One of our friends over in the NRA Publications division needs your help. Ben O'Brien, Online Hunting Editor, has a blog he needs to name:

"I think the naming of any blog is probably the most crucial part of its creation," O'Brien writes. "So much goes into a name. Who I am, who I think you might want me to be, what you can expect to read and just how clever, informative and/or funny I can be."

Continue reading here.  

NRAblog told the folks down the hall that our readers are pretty creative. Our two favorites thus far are Deer Ben O'Brien and BEN DEER, DONE THAT. O'Brien is offering an American Hunter prize, and bragging rights.  Good luck!

Columbia, MO -- Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA are pleased to announce a donation of $500,000 to the NRA Foundation’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

“The NRA’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge has an impact on thousands of young people each year thanks to generous people like the Potterfields,” Kayne Robinson, Executive Director of NRA’s General Operations, said. “We at the NRA are committed to preserving hunting for generations to come, and YHEC is a tried and true, hands-on approach to doing just that.”

Established in 1985, the Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) is NRA's "graduate studies" program in outdoor skills and safety training for young hunters. Though YHEC is a competitive program, the real "challenge" for participants lies with skill development and the advancement of hunter safety and responsibility.

Each year, the program culminates with an international event. Since its inception the YHEC program has reached more than one million young sportsmen and women. YHEC has grown from ten participating states/provinces to over forty.

The immediate benefits of YHEC on the participants are important as well as the long range impact of the program: the positive outreach and education the participants and volunteers bring to their families, neighbors and communities; the importance of promoting hunting as a viable and most efficient method of controlling wildlife; fostering propagation, growth, conservation and wise use of our renewable wildlife resources; developing environmentally aware leaders and encouraging our youth to be active citizens with an interest in preserving the hunting heritage.

Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA remarked, “Brenda and I are excited to be able to assist the NRA Foundation in supporting this type of initiative to focus on developing tomorrow’s leaders today. Changing the future requires us to make the commitment in time or money to support these efforts.”

For more information about the Potterfields or MidwayUSA, please visit www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.

For more information about the NRA Foundation and the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, please visit www.nrafoundation.org.

“Oklahoma is gearing up for our 2010 YHEC season, and looking forward to a very successful season,” Pribil wrote. “We’re revamping our state yhec website, as well.”

Here is a list of our currently scheduled events for 2010: 


• Sat. March 13 - Canton (Chain Ranch) 
 
 
• Sat. April 10 - Stillwater 
 
 
• Sat. April 17 - Ada 
 
 
• Sat. May 1 - Ponca City 
 
 
• Sat. May 29 - Norman 
State YHEC 
• Sat. June 19 - OKC Gun Club 

Lisa Metheny's blog has a new location. 

Award-winning outdoor writer Lisa Metheny last caught up with NRAblog during the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Metheny has published more than 250 articles in all sorts of magazines.

An avid and accomplished hunter, Metheny is a member of POMA, SEOPA, NRA, RMEF, NWTF and DU.

Bookmark her blog for the latest on women's outdoor news, hunting issues, and even NRA programs. (Metheny is pictured at right at the 2009 Women's Wilderness Escape, where she volunteered as an archery instructor.)

Have a question or a story suggestion for Metheny? Contact her here. 

About a week ago, we told you how Moe Aguilar was going to lend a hand to Pintail Point's Mentored Youth Hunt. Finally back in the fold, Moe is here to tell you how things went:

The Maryland DNR Mentored Junior Hunter Day on February 20 at the River Plantation in Queenstown, Maryland was a big success.

All the youngsters made it through the instructional safety clinic in plenty of time to enjoy the sporting clays course. After the warm up, it was time to take aim at some mallard ducks.

The parents and the Maryland DNR staff was just as excited as the young hunters as they took their first shots. The biggest excitement was seeing the youngsters hit their first clays or mallards. One young hunter was so excited after hitting his first duck that he walked to his father, safely handed him the gun, and jumped up and down with his hands in the air.

Patricia Allen, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator for Maryland Department of Natural Resources truly enjoys welcoming young families into the tradition of hunting.

“It was a great opportunity to introduce newcomers to Maryland’s Hunting Heritage. It was also a great opportunity to reach out to their parents on the importance of being hunting mentors. It is my hope that this Mentored Youth Hunt helped create some life-long hunters.”

Not every woman lucked out and won the raffle our Women's Programs Department hosted at the Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show the end of January. But that doesn't mean the Women's Program Department doesn't have a hunt for you!

