The name Terry Grant may not ring bells for many Canadians, but the name “Mantracker” often does, as the popular television program ran in Canada for half-a-decade. This past weekend, Grant was in town teaching his tracking know-how to three classes of students.
Starting on Friday, Aug. 26 and running until Sunday, Aug. 28, Grant hosted two half-day kids’ tracking courses and one full-day adult course. The classes were a joint project between Grant and Pheasantback Photography’s Brenda Baltimore.
Baltimore first met Grant in 2013 when she contacted him about being a guest speaker at a fundraiser she was holding for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Grant agreed, and the two became friends during and after the event.
While speaking with Grant in Red Deer earlier this year, the pair agreed to host tracking classes. Grant would come and teach a single class of adults, and Baltimore would do the organizing of the event. She posted on Facebook to see what interest would be like in a full-day Saturday tracking course.
“We filled up in 72 hours,” Baltimore recalled with a laugh. “I called Terry and said, ‘You won’t believe this, we’re full up.’ He was astounded.”
Due to the popular demand, and the interest from the younger set, Grant agreed to do a half-day class for kids on Sunday. Baltimore again posted on Facebook. This time, the class filled up within a day, and she had enough stand-bys for a second class of kids.
“I phoned Terry and again said, “You won’t believe this,’” Baltimore said. “He agreed to host a third class, so we went backwards and placed it on Friday.”
Grant arrived on Wednesday and began setting up Baltimore’s rural property, creating trail signs for his students to follow and learn from.
Grant spoke with the Weekender after the event and said everyone seemed to have a great time.
“I really enjoy classes like this,” the former search and rescue tracker said.
Grant got his start tracking as a hunter, learning to track animals he was hunting. Later, he became a hunt guide and used those same skills to help others find success in their hunts. It was only after a stint with search and rescue and several tracking classes that he embarked on his television show, Mantracker.
Even though the show hasn’t produced new episodes in half-a-decade, Grant said reruns are popular and he’s often contacted to teach his tracking skills.
“You can learn a lot about what a person is doing if you know how to look,” he said. “You can tell how fast someone is walking, how hard they’re walking, if they’re walking backwards or sideways and trying to fool you.”
The classes were so popular that Baltimore is looking to repeat the event next year.
“We had a lot of great feedback,” she said. “A lot of people want to sign up for next year.”
Class participants received a signed copy of Grant’s book, “Mantracking: The ultimate guide to tracking man or beast,” as well as a certificate showing they had completed the class.