I was born and raised in the suburban area of Northern Kentucky sandwiched between the city of Cincinnati and Kentucky farmland to the south. My introduction into the great outdoors began with fishing ponds and lakes near our weekend home in Carrolton, Kentucky. Much of my weekend nights in my younger years were spent waiting for the crash of a largemouth bass hitting the surface under the guidance of moonlight. Crappie and catfish were no exception as my love for the outdoors grew exponentially, as I myself grew older. It was evident that fishing was no longer a weekend hobby, but became a passionate pursuit that occupied much of my mind and time. My greater devotion to fishing and the outdoors was intensified due to a string of medical scares that, for most of high school, kept me away from the contact sports that had previously occupied my time. I took this newfound freedom and ran with it; taking on my first whitetail deer hunts and sharpening my skills from archery to shed hunting.

While across the river attending the University of Cincinnati, my time spent in the outdoors suffered to some degree, but my appreciation in its absence grew stronger. It is in college where I harvested the majority of the deer in my life, shot my first of many squirrels and taught myself to fly fish. It is in college where I would take advantage of every opportunity to be outdoors, and to never take it for granted. Now I am back in my home state of Kentucky, and as I look forward, I am determined to differentiate my skills and experiences in the wild with each and every season; to procure familiar and foreign game in an effort to cook with raw and wild ingredients to create a meal that is both delicious and unique.

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Instagram:  @j.r.wilcox