Skip & Rita flanking special guest, Tim Borksi of Florida at the Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival 2012.
Most of our hunting dies down in late January, but I still had a few upland hunts left and the anticipation of the fishing season to come. We seemed to be on the road a lot in Jan, Feb and March traveling Texas. Along the way we met some fun outdoor celebs: Noted wildlife cook and author of GirlHunter, Georgia Pellegrinihttp://georgiapellegrini.com , then we attended the Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival in Houston and met the wildly interesting and talented fly tyer and artist, Tim Borski of Florida. Then to Troutfest in New Braunfels, TX where we had our trade booth and were entertained by keynote guest, Pat Dorsey owner of the Blue Quill Angler of Evergreen, CO http://bluequillangler.com and then to Sportsman’s Finest in Austin http://www.SportsmansFinest.com to have some fun while learning bass fishing tips with Bob Clouser from Pennsylvania and inventor of the Clouser Minnow http://www.clouserflyfishing.com
Meeting Georgia at her book signing in Austin. Love the Red! Her book GirlHunter takes this classicly trained chef out into the wild to 'hunt' for her food.
Troutfest speaker, Pat Dorsey (center) has over 1400 fly bins at his Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, CO!
Georgia also introduced me to Key of A shotgun jewelry. Skip gave me my 28 ga bracelet for Valentine's Day!
Bob Clouser--Not only did I pick up some great tips on fishing bass in heavy cover, but he was nice enough to give me a signed cap for St. Patrick's Day! I had the pleasure of meeting him 2 yrs ago in Houston - charming man!
Also, at Troutfest I had my booth for Heritage Game Mounts and introduced my new “Trout Skins” pillows. I handpaint fish and outdoor scenes on lambskin and then sew into pillows of rich trims, velvet & suedes.
HGM's Booth at Troutfest - introducing 'Trout Skins'
Middle of February found us once again on a fabulous shoot at Gerry & Eldena Stearns’ Santa Anna Hunting Preserve. Even with the cover down from the Texas ‘exceptional’ drought, the hunt was a success thanks to Gerry’s great dogs: American Field Brittanys, German Shorthairs and a sassy little French Brittany named Lucy.
I love dogs.......
The 3 Schimpff's and pheasant take - Thank you, Rico (my wonderful bro in law)!
Eldena does such a wonderful job with the birds: the care and breeding. And as a special favor to me she skinned a couple of the beautiful pheasants and told me how to tan them. We will see how I do!
Blow drying the pheasant after washing in Dawn detergent!
“Congrats to Rebecca Friedrich, Teresa McCullough, Rita Schimpff, Nicole Nash and Diane Hassinger- winners each of a Hunter Hills leather journal. Chosen by Random.org, these five women told us a little about their most memorable hunts in 2011. We’re hoping they have equal or even greater successes in 2012. And, we KNOW they are going to enjoy using their hand-made, beautiful and practical journals.”
I would have to say that my favorite and most memorable hunt for 2011 was the quail shoot in November that my husband and I took to follow through on a promise we made to each other a year ago. We have been hunting/fishing together for many years and when the children left the nest we were going to spend more time outdoors with each other. And the best of this years adventures was a road trip from Texas to Southern Mississippi to a beautiful quail plantation. The elegant lodges were set among Longleaf and Loblolly pines and surrounded three gorgeous ponds with wild, but resident Mallards settling in. Our every comfort was quietly and deliciously taken into account and no detail in rustic yet elegant decor was left out. We had a morning and afternoon shoot over pointers and a setter for Bobwhite, Tennesee Reds and a pheasant or two. Each morning as we rose early to try our fly rods on the ponds – we found our living room fire place crackling and the smell of fresh coffee already brewing. Each dusk we again tried to out-fish one another as we had also tried to out-shoot the other in friendly competition with our .410’s. To finish off our evening dinners with a stroll around the acreage & ponds under the moonlight only completed the picture.
It was extravagant and a splurge, but as we dine on our quail & pheasant at home by our own fireplace we tell ourselves that promises are worth keeping and I look forward to our hunts together in 2012 just as I have every year for 36 years.
See more about my review of Longleaf Plantation – scroll down to ‘Shooting in Style’
Whether you share a home with a hunter or are one yourself, this is the perfect time of the year to bring the wild inside. Gather up those items you already have and add a little rustic cabin decor. The following recipes can be altered, but here are a few to start those creative juices flowing:
List of ingredients:
GREENERY- faux & fresh PINE CONES-ACORNS
ANTLERS/SHEDS DECOYS
TARTAN RIBBON OR FABRIC FEATHERS:PHEASANT/TURKEY
Grab candles and some of that faux greenery you save every year – it looks nice & full when mixed in with fresh. This year I found Tartan ribbon out of fleece 1/2 price way before Christmas- all of this, save the greens, can be used next year.
Tip: Christmas Tree lots usually give for the taking all the greens they remove from the base of the trees.
Bringing the wild inside.
Free greenery at the Christmas Tree lot, pine cones, feathers & sheds.
TIP: if you like what you did, take a photo and start special notebook for holiday decorating-much easier to recreate the next year.
