With her new show "Goin' Country" airing on the Versus channel, former American Idol star and current country music siren Kristy Lee Cook is out to prove herself in more ways than one. This 26-year-old down-home girl has set out to show the world that she's not just another blond-haired, blue-eyed pop product. Her new reality show follows the singer as she locks up a record deal while testing her hunting chops chasing big game from Oregon to Tennessee.

Cook, who's been hunting for about six years, is more than comfortable in front of the cameras after her stint on Idol, but she's just coming into her own with a rifle in hand. Don't sleep on this Washington native, though, she makes it look easy at times with her Browning .270 WSM that she's dubbed the "stainless-steel stalker." As she says, "it's Browning or nothing for this girl."

But it hasn't always been an easy road. Cook has faced ill-conceived attacks from groups like PETA and In Defense of Animals in reaction to her show and subsequent comments on hunting. I caught up with Kristy to see how she was handling life, criticism, music, celebrity, guns and her new found love of the hardcore hunting lifestyle.

BO: Describe your American Idol experience and how it has effected your career so far.
KLC: It was a huge platform for me and really anyone who has the chance to do that show, because you are in front of so many people and you get a lot of exposure. Actually, it kind of got me into the hunting industry. I wore a Browning cap on American Idol and Browning saw it and long story short they got in touch with me and we decided to do the whole hunting thing. They sent me out on a few hunts to see if I could host, and I guess they thought I was decent enough to get it done so we got a show going.

BO: Where do you feel you are in your music career now? Creatively and in terms of your achievements?
KLC: I am actually in negotiations with a label right now, Broken Bow Records. We are working on a contract, and we are getting all the basics of a record deal. The plan for me is to release a single next spring which is great because I'll have a lot of time to write and record great songs. Whereas, in the past I have had a very limited time to do that.

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