Chris Janson shot his first buck of the season last week in Tennessee. So, while the "Good Vibes" singer didn't win any CMA Awards, he still left 2022 CMA Awards week with a prize.

His trophy buck was a product of luck and hard work. "I woke up at 4:30 this morning with my little boy," he tells Taste of Country's Evan Paul. "We rolled our lazy butts out of bed. We went out to the farm. I got that big buck this morning."

Janson and his son missed with their first shot, but got it on the second one. It will all make for a great donation for Hunters for the Hungry, which is a charity that he supports through a partnership with Bass Pro Shops.

November has been a productive month for Janson, who just signed a new recording contract with Big Machine Records after several successful studio albums on Warner Bros. Talking to ToC, he said he just cut 12 songs in two days and the record is nearly finished. It's a "rowdy, redneck, rock 'n' roll, hillbilly rock star kind of record," he says.

"I want to go back to those awesome records we've always talked about. The mid '80s Hank Jr. records with the rowdiness of that," Janson says during a CMA Radio Row interview.

Longtime fans will hear the difference, and he's hopeful that in 2023 he'll have more than just a trophy deer to be proud of.

"I'd like to win a few more awards, because the music always leads," Janson says.

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