Pictured above, Women On Target Hunt Coordinator Ann Marie Foster gives NRA Board Member Dave Butz a hand in selecting a winner from the raffle. Foster reports back to the blog from the hunts she attends, and can be reached at WomenOnTargetHunts@nrahq.org.

Space is available in several hunts:

• Pheasant & Chukar, Nebraska, October 22-24, 2010
• Mallard & Wood Duck, Michigan, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, and Unlimited Hogs,, Texas, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, November 12-14, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, December 10-12, 2010
• Whitetail Doe, Hog, Coyote & Bobcat, Oklahoma, December 31, 2010 & January 2, 2011

The Arkansas City Traveler recently ran a piece on the recipient of the 2009 Tyler Juden Memorial Scholarship for this year's Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

Juden scholarship recipient announced

The winner of the Tyler Juden Memorial Scholarship for 2009 is Christopher Crain, of Arkansas City.

Crain will attend an adventure camp at the NRA Whittington Center, located in Raton, N.M., with all expenses paid through the memorial fund.

During his stay, Crain will participate in a wide range of activities involving gun safety, marksmanship and hunting skills improvement.

Sporting Friends of Cowley County, which hosts the local YHEC and Women on Target events, selected the top five contestants from the 2009 YHEC Senior Division as candidates for the scholarship.

The contestants were invited to write an essay about "What Freedom Means to Me," and answer questions about their activities and experiences.

The entries were submitted anonymously to an independent panel of judges from the American Legion and the VFW, and also including Ark City Police Chief Sean Wallace, an English teacher from the local high school and an ethics teacher from Cowley College.

Continue reading the story here. You can also find out more about the Tyler Juden Memorial Scholarship here.

If you're looking for an opportunity to take the kids hunting for the first time, what about a Mentored Youth Hunt like the one this weekend at Pintail Point in Maryland? With any luck, you might find someone like Moe Aguilar there to lend a hand.

A youth hunter instructor, as well as NRA's Coordinator for YHEC, Moe never misses a chance to take part in such a program. "It's a great way to get them into the field and out from behind the television," said Moe. "These hunts also show the kids that there's more to hunt than whitetail deer."

Pintail Point's Mentored Youth Hunt starts early Saturday with a orientation, safety review, and a chance to shoot sheet under the eye of seasoned instructions. "We like the show them how it feels to shoot a moving object before taking them into the field," explained Moe. Then the real fun begins.

All those at Pintail Point this weekend will leave the skeet range for a chance to bag a mallard. And for a lucky few, their lives really change in the field. "You should see the look on their face," said Moe. "Excitement, pride, feeling of accomplishment. They just couldn't be any happier." A few hours later they'll return to review, clean the birds, and head on home.

For more information on Youth Mentored Hunts, contact your state's Department of Natural Resources. To hear more about Maryland's Youth Mentored Hunt program, contact Patricia Allen at 410-260-8537. "Call these people," said Moe. "They are there to help. And if they're anything like Patricia, they'll prove to be an invaluable resource for the community."

From Club Connecion:

Cross Trail Outfitters (CTO) is a non-profit hunting and fishing club for boys ages 7-20. Activities center on hands-on, in-the-field hunting and fishing trips. Our goal is to provide opportunities for each participant to go on at least one outing per month. These outings include the full spectrum of outdoor sports – all kinds of fishing, wing shooting, big and small game hunting, and even "dream trips."

Mike Arnold, a lifelong hunter and fisherman, founded CTO just over four years ago. After several years in media and politics, Mike's professional outdoor career started as the business director of Texas Trophy Hunters and he has also served on the board of Safari Club International. Since starting CTO over four years ago, he has personally guided over 175 kids through shooting their first big game animal, but is much more proud of having personally led many more kids than that to Christ in that time.

"Most men have an inborn desire that craves the outdoor experience. We are 'Wild at Heart' from birth," says Arnold. Only two decades ago, hunting and fishing engaged over 40% of the adult population. Now, the number of kids getting involved has dropped off dramatically.

More...

Hunting Gets NASCAR Legend’s Motor Running

Richard Childress is perhaps best known as the owner who oversaw six of Dale Earnhardt’s record-tying seven championships in NASCAR’s top series. Childress’ race teams have won 11 championships and 184 races overall in NASCAR competition, including two victories each in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. In 2010, Richard Childress Racing will field three cars in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, driven by Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer, respectively, starting with this Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500.

