Jim feels blessed for the
experiences he has had in the outdoors. He says,” the outdoors is in
my blood, hunting and fishing is my breath of fresh air and my
experiences are my wildlife visions.” Being a avid outdoorsman and
wildlife artist is not just a passion, it is the meaning of life.
Jim is forty-one years old
and feels “blessed by God “ to have been able to hunt and fish all over
the United States and Canada. He has fished for fresh and salt water fish
from the Gulf of Mexico to the lakes of Northern Canada.
Jim grew up in Kenosha, Wi..
where he fished all the inland lakes in his area. However, one of his
greatest passions is fishing from the shores of Lake Michigan. He has
fished for and caught most of the different species of fish in the lake.
Whether trolling the depths for spring Coho or fly fishing for monster
Kings or Rainbows in the tributaries, the thrill is always there. Jim has
guided on the tributaries for twenty years and has made a name for
himself, sharing his knowledge and experiences with other anglers.
Jims’ favorite inland
fishery is, by far, Lake Geneva in Southeast Wisconsin. He has been
fishing this wonderful lake for over thirty years and he and his fishing
buddies have had great success fishing for most all species that swim in
this large body of water. Jims’ favorite species are the large pan fish,
ie; bluegill, crappies , perch or pumpkin seed sunfish. Of course,
according to Jim, the bass fishing is second to none, for large smallmouth
and largemouth bass. For the pike and walleye fisherman, Jim says there
are plenty of “gators” to stretch your line. Geneva can produce
unbelievable ice fishing also, on the years the ice is safe to travel on.
Jim will be giving us weekly updates on fishing conditions, Anyone
interested in a guided fishing trip can contact Jim on his contact page.
If Jim isn’t on the water,
he’s in the woods in pursuit of another great experience, hunting, be it
with a gun, bow or camera. He grew up hunting small game, upland game
birds and , of course, whitetail with his two brothers, Larry and Mike.
Jim and his brothers have hunted whitetail all over the Midwest and his
love for this majestic animal is shown through his art. It is his opinion
that hunters are the true conservationists. According to Jim, “People need
to realize that there is a good reason why we hunt. We harvest animals to
keep the balance with the constant growing human population. As a hunter,
I feel it is my responsibility to understand the philosophy of
conservation and participate in the annual hunt. I also believe it is my
responsibility to educate others including my son, Spencer, on the true
meaning of the hunt. ”Jim enjoys gun hunting, but, he spend most of the
hunting season sitting in a tree with his bow and his camera.
Over the past few years, Jim
has captured countless hours of wild game on film. He believes that
people rate success of the hunt by how big the game is, however, Jim
rates his success on the experience and if he is fortunate enough to
capture that experience on film, it only gets better. While it is always
fun to share a good hunting or fishing story, it is like capturing a bit
of history when you have it in color and moving pictures.
Jim admits he has been
caught with his camera in hand and missed opportunities to harvest big
game, however, he will tell you , “I might not have them hanging on my
wall, but I can always enjoy them every time I put a tape in the VCR.”
Jim has had the good fortune
to enjoy deer hunting in the Midwest and Canada, bear hunting in Canada,
elk and mule deer out west and one of Jims favorite game to hunt, the wild
turkey.
Wild turkey hunting is a
subject Jim holds close to his heart. Many years ago Jim was befriended
by some of the top turkey hunters and callers around the country. John
and Frank McKean, from Greenhead Champion Calls in Lacon, Il., introduced
Jim to turkey calls and calling. They also introduced him to Master
Caller Ben Roger Lee, from Coffeeville, Alabama. Ben and Jim quickly
became friend and enjoyed sharing their talents with each other and anyone
who wanted to listen. Jim credits Ben with much of his success in calling
and his love for the sport of turkey hunting. Jim says “There are a lot
of great men and women in the sport of turkey hunting, but, Ben was the
best. He was one of the major sparks in the flame we call turkey hunting
today.”
Once Jim found the joy of
turkey hunting he began guiding hunters to their first birds. As he
teaches others how to call and hunt for turkeys, he enjoys watching the
fruits of their labor. In Jims words , “There is nothing more exciting to
do on a spring morning than setting up on a hot turkey and watching your
plan coming together, hearing him gobble, watching him strut, tricking him
into believing you are the hottest hen in his woods and coaxing him into
shooting range. I love to call. I’m happier calling and filming for
someone than being behind the trigger. I gauge my success on how many
birds I’ve called into range not how many I’ve harvested.. I recommend to
anyone who has not tried spring turkey hunting, give it a try, you’ll be
hooked.”
On this site, you will get a
chance to view many different animals Jim and his hunting partners have
taken. We hope you enjoy the photos. Jim will be adding tips and
techniques to the site as it grows. We here at Wildlife Visions are
looking forward to hearing any comment and suggestions from you on how we
might make the site better.
Thank you for visiting our
site. God
Bless and good hunting and fishing!
HUNTING AND FISHING NEWS
Each week we will bring you updates on Jims’ personal
hunting and fishing trips.
We will report conditions and successes and will write
articles on the trips with photos and video clips.
Jim is looking forward to any questions or comments you
have for him.
Jims’ favorite inland
fishery is, by far, Lake Geneva in Southeast Wisconsin. He has been
fishing this wonderful lake for over thirty years and he and his fishing
buddies have had great success fishing for most all species that swim in
this large body of water. Jims’ favorite species are the large pan fish,
ie; bluegill, crappies , perch or pumpkin seed sunfish. Of course,
according to Jim, the bass fishing is second to none, for large smallmouth
and largemouth bass. For the pike and walleye fisherman, Jim says there
are plenty of “gators” to stretch your line. Geneva can produce
unbelievable ice fishing also, on the years the ice is safe to travel on.
Jim will be giving us weekly updates on fishing conditions, Anyone
interested in a guided fishing trip can contact Jim on his contact page. 
If Jim isn’t on the water,
he’s in the woods in pursuit of another great experience, hunting, be it
with a gun, bow or camera. He grew up hunting small game, upland game
birds and , of course, whitetail with his two brothers, Larry and Mike.
Jim and his brothers have hunted whitetail all over the Midwest and his
love for this majestic animal is shown through his art. It is his opinion
that hunters are the true conservationists. According to Jim, “People need
to realize that there is a good reason why we hunt. We harvest animals to
keep the balance with the constant growing human population. As a hunter,
I feel it is my responsibility to understand the philosophy of
conservation and participate in the annual hunt. I also believe it is my
responsibility to educate others including my son, Spencer, on the true
meaning of the hunt. ”Jim enjoys gun hunting, but, he spend most of the
hunting season sitting in a tree with his bow and his camera. 
Wild turkey hunting is a
subject Jim holds close to his heart. Many years ago Jim was befriended
by some of the top turkey hunters and callers around the country. John
and Frank McKean, from Greenhead Champion Calls in Lacon, Il., introduced
Jim to turkey calls and calling. They also introduced him to Master
Caller Ben Roger Lee, from Coffeeville, Alabama. Ben and Jim quickly
became friend and enjoyed sharing their talents with each other and anyone
who wanted to listen. Jim credits Ben with much of his success in calling
and his love for the sport of turkey hunting. Jim says “There are a lot
of great men and women in the sport of turkey hunting, but, Ben was the
best. He was one of the major sparks in the flame we call turkey hunting
today.”