finish up the Grindstone site, but a yarder malfunction leads to near-catastrophe. In Canada, the Lemare company is finally pulling the big wood. But site boss Gord gets greedy and loses a load of logs in a dramatic way. And at Rygaard, the new site is proving challenging. And when Craig loses his cool it pushes him to make a shocking decision.

In Louisiana, after Shelby and DaVi have an argument, Shelby makes it up to DaVi by giving him a very unusual gift. In Washington, Gabe Rygaard rushes his crew to finish the site, which leads to careless and dangerous decisions. In Montana, Joe and Coatsy get a job–in Alaska–and have no way to get back. And in Florida, Brad decides to take a risk and dives into a river cave looking for logs, but gets trapped and has to be rescued by his enemies.

In Florida, Brad and Swilley fight against a massive log–and lose. Then, when they get back to the landing, they are greeted by a very unexpected guest. The Swamp Man goes gar fishing with his cousin Cheyenne and they find what could be the log raft! At Rygaard, a tight landing is making everyone nervous. But when a loose log tumbles, Craig's reaction takes everyone by surprise. And at Lemare, a terrifying road scares everyone away.

In the dramatic Ax Men season conclusion, Shelby hits the lake with a squad of assistants to have one last confrontation with Richard. In Florida, the Dreadknots and S&S struggle to pull enough logs to help out their ailing leader, Jimmy. In Canada, Gord's whip cracking doesn't help as their final site offers lethal challenges. And in Washington, Craig Rygaard and the crew push to finish on time, and Gabe has a surprise for his father on his last day as a logger.