News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By Helen Williams

Gold Bridge, BC - In the rain shadow of the South Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia’s Bridge River Valley, Terry Grant and production crew are finished filming two new episodes at Chilcotin Holidays Wilderness Guest Ranch for season six of the Canadian hit outdoor reality show Mantracker.

Two sets of prey, two routes, and a variety of terrain to cover over 16 days kept Mantracker’s Terry Grant and his professional guide sidekick Russell Floyd scouring British Columbia’s wilderness in pursuit of human prey on horseback. Floyd, one of Chilcotin Holidays’ advanced wilderness guides and graduate/instructor of Chilcotin Holidays’ Canadian Wilderness Tourism Training Centre, was a perfect fit to accompany Grant.

(Photo: Mantracker Crew at CH July 2010)

Owner and licensed guide outfitter Kevan Bracewell had sent a proposal and video to Bonterra Productions showcasing extreme horse riding and the five star guided wilderness adventures he has developed over the last twenty years in his exclusive 5,000 square km operating area of the South Chilcotin Mountains. After a few phone calls between Bracewell and producer Ihor Macijiwsky, as well as a scout to check out the terrain ahead of time, the small crew of seven arrived at Chilcotin Holidays on July 22.

(Photo:  Mantracker in pursuit July 2010)

Given the run of the place along with home-cooked meals, accommodation, transportation into the mountains, sure-footed Cayuse mountain horses, and the right amount of different terrain for prey and horse made the South Chilcotins easily accessible for filming Mantracker.

For the cameramen, the field work is intense on all Mantracker locations. Camouflaged and camera in hand they run with the prey or tracker, giving 110% on each episode, and doing everything necessary to keep the outdoor reality show as real as possible.

For the first time in six years, Macijiwsky’s family joined him on the set of Mantracker. Although in the field filming, Macijiwsky could spend some quality time in the evenings and early mornings while his family was western mountain riding into the rainbow-coloured mountains of the South Chilcotins to photograph the spectacular panorama views of the Coast Range Mountains and flower-blanketed alpine meadows. A welcome break and wilderness adventure getaway from Toronto.

Lawrence Foster, adventure racer and prey cameramen, enjoyed Chilcotin Holidays for it provided an opportunity to see part of the country not commercialized. This is what he and the other cameramen love to do. Explore. They don’t like being in one place for long.

Having Mantracker’s base at Chilcotin Holidays’ ranch house, the crew intermingled with staff, wranglers, pack trip guests, as well as volunteers and wilderness guide interns from around the world. Shifty, one of the cameramen, laughs and says, “Chilcotin Holidays is as close as it comes to having fun while shooting. In terms of hospitality, the people and the environment at the guest ranch have been phenomenal.”

(Photo: Mantracker with Chilcotin Holidays sidekick and prey  July 2010)

To find out if Terry Grant (aka Mantracker) catches his prey in British Columbia’s South Chilcotin Mountains – you’ll have to wait till season six which airs September 2011. In the meantime, get more information on having your own outdoor adventure of a lifetime on a customized horse, foot, or bike wilderness trip through the trails which natives, explorers, pioneers, and now Mantracker have traversed by visiting Chilcotin Holidays’ website at: chilcotinholidays.com

For more insight into the production of Mantracker, visit Bonterra Productions website at: www.mantracker.ca

(Photo:  Mantracker with sidekick Russell Floyd July 2010)

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