Outdoors Woman and Bowhunter Eva Shockey
Day 1: Eva Shockey Has Learned She Can Be a Girly Girl and a Bowhunter
Editor’s Note: Eva Shockey, who recently was featured on the cover of “Field and Stream Magazine,” is 25-years old and has been hunting with her dad, well-known outdoorsman Jim Shockey, for as long as she can remember. But she didn’t start taking game until she was 20-years old. The story of Eva Shockey’s life is a classic example of what happens when two worlds collide. Louise Shockey, Eva’s mother, was a professional ballerina, a model and an actress. Eva’s dad, Jim Shockey, was and still is one of the most well-known hunters and outdoorsmen in the world (https://www.jimshockey.com/). Many people wondered which path Eva would take. Would she be a rough-and-tumble hunter like her dad, or would she demonstrate her more-feminine side like her mom? Eva fooled everyone. She didn’t just follow either route. Instead she’s combined the lifestyles of both her parents and is a girly girl and an avid bowhunter.
  My dad bought bows for me and my brother, Branlin, when I was 6, and he was 8. But after a while, we gave-up shooting those bows. I didn’t really start shooting again until I was 20 and decided to get serious about hunting. Today, I shoot the Bowtech HeartBreaker (http://www.bowtecharchery.com).
For many years, I didn’t realize women could hunt, take game and be part of nature like men could. I didn’t think you could be feminine and a hunter, but I saw in the movie “The Hunger Games” that Katniss Everdeen (played by the actress Jennifer Lawrence) was very feminine. She exemplified what being a woman was about in her politeness and classiness. Yet, she still could do all the cool things that the boys did like shoot a bow, take game and survive in the woods. She didn’t have to give up her femininity to be an archer, a bowhunter and a woodswoman.
Earlier in life, when I went hunting with my dad, he always was with his guy friends. At that point in my life, I said I liked being outdoors, I just wouldn’t take any game. Dad always asked me to hunt and to shoot, but since I really never wanted to, he didn’t push the issue. When I finally realized I could be a girl and hunt and still shoot a bow like Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games,” I guess a light bulb went off in my head. I decided that hunting was cool.
  Today, I see many-more girls and women coming into the sports of archery and bowhunting than when I was younger. Movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Brave” have shown us all that girly girls can hunt, shoot bows and harvest wildlife. When I go to trade shows and consumer shows now, 50 percent of the people I talk to are women who hunt. This phenomenon only has seemed to happen since the spotlight on archery in the movies really has reminded us all that women can and do hunt. I’m really proud to see I’m not the only one who has caught the vision. I think there’s a little of Katniss Everdeen in all ladies and girls.
To learn more about Eva Shockey, visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/evashockeyfanpage
You can learn more about hunting deer in John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks by clicking on these: “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,” “How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows,” and “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property.”
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About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.
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