The Art of Hunting & A Good Wife

I have always been interested in hunting; the hunt and the meat that comes from the hunt. 

But back in high school the boys wouldn't take me with them into the woods. 

"You smell."  (As in good, too much perfume.)

"You can't sit still."

"Katie, you would want to talk too much and you use your hands too much when you talk."

I totally didn't get it.  I thought they were just being mean but....they were right.  

I needed to grow-up and find a type of hunting that would allow me to talk!  

Oh and I found my husband who lets me talk a lot too.

He took me shed hunting recently.

When I told him I was wearing Carhartt and my new, orange scarf from Paris, 

he almost didn't take me into the woods either!

Shed hunting is basically the search for antlers in the woods that the deer shed after mating season.  

And this Fancy in the Country gal likes to decorate with antlers so....shed hunting is great!  There is no sitting still and you can talk all you want (even if your husband just acts like he is listening).

He did listen when I told him that I wanted to go bird hunting sometime and I needed some "cute" hunting clothing.  So for Christmas I got a new hunting vest and last weekend we went upland bird hunting!  

(Yes, that is my shotgun.)

It was fun to walk around the fields and woods especially with our new friend, Katie the dog.

Watching the dog hunt the birds, stand still until we got close to the bird and then retrieving the bird was so fascnitating to watch.  Hunting is a sport and in many ways, its own art.

It started raining, and then it poured.  We were soaked, but we got some new pheasants, quail and chukars (Hungarian partridges). 

Despite the rain, Katie wasn't ready to quit and wanted the birds even after they had gone to bird heaven.....

Several years ago, the boys said I wouldn't be able to do it.

And now some say I am a "good wife" and it's nice that I sacrifice and do activities my husband likes.

While I find those comments very complimentary, the "good wife" thing just isn't how I see it though 

I like hunting too--the art and the sport of it.  The fact that I can talk and use my hands and wear my scarf from Paris makes it even better!  

And I can hunt the food that I will later cook along with my husband and try new things he prepares for us.  That's the art of a good wife in our house and this fancy in the country life.