And In Keeping With That Theme...

...i would like to talk about my newest favorite show: mantracker! mantracker may be a greater show than deadliest catch and the office put together!

so here is the premise for the show: mantracker hunts people. mantracker, aka terry grant, is:

"is a full-blooded cowboy living in the wrong century. This Albertan has been a full time ranch cowboy for almost 25 years. An expert horseman and wilderness professional, hunting, guiding and tracking come second nature. Whether man or beast, he will track them down. His keen instincts, intense character, and specialized skills have made him a crucial member of the Foothills Search and Rescue Team. His reputation is always on the line and he doesn’t let up for a second. A steely-eyed cowboy with a killer, never-say-die attitude, Terry Grant is MANTRACKER."

each week mantracker has to hunt down and catch his "prey", two individuals who are dropped in the middle of the woods and have to cover approximately 25 miles in 30 hours to escape mantracker. the prey have a compass and a map and know the location of where they have to go, mantracker has nothing - just a local guide who knows the terrain (the location of the chase changes every week, but they are normally located in remote places like the yukon, british columbia, and northern ontario. mantracker is a canadian show, btw.) and horses to track them down. the prey get a 2km headstart as well. a flare goes off to signal the start of the chase, and mantracker's first objective is to find the flare site so he can start tracking!

this is where things get good. the prey, which can consist of two males, a male and a female, or two females, normally know each other, but in some cases don't. the prey have varying ranges of outdoor skills and fitness levels...sometimes this works to the prey's advantage, sometimes it doesn't. once the prey get started, it is all up to mantracker to find them, and this is where mantracker shines. you would not believe what this guy does to track his prey. he can spot a boot print in the dirt from 100 yards out. he can see stones that have been turned over from onto his horse and know that stone was overturned by a human footprint. he knows human behavior in the bush. its really amazing to see.

the best part about mantracker, however, is how truly freaked out about mantracker the prey get. the prey doesn't get to meet mantracker before the show starts, so when he tracks them down (as he always does), the prey get super spooked. its really awesome to watch. and mantracker is always there with a pithy statement aimed at getting under the prey's skin and throwing them off their game. mantracker is a man of few words, but when he does speak, he chooses them wisely. he has a great sense of humor.

the prey actually have a decent level of success in the show. i would say the prey have about a 1/3 chance of getting captured, 1/3 chance of running out of time (technically a loss), and a 1/3 chance of winning. it all depends on the group chemistry, the terrain (even though mantracker is on horseback and can go faster, there is some terrain the prey can traverse that mantracker can't), the weather, how crafty the prey are, and how good mantracker is on that particular hunt.

its a fascinating show. you should watch it. in new york, its on the science channel, but according to the mantracker website, its also on OLN. seriously, watch mantracker. you won't be disappointed.