In addition to being one of NASCAR’s most successful team owners, Childress is also an accomplished hunter and dedicated conservationist. He’s hunted all over the world and works actively with such groups as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. In 2009, Childress was elected to his first term on the NRA Board of Directors.

With the start of the 2010 Sprint Cup season just days away, Childress was gracious enough to take the time to talk with us about his hunting career and work in wildlife conservation.

Q: Who introduced you to hunting? What can you tell us about your first hunt?

RC: My step dad introduced me to hunting when I was probably 7 or 8 years old. We went squirrel hunting and rabbit hunting. I had a little 410 shotgun that I used, and that’s the first gun I can ever remember shooting. And then for squirrels we’d use a single-shot bolt .22. The .22 was probably my very first gun. More...

Yesterday was the last for the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. Luckily the the snow decided to wait one more day before depositing another offering upon the Eastern Seaboard - which gave me just enough time.

Enough time to make it to the Powersports Hall. Filled with ATVs, John Deere, diesel engines, and a few little beauties for the snow removal crowd. Great way to wrap up the Show.

Saturday's venture in the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show took another turn into the world of outdoors. Our weekend edition decided it was time to take things a little easier and focus on the fishing side of life.

Fishing outfitters, gear, and actual fish were on hand for the crowds to sign up, purchase, and observe. And there were crowds -- probably the biggest we've seen so far. Quite a feat for such a monstrous show.

Friday we took a different turn here at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. While NRAblog's previous entries focused more on firearms and trophies, today's collection has more of an archery slant to it.

Included in the selections are shots of the side halls, an archery competition, a Bone Collector concert, as well as the usual shots of family and friends enjoying what Eastern has to offer. And since Friday was the first full day since the big snow, there were many out to take in as much as possible.

Howard and Jason Caldwell run a non-profit outfit known as Raptors up Close. What does Raptors up Close do? They educate the public and train birds of prey in the age old art of falconry. And they’ve been doing it for decades.

The owl lost his eye when hit by a car. Unfortunately, he will never be able to sufficiently hunt or defend himself in the wild and thus will never be released.

Since the average Joe is prohibited from possessing raptors, why are the Caldwells allowed to keep such beautiful birds? “There are five ways one can get licensed to handle these hunters,” explained Jason. “Education, falconry, rehab, propagation, and abatement. We fall under the falconry and educational category.”

Once the birds arrive at Raptors, they go through the four steps of training. “Everyone has seen a falcon or a hawk on a glove. That’s the first step, to get them use to standing on your glove. And it’s not easy,” grinned Jason.

From there the birds learn to feed from the glove, jump from a perch to the glove, fly to the glove, and then hunt from a glove. Hunting is the fun part.

“After a few weeks, we've built enough trust so they take off from our gloves and go out on a hunt,” said Howard. “Then I turn into a bird dog.”

When the raptor hits the air, it first follows the falconer from above – waiting for him to flush the prey. “If we don’t find something quick, he’ll go off on his own and then I follow him from the ground,” Howard laughed.

Much like hunting deer or geese, the falconer plays the role of the shooter and trudges off to find the prize after a strike is made. Upon finding his hunter, he ‘trades’ the raptor fresh meat for the prey. The kill goes in a sack, the raptor eats, and the hunt begins again.

But they don’t just 'falcon' for the hunting and the training. They also use the birds for educational purposes.

“We bring our raptors to schools, scout troops, churches and festivals so people can learn what wonderfully beautiful these creatures are,” said Howard. “They are the ultimate tool of conservation. A true example of nature’s plan. They fly up on high, identify the weak, and remove them. And they do it a heck of a lot more efficiently and effectively than a human hunter.”

How long the raptors resides with the Caldwells depends on the bird. "The Red-tailed Hawk, for example, has a life expectancy of 15 years in the wild," Jason recalls. "They live over 30 years in captivity. Still, as long as they can fend for themselves, we like to set them free. The important thing to remember is that these are wild animals. There is no domesticating them. But with the proper training, we can enhance their lives and those privileged enough to hear their story. "

The sun is out, the snow is melting, and the crowds for the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show have returned in droves. That means there was more time to slip away from the NRAblog booth and explore more of what Eastern has to offer.

Today's offering has the usual smattering of trophies and firearms, but there's also a touch of what brings all hunters and outdoorsmen together. Enjoy.