Safari Club International Recognizes Jim Shockey as the 2009 C.J. McElroy Award Winner
World-class hunter and outdoor television host is honored recipient.
Reno, Nevada – Safari Club International (SCI) is pleased to announce that Jim Shockey is the 2009 winner of the prestigious C.J. McElroy Award, sponsored by Nikon Sport Optics.
Named for the late founder and chairman emeritus of SCI, the C.J. McElroy Award honors a member of SCI who has, achieved excellence in worldwide hunting, displayed a dedication to the conservation of wildlife, and has a history of service to the global hunting community and to SCI’s goals. Award winners display exemplary ethics in the business of hunting and be committed to SCI’s programs and mission statement. “All of us in SCI leadership offer our congratulations to Jim on this prestigious accomplishment,” said SCI President Merle Shepard.
Jim Shockey hails from British Columbia and is a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Shockey learned the love of hunting from his father at an early, and when the outdoor business beckoned, he entered the arena as an outdoor writer. Later, Shockey became an outfitter when he bought guide territory on Vancouver Island.
In the early 1990s, with the advent of hunting shows on cable television, Shockey found he had an easy and natural manner before the camera which landed him a spot on Bill Jordan’s “Realtree Outdoors” where he hosted a weekly segment before getting his own show on the Outdoor Channel. “Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures” has since become one of the world’s best-known hunting shows and has helped propel Shockey to celebrity status in the hunting world.
Shockey is also known as a world-class hunter in his own right, is a definitive leader of the muzzleloading contingent, with SCI records for 37 species. SCI’s C.J. McElroy and Professional Hunter of the Year Awards were conferred upon Shockey last week during SCI’s 37th Annual Hunters’ Convention, in Reno, Nevada.
Shockey’s success at communicating the SCI mission and the positive image of hunters is supported by the following sponsors: Thompson/Center, Safari Club International, Stealth Cam, Leupold, Nosler, Caldwell Shooting Supplies, Cannon Safe, Cabela’s, Walker’s Game Ear, Primos, Robinson Outdoors Products, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Tourism Quebec, American Pioneer Powder, Alpine Archery, ARGO, Heater Body Suit, SHE Safari, and Pioneer Log Homes of BC.
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SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 190 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 18 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.