Haute couture meets blaze orange; Minnesota deer season opens

November 6, 3:11 PMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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                          Pumps and Blaze Orange

Deer hunting season opens this weekend in Minnesota and more than a few of our friends and neighbors will forsake the city. Most will be well armed, some will be well oiled, and at least one will bring Haute couture to the wooded bluffs near Red Wing, Minnesota.

Mary lives in the St. Paul side of town, where neighborhoods are more of a blue collar nature with a charm that is more elusive in our sister city of Minneapolis and its environs, the part of the metro where she stood her ground for years. Although her brother and father made the hunting trek every year from the well heeled western suburbs, we like to think that Mary's nature hikes consisted of the skyways of Minneapolis or the shops of Ridgedale Mall.

It was with utter amazement last year when I found out that Mary and her man, Loren, were hunting deer near Red Wing, Minnesota! As Chevy Chase once said, "I could have woken up with my face sewn to the carpet and been less surprised." She had decided that there was no reason that she couldn't join in the fun, so she did.

Most of the people I know are proud of their weapons and Mary is the proud owner of a Remington Model 870 pump 20 gauge. When asked what kind of shotgun she had, she stated, "I don't know, but it has a really nice, fashionable carrying strap, case and a very cool "red-eye" scope." Enough said.

As for the garments, Cabela's has joined the ranks of Haute couture. The boots, the mittens, the hat, all awash in a mixture of blaze orange with green and brown bark are tastefully chosen and accessorized, at least for Mary, and we assume for all the creatures of the wild. There are rumors of blaze orange pumps with a matching handbag that may be available.

So there we have it, Mary bringing sophistication to the prairie and venison home to the city.