Kristy Lee Cook is Goin' Country

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Country music singer Kristy Lee Cook is hosting a new hunting show called Goin' Country. Kristy has killed some great trophies along the way, but she's also run into her fair share of hardships.

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While shooting the show, the former American Idol contestant was in between record deals and trying to make it in the country music business. The show focuses on her goal to be a hit musician and her passion for the outdoors.

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For Kristy, an Oregon native, combining the two made perfect sense: "Hunting is really about being in the outdoors. Country music is about being country and being a country person. So it just makes sense that people who live in the country like country music and they like hunting. Country music just explains real life stuff," Kristy says.

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The first episode of Goin Country aired this month. Animal rights groups like PETA targeted Kristy after its premier because of her celebrity status. Photo: www.kristylee.net

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"In her new television show on Versus (formerly the Outdoor Life Network), Kristy is traveling around the country shooting animals. It sounds like she must have had those tired old defenses of hunting hammered into her as a kid, because she isn't embarrassed to float the incredibly old saw that hunters somehow help animals … by killing them while they're in the woods with their families minding their own business," PETA wrote on it's blog.

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What PETA doesn't mention is that Kristy absolutely loves horses. She takes in old racetrack horses, trains them and finds homes for them through her KLC Horse Heaven Foundation.

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But luckily, criticism from animal rights activists hasn't dampered Kristy's spirits: "Hunting is part of our heritage, we've been doing it for thousands of years, but whatever you do, it's going to bother somebody or it's not. When you kill a living animal, some people aren't going to like that. I really like to get along with people … but some things you can't control. I guess if I wasn't use to [criticism] from being on American Idol, it would bother me more."

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Also, her luck in the music industry may be changing for the better. Kristi just recently signed a deal with Broken Bow Records.

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Kristy has always been a big fan of Browning. When the top brass at Browning found out about it they swooped in and now they sponsor her show.

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On the show Kristy hunts with other country musicians and also takes her sister out hunting for the first time.

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"I like just getting outdoors. It's really intense when you get out there and you're stalking around. It feels like you accomplished something whether you get an animal or not," Kristy says. Photo by: Aine D

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"My favorite place to hunt is probably Oregon. It's where I first learned how and most of the land out here is BLM land. It's all public and these animals are wild. They're not contained in any way," she says.

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Kristy's favorite animal to hunt is elk, but she hasn't killed one yet. "They're smart and the meat will last you forever. I'm really into organic food and I like to eat as healthy as I can. The healthiest food you can find is in the woods," Kristy says.

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Kristy and a massive red stag.

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Kristy on how she got started hunting: "My brother always tried to get me to go hunting for the longest time but for some reason I never wanted to go. Then, like a typical girl, I met a guy and he took me out hunting." Photo: www.kristylee.net