Eva Shockey grew up in the outdoor industry as the daughter of Jim Shockey. Eva has been in the outdoors and in front of the camera her whole life but only took up hunting after finishing college. Eva has burst onto the scene is making a name for herself as a proud, adventurous outdoors-woman. Eva is currently on the road basically year-round and she is getting to see the world. We had the chance to meet up with her and Jim at SHOT show and we look forward to seeing Eva continue to grow and gain her voice and build her career in this industry!!! Eva is inspiring young girls all around the world to get out into the outdoors and we believe she is the kind of role model we need more of in this industry!
What are your first memories of being outdoors?
Every family trip we ever took was some sort of hunting adventure. Whether it was in Alaska or Mexico or just a few hours from our house, my family and I spent all of our time out in the woods for as long as I can remember.
At what age did you start hunting?
I’ve gone on hunts with my dad my whole life but I never wanted to pull the trigger when I was young. My mom doesn’t hunt and when I was growing up, I didn’t see many female hunters so I just figured that only boys hunt. By the time I finished college when I was 20, I decided that I could be a feminine girl and still love to hunt, so I went on my first hunt with my dad and that was where it all started.
Taking a look at your schedule it looks like you are spending a lot of time in Germany and Russia, what is on your list of species to hunt in those locations?
My boyfriend is a Canadian hockey player, and is playing hockey overseas in Russia this year so I’ve been splitting my time between visiting him in Russia and then coming back to hunt and work.
When you travel to these locations do you bring security along with the crew?
We don’t bring security but I always have at least one cameraman and usually my dad, as well as the guides from the place we’re hunting at. We’re always as cautious as we can be, so most situations we are in are safe enough. There are good and bad people everywhere, including right here in our own backyard, so we try not to let the media have an effect on our opinions of the people in various countries and just do our best to stay safe and respect their culture.
How often do you get to travel and hunt alongside your dad?
I am traveling around 300 days of the year. I don’t really have a home base right now, I just hop from place to place; whether it’s a hunt, an event, a trade show, a banquet, visiting my family or being in Russia with my boyfriend.
What would you say to young girls who are looking to get into the outdoors?
Do it! It’s the best decision I ever made and have never regretted it for one second. It’s a great way to be outdoors and spend time in nature and with your family. It’s a way to ethically hunt and eat your own meat and it’s such a fun thing to do!
Of all of the locations that you have had the chance to hunt, which one was the most exciting to hunt?
The Yukon is my favorite place on earth to hunt. The beauty cannot be put into words and the moose, caribou, grizzlies and wolves are all unbelievable animals. I wish everyone could experience it.
Which hunt did you learn the most about yourself?
Probably the Yukon. As much as I love it, it’s always a tough adjustment for the first few days when I get into the bush. You are in the middle of our 12,000 square mile hunting territory up north, without anything or anyone around and you get cold, wet, tired, sore and you have to keep going. Sometimes I catch myself thinking I just want to curl into my sleeping bag for a few extra hours, but then I realized the situation I’m in and how amazingly lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing, so my attitude usually changes pretty quick. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been and doubt I will ever see anything more spectacular in my lifetime.
Of all of the species you have hunted, what is your favorite?
My favorite is Alaskan Yukon moose up in the Rogue River Yukon hunting territory. Next would have to be elk. I love hearing them bugle back and forth. Their antlers are huge, and their meat is delicious!
We have seen that you have a new line of phone cases coming out, where can folks get these cases?
Yes! I designed all of our items that we sell online, including the brand new phone case designs. They will be available online by the beginning of March, 2014! I could never find a phone case that I like, so one day I just decided to make some and try to sell them. We sold out at our last show, so it’s nice to see that other people have the same taste as me!
Where can people follow your family’s exploits on social media?
We have loved social media in the last year now that we’ve figured out what a great way it is to keep everyone updated in a timely way with a personal touch. It started to be a competition between my dad and me, but then I started to “beat” him by too much, so the competition ended – ha! Please check out our pages! www.facebook.com/evashockeyfanpage and www.facebook.com/jimshockeyfanpage
Check out her Sponsor Crosman and check her out on the Outdoor Channel.
