USA – -(Ammoland.com)- Not a lot about Eva Shockey’s career, lifestyle, or upbringing may appear “typical” to the average reader, but the challenges she’s faced to pursue what she loves are the same as most who set out to defy “normal” and follow their dreams.
While the number of female hunters has doubled to 3.3 million since 2001, and legislation now allows blaze pink camo in four states (and counting), it wasn’t an easy road.
For Eva to persevere, it took courage, discipline, and thick skin.
Taking Aim: Daring to Be Different, Happier, and Healthier in the Great Outdoors
Growing up, Eva wanted anything BUT to be a hunter. Despite being born into a family that spent its vacations in the African wild and camping in Canadian moose country, Eva pined to be a professional dancer, like her mother. She didn’t think femininity could coexist with an outdoor life, but after returning from college in Australia, Eva found a renewed passion for all things natural, wild, and fresh. She eventually worked up the courage to ask her father to teach her how to hunt, and before long she found herself co-hosting his top-rated show, Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures.
And that was just the beginning. In May 2014, Eva became the first woman in more than thirty years to appear on the cover of Field & Stream, behind Queen Elizabeth II. In 2015, Bowtech unveiled the new Eva Shockey Signature Series, a premium bow for the serious female archer.
Eva takes readers warthog hunting in South Africa, hunting caribou by ATV on the Aleutian Islands, and tracking a 1,500-pound bull moose through the mountains of the Yukon (the moose meat was later served at her wedding). Along the way, she shares stories from hunting camps, close brushes with death, and lessons learned.
Among them:
- Conservation: Hunters raise the most money for conservation and wildlife management than any other group on the planet. Without hunters, many of our animal populations would be dwindling. It’s about connecting with nature and family, contributing to environmental conservation, and discovering the true meaning of “field to table.”
- The Outdoors: Sitting in a tree stand or hiking to the top of a mountain lets us breathe fresh air, get out from underneath a roof, and appreciate all of God’s beautiful creations. Time spent outdoors is the pathway to a balanced lifestyle of fitness, adventure, honest food, and allowing our bodies to do what they were meant to do.
- Unplugging: Turning off your phone, computer, and social media networks and halting contact with the outside world is a rare occurrence these days. Hunting allows us to stop, rewind, and remember what’s important in life.
- Self-reliance: Hunters are proud to close the gap between what’s on their dinner plates and the animal that gave its life to nourish their bodies. Eva harvests her own dinner and fills her freezer with free-range, pesticide-free, organic wild game to feed her family.
- Breaking barriers: Proud hunters are young, old, male, female, and any ethnicity from any part of the world. Outdoor life can empower anyone to break through the limits of stereotypes or expectations.
This book will encourage girls to realize they can do whatever they put their mind to, and women will read it and realize it’s never too late to pursue their passion. And whether you’re a lifelong hunter or a city dweller who has never set foot in the wilderness, TAKING AIM will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the wonders of the great outdoors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eva Shockey is co-host with her father of Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures on Outdoor Channel. A sought-after spokesperson on hunting, conservation, and living a sustainable lifestyle, she is a corporate ambassador for Cabela’s, Under Armour, Bowtech, Crosman, Daniel Defense, Muzzy Broadheads, and other major brands. She is married to professional hockey player Tim Brent, and when she’s not traveling for the work she loves, she spends her time with her husband and daughter in North Carolina.