Jim Shockey’s Life Lessons

Outdoors Legend On Living Life To Its Fullest & Following Your Dreams

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Jim Shockey might be one of the most recognizable people on the North American outdoors scene, and there’s little wonder why. Over his storied nearly 40-year career, the Canadian-born outdoorsman has done it all, traveling the world to share with others adventures they wouldn’t be able to experience on their own.

Along the way, he has written magazine stories, produced and hosted hunting shows and videos, authored books, and even created his own natural history museum. And with seemingly unending energy, he’s even had a blues song reach Number 1 on the iTunes Blues charts and carries an 8 handicap on the links. 

With such a well-lived life, we had to know what makes Jim the dynamo that he is.

Jim Shockey: The Early Years

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Jim had outdoor things on his mind from a young age. He and his father, a road construction superintendent, began chasing whitetails together when Jim was just a kid, and those outings sparked an interest in him that he grasped onto with a tight hold. 

“I think I always knew what I wanted to do,” he said. “At the age of 10, I knew that I would have my Hand of Man Museum. I didn't know the name at the time, but I started collecting for my museum. I also knew I would be a novelist.”

The problem Jim faced in making those dreams come true was earning enough money to pursue them—not always an easy task. He sought to make that money in the outdoors any way he could.

“I needed to make enough money to collect the things that I needed to collect, and I needed to travel the world,” he said. “So, I figured out, probably 20 or 21 when I got out of university, that the outdoor industry was where I needed to be to realize those two goals.

“I didn't know what capacity I'd be in the outdoor industry, and I knew that the lifestyle and my goals in life were going to require a fair bit of capital. So, I needed to figure out a way to make a living in the outdoor industry, and the only way I could do that was to work outside of the industry to make enough money in the industry.”

How Jim Shockey Got His Big Break

Jim wrote his first magazine article at the age of 26, nearly 40 years ago.

“I started writing for Canadian hunting and outdoor publications,” Jim said. “But cracking into the American market, which was the big market, was a very difficult thing even if you're American, let alone if you're Canadian.”

His big break came after he killed a deer with a Knight MK 85 muzzleloader—one of the most advanced muzzleloaders of the time. He sent a picture and an article he’d written about it for a Canadian publication to Tony Knight, shooting industry insider and owner of Knight rifles, and the wheels started turning.

“He invited me down to the United States to a group industry hunt,” Jim said. “It was in Missouri, and there were people there like Judd Cooney, Jim Zumbo, Larry Weishuhn, and Bill Jordan. So that was really the first time that I walked into camp with the superstars of the outdoor writing and video world.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Jim’s work in the outdoors has garnered him countless fans and many accolades, including 15 Outdoor Channel “Golden Moose” Awards between 2009 and 2015.

Since that first deer camp in Missouri, Jim has traveled the world hunting, writing, producing, hosting, and filming. Through those travels, he has formed an interesting view of the world around him. 

“I spent an average of 306 days a year for 20 to 25 years on the road, and that gives you a perspective on this world,” he said. “And one of the things that I've taken away is how similar we are around this world, and how dissimilar the mainstream media wants us to believe we are. We start to fear the people in other countries when 99 percent of them are the same as us and want the same things. They want their children to be healthy and have a roof over their heads and clothes and water and education. They want love, and all this is universal. It is ubiquitous around the world, and all the media is telling us is, ‘These people are this. These people are that.’ But really, we’re pretty much all the same.”

Shockey On Losing His Soulmate

Everyone has challenges in life. Jim recently experienced one of the biggest anyone can face—losing not only his spouse, but as he describes her, his “soulmate” of nearly 40 years, Louise, in September 2023.

“I married an angel and had 39 years, 113 days and 14 hours with her where we were partners, soulmates, we shared everything,” he said. “We divided up the chores of raising children and making money for our family to live on. It was a perfect balance for us, and the result is two wonderfully successful, by every definition, children that are married to their own soulmates with four wonderful, well-adjusted grandchildren.”

Through the loss of Louise after an extended bout with cancer, Jim felt a loss that can only be understood by others who have lost a longtime spouse.

“Anyone that's never gone through losing a soulmate after nearly 40 years where it's your best friend, your lover, your spouse, your confidant—can’t imagine the depth of the sorrow,” he said. “I tell people the reason you can't imagine what it's like is because imagination can't exist at the depth of sorrow of losing a soulmate. If we could imagine that, I don't know that anyone would ever fall in love.”

Louise passed away two years after her original diagnosis. During her final months, Jim was her constant caregiver, always by her side as they enjoyed every minute of their limited time together.

“I think she stayed with us long enough to make sure I was properly prepared for moving forward,” Jim said. “She wanted me to move on, she wanted me to live. When you love somebody deeply, you don't desire them to never find love again. That's the last thing you want for the love of your life. 

“Suffering through that made me a better person. Every single minute I look to the joy of life and seek the joy of life, and I certainly will not ever allow negativity to creep into my life again. I have to look at it as a gift that Louise gave me. I'll see her again someday and I can thank her in person.”

Hand Of Man Museum, Novel & Song

Despite the loss, life is still a sprint for Jim, rather than a distance race. His Hand of Man Museum opened in Maple Bay, British Columbia, in 2018 and contains many of the artifacts he’s been collecting since he was a child. Last year, the museum had more than 28,000 visitors.

Additionally, his new book that he had been planning to write since he was 10 years old was published last October to rave reviews and appreciative fans. “Call Me Hunter is really an autobiographical, abstract, fictional thriller,” he said. “Simon and Schuster in New York City called me and told me I can officially say I'm an international best-selling author now, so it's done well.

“And that was November 2019. I stopped international travel in October of that year and I sat down to write that novel because I had to get it out of my head.”

With all that going on, one might think that Jim has had to find a way to cope with all the stress involved with his nonstop schedule. In fact, he has a way of embracing stress that many of us would do well practicing.

“I don't really feel stressed,” he said. “Stress to me means whatever I'm doing is challenging and directly proportional to the challenge. So, the greater the challenge, I guess some people would call that the greater the stress. I just look at it as, ‘OK, let's face whatever we have to face and deal with it.’ I don't see stress as a negative thing at all in my life. I embrace it.”

Oh yeah, and about that music career mentioned earlier? In 2018, Jim wrote, recorded, and released a song, “Howl With Me,” that quickly—and unexpectedly—went to number 1 on the iTunes Blues Chart.

Moving Forward

If it sounds like Jim still has plenty on his plate, that’s an understated way of putting it. But through it all, he is keeping his focus on living life to the fullest.

“You get one life, so don't waste it,” he said. “Make sure you actually live that one life. I have no regrets, and I can't imagine sitting here at my age and thinking back and going: ‘Oh, man, I wish I would have done this. I wish I would have done that.’ That’s purgatory to spend the last days of your life knowing that you were breathing your entire life but didn’t really live.”