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ABOUT THE MODERN DAY OUTDOORSMAN®
Modern Day Outdoorsman® is the work of husband-and-wife team Brenton “Bo” Hilbig and Alicen Whitaker-Hilbig, built around a shared belief that adventure doesn’t have to end where everyday life begins.
Together, Brenton and Alicen have traveled across the United States and around the world in pursuit of the people, places, wildlife, food, and experiences that make the outdoors worth exploring. From fishing unfamiliar waters and chasing once-in-a-lifetime adventures to discovering new cultures along the way, they work together to document those experiences and share the stories that come from them.
With Brenton primarily behind the storytelling, production, and creative direction and Alicen frequently behind the camera, Modern Day Outdoorsman® is very much a team effort. Their goal is simple: create honest, entertaining outdoor content that encourages people to stay curious, go somewhere new, and make room for adventure; no matter what the rest of life looks like.
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BRENTON “BO” HILBIG
A native Kansan, Brenton “Bo” Hilbig grew up with a passion for nature and wildlife, hunting and fishing alongside his father throughout the prairies, forests, lakes, and rivers surrounding Salina, KS. He entered the University of Kansas as a Naval ROTC Midshipman, studying Mechanical Engineering, before his interests in art and product design veered him toward a different path. He went on to build a career in design; though he maintains the best thing he found at KU was his wife, Alicen.
Brenton’s work continues to intersect with the outdoors, supporting conservation efforts across Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Minnesota, while also creating and consulting for outdoor organizations and brands including Turkeys For Tomorrow, Burris Optics, and Kryptek. His love of design and seemingly endless enthusiasm to create eventually led him to launch the Bo Angles and Modern Day Outdoorsman® YouTube channels. Through Bo Angles, he has championed fishing games as a way to introduce people to the sport, learn its fundamentals, and enjoy a passion for fishing even when they can’t be on the water. Modern Day Outdoorsman® takes that same enthusiasm into the real world and has carried Brenton and Alicen on outdoor pursuits across five of the world’s seven continents.
In 2024, Brenton combined his background in product design and engineering with his passion for carp fishing to create Helwig: Euro-American Angling. Built around adapting proven European angling techniques for American waters, Helwig has become another outlet for his constant drive to create; this time with the ambitious goal of helping carp fishing rival bass fishing in the United States.
ALICEN WHITAKER-HILBIG
Dr. Alicen Whitaker-Hilbig, PT, DPT, PhD would never list her accomplishments herself, which is precisely why we have to do it for her! Growing up in Marion, Kansas, as the youngest of three sisters and the daughter of a park ranger father and nurse mother, Alicen developed both an appreciation for the natural world and a deep desire to care for others. Summers spent camping and fishing with her family were commonplace, but it was an injury sustained through sports that first sparked her interest in physical therapy.
Consistently excelling throughout her academic career, Alicen earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her work took her from a VA hospital in California to Lusaka, Zambia, where she regularly traveled to work with local communities. A growing love of research eventually led her to pursue a PhD in stroke rehabilitation science. Today, she collaborates with research laboratories around the world in the pursuit of better ways to restore mobility and improve life after stroke.
Alicen was always part of the adventure, but her role behind the camera grew from an ability to learn on the fly, natural athleticism, and a genuine love of the outdoors; qualities that have proven invaluable to Modern Day Outdoorsman®. Although she never set out to become either, her travels have turned her into both a remarkably accomplished angler and an increasingly experienced expedition camera operator, just as eager to document the adventure as she is to become a part of it.
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