Are you tired of media that depicts hunters as "the bad guys"? From Disney's recent announcement that it will remove the hunting scene from its remake of "Bambi," to the upcoming release of "Kraven the Hunter" ("craven"? Really?), Hollywood has made its disdain for sport hunting and the people who do it very plain. That's why we're so excited to read Jim Shockey's new thriller novel, "Call Me Hunter."
If you don't know Jim and his daughter Eva, that's because you're not paying attention! He's an outdoor writer, professional big game outfitter, TV producer and host of several series on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and MyOutdoorTV. Although he's at the top of his game and has been for decades, he's been haunted by a story he needed to tell ... the tale of a hunter and an elite secret society, and what one man will do to save his daughter's soul.
Shockey said he's been writing "Call Me Hunter" in his head for many years – from waiting in lines at airport security to sitting on mountain tops, and the book needed to come out. He told Petersen's Hunting Podcast he started writing the book in fall 2019 and calls it an 'abstract thriller.' "If this book is a success, it will open the door for more writing like this and more thinking like this. And ultimately, that will be good for wildlife, which is my goal."
Shockey said it all started in 1984 when he wrote his first magazine article and received $42 for it, which, at that time, was a big deal. He said back then, articles were trending from adventurous stories to more "how-to" pieces, which he didn't appreciate as much. "I remember reading a magazine at the time and thinking to myself, 'I can do better,'" he said. Shockey said he always had a tremendous desire to write, travel, and enjoy different cultures; that is where he focused his life.
From there, he began to video his hunts. He knew Realtree’s Bill Jordan well and was soon hosting a segment on Jordan's show on ESPN. Soon after, other networks, such as TNN and Outdoor Channel, began and needed content. Shockey said it was an obvious transition from magazines to media. He shared that "it is just storytelling in a different media. I learned how to shoot and edit in the '90s on a show called 'Canadian Whitetail Adventures.' It cost $50,000 to film and edit at the time – and that was in 90's dollars!" Shockey said he eventually asked Outdoor Channel for his own show – and they agreed. He bought the airtime and produced the shows still available today on MyOutdoorTV, such as Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures, Jim Shockey’s The Professionals, UNCHARTED and his most recent series Shock Therapy.
"Call Me Hunter" is available for purchase now wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more. Shockey said the publisher, Simon and Schuster, plan on printing 125,000 copies of the book, which is unheard of for a first-time novelist. “We are going to need all the hunters to support the book. I have high hopes it will open doors that have been closed to us for a long time,” concluded Shockey.
