Jim Shockey’s Thriller Novel “Call Me Hunter” Debuts

Know who else has a very particular set of skills, acquired over a very long career?

Jim Shockey is an outdoor writer, professional big game outfitter, TV producer, and host of several series on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and MyOutdoorTV. Still, his most recent accolade is a novelist with the release of his first novel, “Call Me Hunter,” published by Simon and Schuster. The book demonstrates Shockey’s literary talent while it weaves a story about a hunter and an elite secret society and what one man will do whatever it takes to save his daughter’s soul.

Shockey was recently on the Petersen’s Hunting Podcast, sharing the novel’s early beginnings and how he started in the outdoor industry. From age ten, he said he always wanted to write a book, but he “needed to live more life first.” 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.

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.”

“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.