Hook & Barrel Magazine sat down with Anne-Christian Johns to discuss her remarkable career as a model, podcaster and true-grit outdoorswoman. She’s as versatile as it gets, and we’re proud that she’s a master at promoting all the beautiful things the outdoor world has to offer.
Name: Anne-Christian “AC” Johns
Age: 32
Hometown: Summerfield, North Carolina
Current Residence: Livingston, Montana
Socials: IG: @acgianni; YT: @TheGoldinTheGrit
Hook & Barrel (HB): Tell us about growing up in North Carolina and how and when you got into the outdoors.
Anne-Christian Johns (ACJ): I grew up in a small, rural farming town called Summerfield. My dad had two girls, and he raised us in the outdoors, hunting and fishing. Every Saturday, my sister and I had farm chores, and then we would go shoot guns. He set up targets, and we took turns shooting rifles. As I got older, I looked forward to spending that time with him. I probably went on my first hunt at around eight years old.
That turned into hunting our property for deer, and then he had friends who had lease land in Texas, so he started taking us to Texas to hunt once a year. I lost my love for it when I started cheering in high school and then in college, but I came home after college, we went on a hunting trip in Texas and I got bitten by the bug again. I’ve hunted basically every season since then.
HB: Where did your love of horses come from?
ACJ: My mom is a Southern belle, and she wanted us to be raised on horseback. So, I grew up on horses—I’ve been riding since I was seven. We had four growing up in North Carolina. I showed in English and Western when I was young and rodeoed a little. I still ride five to six days every week. I can’t see my life without horses.
HB: What led you to move from North Carolina to Montana?
ACJ: I drew an out-of-state elk tag and went out with my dad on an elk hunt in Dillon, Montana. It was a great experience. It was opening day, and it snowed 12 inches. I remember thinking, “This is incredible—I want to do this all the time.” I just fell in love with Western hunting. So, after a few years of drawing out-of-state tags, I decided to become a resident.
My dad had been in Montana for 10 years. He started coming to Paradise Valley, Montana, 40 years ago with NASCAR. He had a long-term friendship with Dale Earnhardt and was on his race team. They would race Sonoma every year and then spend a week in Paradise Valley at team owner Richard Childress’ ranch. He fell in love with Montana. He’s a huge outdoorsman—he has the grand slam of caribou—and he’s hunted all over the world. He is my role model in hunting.
HB: What is your favorite thing to hunt, and where is your favorite place to hunt?
ACJ: I love to shoot my bow, but I haven’t yet punched a tag with it. I love bow season, and I’m going to stick with it. My very favorite game to hunt is elk in Montana. Something about elk hunting in Montana is so special. I also really enjoy duck hunting here. I have a duck dog named Stetson—yes, after the hat brand. He’s a red Lab and is so handsome.
HB: Tell us about your modeling career.
ACJ: I’ve been signed to Marilyn’s Model and Talent Agency since I was three or four—my mom was a model, so I fell into it, too. I got busier with modeling in my 20s, and I did a cool campaign in Utah last fall. It has afforded me some cool opportunities to travel to great places and see things I wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
HB: What is your most memorable hunting trip so far?
ACJ: My first elk hunting trip in Montana tops the list. My dad was with me, and we had hiked many miles for three days. On the fourth day, we reached a new spot. On a ridge above us at sunrise, we saw two bulls. I learned so much on that trip being that it was my first Western elk hunt. Having my dad there with me was so special. I got my bull at 300 yards with my dad’s rifle. It was so emotional for me.
HB: Do you have a best one-that-got-away story?
ACJ: Last bow season, I did a pack-in elk hunt near Aspen, Colorado. It was during the peak of the rut and peak leaf-peeping week, and we had four horses and four mules. We had hunted the whole area hard for the entire week, and it was the last night when we heard a bugle. We went off on foot because it was near our camp.
We had a few close calls that week, but nothing close enough for me to go to full draw. As we stalked closer, the bulls either heard us or smelled us. They just ghosted and left. For a moment, we had this hope that we weren’t going home empty-handed, and then it was just gone.
HB: Tell us about your “The Gold in The Grit” podcast.
ACJ: The idea behind the YouTube podcast is that when you’re in the grit — in the middle of the hard stuff — sometimes you look down and see little flecks of gold — the small, good things — so we know we can get through it. Those hard life moments are where the most growth comes from. In other words, the hardest things we go through produce the most gold.
I’ve had some cool guests, but they’re all Western people — cowboys, ranchers, entrepreneurs, hunters, musical artists. Just amazing, talented people, but the theme is that they’re all Western- or outdoors-rooted. My love for storytelling, which began in high school, is the impetus behind the podcast.
HB: What has been the biggest adjustment to living in Montana?
ACJ: Starting over in your early 30s and creating a new friend group and a new community. And having to stand on your own two feet and do that on your own. I’ve had to really trust God that my story is still being written. I’ve had the chance to come into who I’m meant to be on my own — it’s not because of my family roots but because I’ve walked a new path.
HB: What is your dream hunt?
ACJ: I would pack in on horses and mules in British Columbia or the Northwest Territory — somewhere really out there — and I’d love to do a caribou or moose hunt. I’ve always dreamt of this as my honeymoon with my future husband.
HB: Describe your perfect day.
ACJ: The opening week of archery season. Wake up at sunrise and make a strong cup of coffee with honey and milk. Spend an hour reading the Bible and hanging out with my dogs. Then pack into the woods on horseback with my bow and just spend the day listening and tracking, and even if I don’t see an elk, just being out there is my favorite thing in the world. Sometimes being outside alone is the most special.
HB: What’s something that would surprise people to know about you?
ACJ: I lead worship at my church. I’ve sung my whole life, and I write songs. I’m trying to get the courage to record some original music. Writing songs is like therapy for me.
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