About The Wilderness Reserve
At the Wilderness Reserve, we exist to provide a premier hunting experience in the breathtaking Northwoods, where passion, excellence and meaningful connections create lifelong memories.
Meet the Team
The Wilderness Staff invites you to our premier hunting reserve. Collectively, our team has over 40 years of guided hunt experience and will ensure you have a successful and memorable hunt, for Trophy Elk, Trophy Whitetail and pheasants.
Kenny and Kim Cox
Kenny Cox and his wife Kim, are the owners of The Wilderness Reserve, a premier hunting operation dedicated to creating exceptional experiences in the great outdoors. Kenny’s vision for the reserve is deeply rooted in a lifelong passion for hunting, which began during frequent trips to his grandmother’s farm in rural Missouri and then at his parents’ Mountain ranch in Arkansas, where he took family, friends and customers. These formative experiences inspired him to establish a hunting reserve that honors tradition while fostering a strong sense of community.
As the founder and CEO of Cox Family Holdings, LLC, Kenny has a rich background in leadership and business development. His career took off in the early 1980s at Exacto, Inc., where he built a top-tier management team that expanded product sales throughout North America in agricultural crop protection and adjuvant technologies. In 2012, Kenny established Cox Family Holdings to oversee a diverse portfolio that includes hospitality, commercial real estate, sustainable forestry, and emerging AgTech innovations.
Beyond his business pursuits, Kenny is committed to personal transformation and leadership development. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Crucible Project, a non-profit organization focused on empowering men and women to lead intentional and transformed lives. Through The Wilderness Reserve, he aims to create memorable hunting experiences while giving back to the community by welcoming veterans, children with cancer, and leaders from faith-based NGOs.
Kenny’s dedication to fostering meaningful connections in the wilderness reflects his broader mission to help individuals uncover their unique purpose and legacy. At The Wilderness Reserve, visitors can expect not just a hunting experience, but a journey rooted in tradition and connection in community.
Gary Van Wormer
With a deep passion for wildlife management and over a decade of experience in the outdoor and hunting industry, Gary Van Wormer serves as the General Manager at The Wilderness Reserve. Gary oversees all aspects of ranch operations, ensuring the health and sustainability of game populations, while providing guests with unforgettable hunting experiences. His proven track record of leadership, dedication to conservation, and passion for creating remarkable outdoor experiences, he continues to uphold the highest standards for his whole team here at The Wilderness Reserve.
Gary is responsible for managing habitat conservation, implementing effective feeding programs, and maintaining a balanced population of elk, whitetail deer, and pheasants. His extensive knowledge of wildlife nutrition and herd management helps promote the long-term health of the animals, while enhancing the quality of the hunting experience at The Wilderness Reserve.
In addition to managing the ranch, Gary is an experienced hunting guide, leading successful hunts for elk, whitetail deer, and pheasants. His commitment to ethical hunting practices and exceptional customer service ensures that each guest leaves with lasting memories of their time in the field.
When not managing operations or guiding hunts, Gary and his family enjoy spending time together outdoors, deepening their connection to nature, and continuously expanding their knowledge of wildlife and conservation practices.
Jane Van Wormer
Jane Van Wormer is the Associate General Manager at The Wilderness Reserve, which has a vast array of tasks and responsibilities involved with this position. She ensures that every guest has a comfortable and enjoyable stay, to the highest of standards. She oversees the food service, making sure it’s delicious and memorable, and strives to keep the lodge and cabins clean, welcoming, and inviting. She also handles the administrative tasks to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.
Before joining The Wilderness Reserve, she held an upper management position with the Vilas County Zoning and Planning and had extensive experience in customer service.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending her time in the outdoors fishing, gardening, and exploring nature. Her husband, Gary, is the General Manager here at The Wilderness Reserve, so they make an unbelievably strong management team. They have one son, and they are proud to have called the Northwoods their home for over a decade.
Jake Wickman
Jake Wickman is the Herd Manager and one of the Guides here at The Wilderness Reserve and takes great pride in knowing and managing the animals that call this land home. With a degree in Wildlife Ecology from UW-Stevens Point, he brings a deep understanding of habitat management, conservation, and sustainable hunting practices to his role in this important position.
His passion lies in creating unforgettable experiences for hunters of all levels, ensuring that every hunt is ethical, safe, and rewarding. Whether overseeing herd health, guiding hunts, or maintaining the land, he is dedicated to preserving the quality and integrity of The Wilderness Reserve.
When Jake is not working, he still embraces the outdoors, filling his spare time hunting, fishing, camping, and trapping. He also enjoys woodworking, crafting pieces that reflect his love for nature and craftsmanship.
Brian Blettner
For over a decade, Brian Blettner has been proudly guiding hunts at The Wilderness Reserve here in beautiful Phelps, Wisconsin. Specializing in elk, whitetail deer, and pheasant hunts, he is committed to providing a world-class hunting experience that is both ethical and unforgettable.
In addition to guiding, he is responsible for feeding the animals and managing their nutritional needs, ensuring the health and sustainability of the wildlife on the reserve. His deep understanding of animal behavior, habitat management, and conservation practices helps maintain a thriving ecosystem for both game and hunters alike. Whether you’re after a trophy bull elk, a mature whitetail, or the thrill of a pheasant flush, he will ensure a safe, educational, and rewarding adventure.
When he’s not guiding, you’ll find him scouting the terrain, maintaining food plots, and caring for the animals to uphold the highest standards of wildlife management. He also guides fishing trips around the beautiful Northwoods on his own time, having done so for over two decades. He takes great pride in sharing his passion for the outdoors and looks forward to welcoming you to The Wilderness Reserve for your next hunt.
Bill Boyd
Bill Boyd is literally the master of all talents here at The Wilderness Reserve and is also one the seasoned guides on staff, pursuing elk and whitetails all fall. With an extremely operational mindset and wit, Bill can handle any project, big or small, and the outcomes are always exceptional and professionally well-done.
Before joining our team, Bill was in the sheet metal trade for thirty-three years down south and decided to move to the Northwoods with his daughter over a decade ago to retire. As with so many driven and talented individuals, retirement doesn’t always stick, so he decided to join our team here and we have been extremely fortunate and grateful ever since.
Passion for the outdoors is an obvious trait for everyone here, and Bill is no exception. When he’s not at work, he loves hunting and fishing, and most of all, golfing. People live up here in the beautiful Northwoods to enjoy the outdoors all year round, and not to just sit in a cabin all day, doing nothing. No one knows this better than Bill, so his enthusiasm while guiding hunters speaks volumes while out in the woods here at The Wilderness Reserve.
Jeff Shick
Jeff Shick is the latest addition to the Wilderness team and a great asset to our everyday operations here on the ranch. He literally has his hands on every task and duty on the property, while still finding time in the fall to be our pheasant guide, which is an extremely rewarding experience for everyone involved. He loves anything that involves the outdoors, like hunting, fishing, trapping, kayaking, just to name a few. This passion for the outdoors began at an early age, spending countless hours afield with his dad, and ultimately led him to a career guiding hunters and being able to share his knowledge and experience of the Northwoods.