How about Gramps’ Creel? Ribbon and acorn ornament added.Another creel with a shock of red poinsettia and an old net and reel to brighten a corner. A pot of fresh would be nice, just remember to add a plastic saucer.Another creel with a shock of red poinsettia, an old net and reel. A pot of fresh poinsettia would be nice, just remember to add a plastic saucer.
I like to dress up a cabinet for Christmas with a fishing theme. Garland and free greens at the top plus all our collected fishing ornaments and related decorations. Lean an old bamboo rod nearby. Add some lights to the greenery for more drama.
A vintage creel & bait bucket, ice fishing decoys & old Salmon flies for ornaments.
Tip: Store all your items for a certain area in one marked box, so next year you can finish decorating one area completely before moving on.
Add a little tartan ribbon to a duck or goose decoy and place on a nest of greens on a table or under the tree.
And don’t forget to pay a tribute to your faithful gun dogs past. I keep the tags and tie on a red ribbon and add a hook for a special ornament collection on our tree. (the kitty cats get on the tree too with their collars & tags)
This is just the start – How do you bring the Wild Inside For Christmas?
After reading @writinghuntress* Twitter query looking for wreaths in her area (of which I happily answered even tho I lived states away) – it dawned on me why this is one of my favorite times of the year…sure, the feast of Thanksgiving, Christmas and the onset of the hunting season – but, it is my favorite time to bring the outdoors in, live amongst flora & fauna in our home – the decorating options abound from the hunt. Fall!
Antique Charivari made with tiny sterling acorns, leaves and deer teeth to symbolize a special hunt.
Many hunter/anglers share a home with a non-hunter and many times our ‘spoils of the hunt’ are just not appreciated as we wished, often relegated to the man cave – or worse The Garage, when in fact they can be handsomely and may I say Elegantly incorporated into every room in the house. You may say, ‘oh fun for you-with a 30+year career in the interior design field!’ Well, I also have a 30+ year (I’m not quite as old as dirt) background in the oat field as well. It doesn’t hurt that my German heritage predicates that we use, save, and re – purpose everything. Which I in turn draw upon from time to time to position hunting finds around the house. Hunt it, shoot it, eat it & hang it! Makes perfect sense to me. Most of the ‘stuff’ the hunter finds in the field is haute (hot) in the décor market. Why would I go pay money for something that I have hanging around? I hope to help you or your significant other realize it is EASY to bring the outdoors in.
Think about some of the things you might have access to: Gramp’s old fishing net, creels, rods, acorns and pine cones, shed antlers, taxidermy mounts (fin, feather & fur), hides, skulls, decoys, and barb wire. How about shell boxes and found (empty) turtle shells!
I was inspired to create my company www.HeritageGameMounts.com from my grandfather’s antique mounts and a piece of German jewelry, called a Charivari that was passed down in my husband’s family to honor the hunt.
HIDES:
Many years ago when ‘never done that’& ‘not enough time’ were never uttered, I had a white tail hide tanned into the softest golden leather and I sewed a vest for my husband’s Christmas present. Guess what? They last…he still wears it. Over the years I have had them tanned with and without the hair and used in a variety of ways. I have a beautiful axis skin that came from a very special friend’s family ranch- I have threatened for years to upholster something with it, but keep finding uses for it as a throw. Drape one over a chair, coffee table or hang on the wall or the back of a display cabinet – if you actually upholster with it, make it the accent- perhaps just on the back of the chair and cover the rest of the chair in rich brown, black or red leather and big brass nail heads! How about making the leather into a unique gun or rifle case? Go visit Trophy Hides in MN to see how they painstakingly produce wonderful products from your skins or theirs www.trophyhidesleather.com
HORNS & ANTLERS:
Grapevine wreath with old white shed, feathers, acorns and leaves from a hobby store.
Singles, sheds and full mounts…I always scout around the hunting grounds, you can find all kinds of wonderful left-overs: sheds, fox skulls, turkey feathers. Use all of these in centerpieces, wreaths, and a still life. For your wreath use some discarded old rusted & coiled up barbed wire-just make sure and cushion the back with a piece of felt or packing peanut to protect your door.
Create a still life using a shed as a focal point in a grouping of objects on a coffee table, countertop or bookshelf.
Many non-hunter homes can’t find a spot for the mounted antlers and trophies or just don’t think they fit in – well that is one reason I designed the Heritage Game Mount, it takes up less space than a shoulder mount, is less expensive and elegantly enhances the domestic deer or exotic trophy.
A Heritage Game Mount with your trophy installed looks great in any room in the house, and pair’s nicely over paintings, with shoulder mounts or all alone!
Add a touch of the Old World that adorned the royal hunting lodges of Europe and surround your antlers with oak leaves and acorns. And another good reason to hunt and save all these items? In the off season they make fabulous ‘show n tell’ for the kids to take to school, inspiration for school papers etc. So many kids today have no idea about the joys and responsibility of of our wildlife heritage – much less seen it or felt it – so let your kids share it!
Create a still life using a shed as a focal point in a grouping of objects on a coffee table, countertop or bookshelf. Here a shed is painted red then topped with gold leaf found at hobby stores and put with a scented candle.
