Eva Shockey says the anti-hunting backlash she faced at the height of her rise in the outdoor industry went far beyond angry comments on social media.
It included “thousands and thousands and thousands” of death threats.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORS
Shockey, the daughter of legendary hunter Jim Shockey, opened up about the years of harassment during a recent appearance on the “Country Outdoors” podcast, explaining that she became a frequent target of anti-hunting activists as she gained notoriety.
“I was sort of like the poster child for a little while of the anti-hunters and the hatred,” Shockey said.
A woman bird hunter stands outdoors. (Getty Images)
The backlash intensified around hunts involving bears and other apex predators, she recalled. And Shockey believes there was a reason critics came after her so aggressively rather than directing the same energy toward her famous father.
“I was like the blonde young girl that they thought that they would scare off and could be really mean to and bully, versus my dad, who’s like, ‘I don’t care,’” she said.
Shockey also believes much of the outrage came from people who didn’t understand the distinction between legal hunting and illegal poaching.
“Still today, people don’t understand what hunting is and poaching,” she said. “We hate poachers. That is what I — and we — fight against all the time.”
JORDAN DAVIS FACES FAN BACKLASH OVER HAWAII AXIS DEER HUNT DESPITE STRONG CONSERVATION BACKING
She said she can understand why someone who didn’t grow up around hunting might initially be uncomfortable with it. Her mother, Louise, never hunted herself, despite being married to one of the most famous hunters in the world.
“I can appreciate people that are not into it, and I can appreciate their perspective,” she said.
But she believes media coverage often turns hunting into something entirely different, feeding outrage among people who may not understand wildlife management or conservation.
“The media turns it into something where they think they’re doing what’s right by hating it,” Shockey said. “But really, when you actually sit down and talk to them, they’re like, ‘Oh, we had no idea.’”
OREGON BALLOT MEASURE THAT WOULD HAVE CRIMINALIZED HUNTING AND FISHING FAILS TO QUALIFY FOR VOTE
Shockey said her hunting photos were repeatedly used as clickbait before spreading internationally.
“It went viral over the UK, and I was on all of their news networks,” she said.
At the time, Shockey was living in Russia with her now-husband, former NHL player Tim Brandt, who was playing in the Kontinental Hockey League.
That was when the harassment reached another level.
“There was thousands of death threats — thousands and thousands and thousands — for a really long time,” Shockey said.
The sheer volume and nature of the threats eventually became difficult to process.
Shockey recalled sitting down with her father and trying to make sense of why strangers wanted to harm her over something she viewed as a positive force for conservation, food and outdoor adventure.
“This is a lot,” she remembered telling him. “There’s death threats coming at me, and they want to do this to me and this to me.”
Jon Clemente, of Lower Heidelberg, holds one of his arrows at the Lebanon Valley Sportsmen Association in South Heidelberg Township, Pa., on Nov. 13, 2020. (MediaNews Group via Getty Images)
To Shockey, the disconnect was baffling.
“I’m just out here raising money for conservation and eating whatever we’re hunting and going on adventures and sharing the beautiful creation of God,” she said. “How are we getting death threats?”
Her father’s response ultimately changed the way she looked at the harassment.
“The conversation we had was basically like, you can either get scared and stop and they win, or if you truly believe with your whole heart what you’re doing is right, then why would you be scared?” Shockey said. “Stand up for what you believe in.”
So she did.
Eva Shockey is an advocate for women in the outdoors
Not long after that period in her life, Shockey landed on the cover of “Field & Stream.”
In 2014, she became just the second woman to appear on the iconic outdoor magazine’s cover. The first was Queen Elizabeth II.
For Shockey, the significance went far beyond seeing her own face on a magazine she had grown up reading.
“It was representing, at the time, so many women that were in the outdoor space, and I got to just be the face of that for that moment,” she said.
It also carried a more personal meaning after the threats and attempts to intimidate her.
Shockey viewed the cover as proof that she wasn’t going anywhere.
“It was a really cool representation of, like, we’re not scared because this is what we do,” she said. “This is what we believe in.”
More than a decade later, Shockey remains one of the most recognizable women in hunting. Now a mother of two, she continues to hunt, promote conservation and encourage girls to get involved in the outdoors.
A woman in camouflage stands in a forest. (Getty Images)
That mission has become especially personal given her own experience growing up without female hunters around her.
“I just never saw females that hunted,” Shockey said. “So I have always loved telling little girls, like, ‘it is so cool. Y’all should try it. Do it. Don’t be scared. Don’t be intimidated.’”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Considering how hard some people once tried to intimidate her, that last part carries a little more weight.
Love all things hunting and outdoors? Follow OutKick OutDoors on Instagram and TikTok!
