Born in 1960, Johnny Chilton was introduced to hunting at a young age by his father, who served as both guide and mentor. The family’s San Roman Ranch, located in the brush country of South Texas, provided the perfect setting in which to study the habits of birds, small game, and the trophy white-tailed deer Johnny would come to adore. As a boy, his most treasured possession was a Browning .22 lever-action rifle. Thus armed, he spent countless hours stalking and shooting every conceivable critter that ran, slithered, hopped, or flew. As a teen, he began to accompany his dad on big-game hunting trips abroad. In 1984, well-known PH Gerard Miller invited Johnny to spend the hunting season with him in Tanzania, East Africa. There Johnny assisted in everything from setting up camps and running errands to locating game and building blinds. This trip offered him a rare glimpse into the world of the African professional hunter and the daily challenges of this demanding profession. He spent nine months in Africa. Johnny has also hunted in Asia, Australia, South America, and throughout his home continent of North America. As a business graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Johnny began his career with the Big Eight accounting firm of Arthur Young in Dallas. He then embarked upon several different professions, including stockbroker, ranch manager, writer, and, most recently, partner in a wireless start-up. In 2001 he was named Wildlife Conservationist of the Year in South Texas. His first book, A Bullet Well Placed, was published by Safari Press in 2005. His short story “A Mamba by Any Other Name” was published in Sporting Classics magazine in 1990. Johnny and his wife, Alexandra, live in Dallas with their three children, J.P., Levi, and Lauren.
