Meghan Patrick : 10-point bucks and five-pound bass
COUNTRY MUSIC MEETS THE REALLY GREAT OUTDOORS
ED HAND
So what does a fast rising star in Canadian country music do to wind down from the hurricane of performing , recording , writing and touring ?
“ There ’ s nothing better than shutting off my phone in the deer stand ” chuckles Meghan Patrick , a Warner recording artist whose debut album , Grace and Grit is drawing listeners all across North America . Now the 29-year-old from Bowmanville , Ont . is on the other end of the line to talk 10- point bucks and five-pound bass .
Her path to the deer stand was far from traditional . After studying opera and jazz at McGill , Meghan found her heart in country music . “ I didn ’ t grow up in a family that hunted ,” she tells me . “ It was just all the guys that I grew up with , that I was friends with . I ’ d go out fishing with them throughout the summer and I loved that . I love being outdoors and everything . Then fall would roll around and they would talk about going hunting .”
Meghan ’ s appreciation for hunting grew as it does for many … through her taste buds . “ One of my friends was having a barbecue and they did up some duck breasts and venison and they smoked them . I tasted the venison and was like , oh my God this is so good !”
Between friends talking about hunting and the new-found
love for tasty venison , the next step was a natural . “ It ’ s kind of intimidating when you ’ re a female and you don ’ t have a family member or someone who can show you the ropes . But I just really wanted to do it so I went out and signed up to do the course , getting your gun licence and your hunting licence in one weekend .”
Next step was a turkey hunt with a friend . “ He brought the guy who is now my boyfriend Jeff … it ’ s kind of a joke that our first date was in a turkey blind .”
Then she joined Jeff and his buddies at his hunt camp for deer season with all of them offering advice , as well as showing her some potential hunting property , which she got this year . It produced her first 10-point buck . She was tipped off to its presence while riding horseback through the property and discovering a tree rub and tracks . Then “ I sat there for three days and didn ’ t see or hear anything .”
But on the last day of the hunt “ about 15 minutes from sunset ” she heard a rustle in the leaves that sounded like a squirrel , but when she looked over her shoulder there it was . “ I nearly passed out when I saw him . He was about 50 yards from me .” She had to turn around to get the shot as the deer had come up behind her . When the animal jerked its head , sensing something was up , she squeezed the trigger . “ It ran for about 75 yards , stopped and then disappeared . After calling the boys at the hunt camp and waiting a bit , Meghan walked to the last place it was seen and there it was on the ground .
“ I stopped and said a prayer and I thanked God and called the boys . ‘ You gotta get over here . It ’ s huge !’”
The crew was impressed , not only by the deer , but by her effort . “ The guys were all excited for me . They said you sat longer than anyone and you were super-dedicated and you totally earned that buck .”
For Meghan , the outdoors is an escape from the intense life of a musician with a career that keeps her constantly on the move . “ I told my manager , I only want one
week off this year , just to go hunting . Just being out in the woods and having that quiet time . Even just the thrill of seeing tracks and tracking them and waiting and waiting .”
The other escape from the music world is out on the water . Meghan fished with her dad as a kid , but “ never took it real seriously ” until recent years when boyfriend and the gang had a boat to share . “ I try to get out when I can , but summer is a real busy time for me ,” with a touring schedule that keeps her hopping , That return to the outdoors helps clear her head and recharge the batteries .
Considering her home is Bowmanville , there are nearby options , like Scugog , Simcoe or Rice lakes for bass fishing . But her favourite is “ a really great spot near Havelock . Have you ever tried Belmont Lake ? Oh man , it ’ s a honey hole … I went there last time and reeled in two fivepound bass in about 10 minutes … it ’ s a bit of a hike but definitely worth it .”
Meghan ’ s winter was spent touring with Dwight Yoakam and Kip Moore – and winning three Music Express awards . And she ’ ll be on the road with Tom Cochrane this spring . Throw in a trip to Nashville for some writing and you can see why she chooses the solitude of a fishing boat or a deer stand .
“ For me , the idea of being out in the woods where it ’ s just me and my gun and hopefully a nice big buck around the corner , that ’ s pretty appealing as a vacation ”.
( top ) Meghan Patrick poses with her trophy 10-point buck . ( middle ) Meghan and her hunt gang from Southern Ontario . ( studio shot ) Country singer Meghan Patrick [ photo provided by Record Company ], ( bottom ) Meghan with a duck and Meghan with a bass
10 | FISH , HUNT RIDE www . fishhuntandride . ca