Former Miss Quincy Nicole Taylor Featured in National Wild Turkey Federation Spotlight
“Breaking Barriers in the Outdoors: Nicole Taylor’s Journey” shares the western Illinois native’s story of growing up on a fifth-generation family farm and working to become the outdoor role model she wished she had as a young girl.
QUINCY, Ill. A familiar face to the Quincy area is receiving national attention for a passion that has been part of her life long before she ever wore a crown.
Former Miss Quincy Nicole Taylor was recently featured by the National Wild Turkey Federation in an episode of its NWTFonline video series titled “Breaking Barriers in the Outdoors: Nicole Taylor’s Journey.”
The feature tells Taylor’s story of growing up on her family’s fifth-generation farm in West Central Illinois, where hunting, agriculture and life outdoors became deeply rooted in her identity.
For Taylor, however, that childhood also came with a realization. There were comparatively few women on the hunting programs and outdoor media she watched growing up.
Rather than simply accepting that absence, Taylor set out to become the kind of representation she would have liked to see herself.
The NWTF episode focuses on that journey and Taylor’s efforts to encourage more women and young people to see themselves as belonging in hunting, conservation and the outdoors.
From Miss Quincy to the Outdoors
Taylor was crowned Miss Quincy in January 2024, an accomplishment that brought her into the public spotlight locally but also gave her another platform to promote something she already cared deeply about.
Even at the beginning of her reign, Taylor made it clear that her approach to the traditional pageant role would be somewhat different.
Her Miss Quincy platform, “Pretty Precision,” focused on educating and empowering women in the outdoors, and Taylor spoke publicly about breaking stereotypes surrounding both pageantry and hunting.
Her interests extend well beyond recreational hunting. Taylor has spoken publicly about conservation, outdoor education and introducing additional women and children to outdoor activities. She has also participated in hunting and conservation discussions beyond Quincy, including appearances centered on turkey hunting and the broader outdoor lifestyle.
The latest feature places that story before a substantially larger audience.
NWTFonline is the National Wild Turkey Federation’s video platform and has more than 350,000 subscribers, featuring content focused on hunting, conservation, outdoor education and the preservation of America’s hunting heritage.
Representation in the Outdoors
Taylor’s story also reflects a broader effort within the outdoor community to introduce hunting and conservation to audiences that historically have not always seen themselves represented prominently in outdoor media.
The National Wild Turkey Federation operates outreach initiatives specifically designed to introduce women, young people and new hunters to outdoor recreation. Its programs include Women in the Outdoors and JAKES, alongside conservation and hunting heritage initiatives throughout the country.
Taylor’s own journey began much closer to home.
Growing up amid the farms and wildlife habitat of West Central Illinois gave her an early connection to the outdoors. That connection eventually became something she wanted to share with others, particularly young women who may look at hunting television, outdoor organizations or conservation careers and wonder whether there is a place for them.
Her answer has increasingly been to make that place visible herself.
The NWTF feature brings that story from western Illinois to a national outdoor audience and offers another example of someone with deep local roots carrying a piece of the Quincy area onto a much larger stage.
“Breaking Barriers in the Outdoors: Nicole Taylor’s Journey” can be viewed through the National Wild Turkey Federation’s NWTFonline channel.
Watch Nicole Taylor’s NWTF episode
