Editor’s Note: Jim Shockey has two TV shows on the Outdoor Channel - “Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures” that has been running for 13 years, and his new show “Uncharted.” Also, he’s been an outfitter in Canada, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and British Columbia for 25 years.
As you look behind every great man, you'll see a great woman, and that’s true of Jim Shockey. When he married his wife Louise, she was a ballerina, she taught dance, she was a model, and she had appeared in movies. The marriage of these two opposites has formed one of the strongest outdoor families in our industry.
One of the guiding lights of Mossy Oak always has been an emphasis on family. Mossy Oak’s founder Toxey Haas, his employees and the representatives of Mossy Oak all are family-oriented. Being willing to sacrifice for your family is one of the founding principles of Mossy Oak. If you’ll notice, when people connected with Mossy Oak talk about the customers of Mossy Oak, the customers are described as being a part of the Mossy Oak family. This week we’re giving you a glimpse into what Jim Shockey did to become one of the most-recognized hunters in the nation, how he films and produces two TV shows, and how he manages four outfitting businesses. Shockey travels all over the world hunting, filming and working with sponsors while maintaining strong family ties. This week Mossy Oak wants our readers to be able to look inside the person of Jim Shockey and let him tell you what he’s done to build one of the strongest groups of businesses in the entire outdoor industry.
Every true entrepreneur in the outdoor industry is a risk taker. Toxey Haas gambled his future and the future of his family on an idea and a camo pattern called Mossy Oak. Many times through the growth and development of the Mossy Oak Company, I'm sure that Toxey Haas and his family probably wondered about the wisdom of starting a camouflage company when sportsman’s camo was in its infancy. Jim Shockey owned and was involved in several businesses before finally finding his life’s calling in the outdoors. In some of those businesses, he was unsuccessful. But Shockey has learned that if you don’t quit you can win. Shockey always has had high goals. He’d planned to be a multi-millionaire real estate developer and later became a junk and antique salesman. Click here to see how Jim Shockey moved from being a junk salesman to being an outdoor entrepreneur.
Tomorrow: Jim and Louise Shockey Never Forced Their Children to Go into the Outdoor Industry
