By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Shooting USA co-host Jim Scoutten, the deep-voiced icon of the firearms media, passed away Tuesday following a brief illness. He was 77.
A message on Shooting USA’s Facebook page was brief and somber: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jim Scoutten. In his thirty years of reporting the shooting sports, Jim played a pivotal role in the industry and will be greatly missed.”
The Outdoor Sportsman Group confirmed Scoutten’s death Tuesday, and as word swept through the firearms community, friends and fans alike began mourning his loss.
Jim Shepherd, editor at The Outdoor Wire and a longtime friend of Scoutten, told TGM Wednesday, “He has been one of my dear friends for 30 years. I knew him from the ‘car days’ back when he was doing Motor Trend TV. When I got into the outdoors (media), he was one of the only people I knew at the time. He took me under his wing, introduced me to some of the people who were the decision makers.
“He was always there if I needed an opinion, some feedback or if I just wanted to talk to someone,” Shepherd continued. “I don’t have a whole lot of pals, and he was one of the best. It was a gut punch when I heard.”
Scoutten was one of the highest profile hosts in the outdoors media. A report at Firearms News includes a comment from Mitch Petrie, vice president of programming for Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks.
“Jim leaves a strong legacy as a tireless defender of shooting, firearms, and our Second-Amendment rights,” Petrie said. “His voice was unique and powerful; we will honor Jim by carrying on in the endless fight to defend the Constitution and will support his family and team as they forge a new future for Shooting USA.”
Scoutten had been inducted into Garry Mason’s Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2018, according to the Shooting USA website.
Writing at Invest Records, Joseph Morgan observed, “His love of guns, deep knowledge of the business, and unwavering commitment to journalistic honesty made him a beloved and respected figure among gun lovers all over the United States. Before he became well-known in the world of shooting sports, Jim was a mainstream journalist who did TV news in different places across the United States.”
Scoutten also was a producer of the American Shooter program in the early 1990s and in recent years his weekly appearances on Shooting USA made him perhaps the most recognizable outdoor media figure on the Outdoor Channel. His deep baritone voice was impossible to not notice, and his ability to report as well as enjoy the various shooting sports brought a unique perspective to all things firearms-related.
Scoutten could always be counted on to be working on various stories during the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show—the biggest firearms industry show in the world by many accounts—and material he and his crew created during that four-day event provided feature segments for the Shooting USA programs for weeks, if not months.
He would tell his viewing audience, “As always, shoot safely, shoot often, and keep ‘em in the ten ring”
