NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge turns 25

When 400 young hunters arrive in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier next month for NRA’s International Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC), it will mark the 25th anniversary of one of the most successful hunter education programs in history.

With the entire hunting community concerned about the decline in hunter numbers, YHEC is one of the few bright spots when it comes to hunter recruitment and retention. Fifty thousand youngsters participate in YHEC programs throughout the United States and Canada each year, and the majority of those participants continue hunting.

Since its founding in 1985, YHEC has helped create a generation of the safest, most responsible, most knowledgeable young hunters you’ll find anywhere. In the process, the program has sparked lifelong friendships, ignited a passion for the outdoors in more than 1.3 million kids, and created a close-knit family of volunteers, coaches, participants and alumni that has few equals.

“I hate to single anyone out, there are just so many stories to tell and great people I’ve met,” said Charlie Fox, a retired Deputy Game Protector from Bradford County, Pa., who oversees the muzzleloading event at the International YHEC and has been involved with YHEC since it began. Mentoring is really what YHEC is all about—teaching kids about firearms and bows, hunting ethics, safety, and the ways of the woods. 

Thanks again to Moe Aguilar with NRA’s Hunter Services Department with a report from another Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC). This time, Moe brings NRAblog news from the Kentucky State YHEC program, held late last month:

The Kentucky State YHEC program was held on May 29 & 30, 2010 at the Lake Cumberland 4-H Center near Nancy, Kentucky. 54 participants were challenged in all eight events – Rifle, Shotgun, Archery, Muzzleloading, Hunter Responsibility Exam, Hunter Safety Trail, Wildlife Identification, and Orienteering. In addition to the participants, 12 coaches and approximately 40 volunteers were in attendance. On Saturday evening, Dwight Gillock of Dwight’s Wildlife Solutions gave a seminar on trapping and skinning.

Doug Brockman, the Kentucky State YHEC Coordinator, and all the volunteers did a great job putting on the two day event.

Thanks, Moe! Stayed tuned for more YHEC news as other local and state YHEC programs across the country prepare for the International YHEC, which is just six weeks away!

New Mexico's Youth Hunter Education Challenge, or YHEC, provides an opportunity for shooters up to the age of 19 to compete against competitors from across the state. Each year the top junior and senior teams are given the chance to compete in the national YHEC championship match, from which NRAblog will be reporting in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

This young man, Garrett Lee, an avid shotgun and bow enthusiast, won the title of YHEC champ at last weekend's event, according to PNTonline:

County teen wins youth hunter education contest

A Roosevelt County teenager beat out almost 60 contestants Saturday to win a statewide hunter education contest.

Garrett Lee, 17, scored 2,065 points in the annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge in Raton, according to the YHEC website. Garrett’s father, Shannon Lee, said 2,400 points were possible.

Competitors shoot muzzle loaders, .22-caliber rifles, shotguns and bows, as well as take written exams, testing their use of compasses and maps, identifying wildlife and going through scenarios with a game warden.

“It’s real amazing,” Garrett said of his win.

Morris Aguilar, Program Coordinator for NRA's Hunter Services Department and YHEC guru, sent NRAblog the following recap:

I recently attended a Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) sponsored by Boy Scouts Troop 725 at the Meyer Station Nature Center in Odenton, Maryland.

The scouts arrived on a Friday evening to set-up camp and tents for the weekend. Unfortunately, they were met with heavy rain. Patches of clear weather allowed them to set-up tents and they were off to a safety briefing and marksmanship seminars. Directed by Gene Carter, Troop 725 YHEC director, the scouts learned that they would be shooting rifle, archery, orienteering and identifying wildlife (for their merit badges) and participate the YHEC program.

Saturday morning started with breakfast. Meals were finished, the camp was cleaned, and the scouts were divided up into one senior and two junior teams. Each team was assigned an event and continued rotating through the programs – merit badge qualifying programs first and then complete in YHEC.

Everyone had a great time as scouts combined the two programs into one. It was encouraging to see the young scouts smiling before, during, and after each event – a sure sign they were enjoying themselves.

After all events were completed the scouts and their leaders took the opportunity to try shooting a shotgun too.

Many credits go to Gene Carter, Bill Bierman – Scoutmaster, Troop 725 leaders – Zack Harfield, Allison Bierman, Greg Busch, Shortly Colston, Tammy Davis, Paul Francis, Tim Howell, Sam Hubbard and Sylvia Wiedenhoeft as they did a wonderful job working with the scouts trough the entire weekend.

Once the weekend came to a close, some where asked to share their thoughts about YHEC and if they were interested in doing a YHEC program again next year. Every scouts and the scout leaders raised their hands. One leader suggested challenging some of the other scouts troops to compete in the YHEC next year as a troop versus troop competition. That would be something to see.

The following report comes from Brian Peters with Washington State's YHEC -- Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

Despite threats of rain, 19 participants, 2 coaches, and 27 volunteers enjoyed the event, held April 17 at Paul Bunyan Sportsman’s Club:

The 2010 Washington YHEC began on a day of dry weather and stayed that way for the whole event. Participants had a great time competing in all eight events.

We ran the shooting events under cover in the shooting buildings in case of rain. The kids shot at spinners and knock-downs at three different distances and had a ball.

Sporting clay shotgun used a trap position, a over-head throw and a crossing bird to add some fun. Shooters were challenged and had a great time.

Archery was held in a natural setting and brought dismay to many used to the indoor settings and fixed ranges the indoor ranges provide. Gee, they told me to practice figuring my target range on my own!

Hunter Safety Trail offered its own set of intrigue and challenge, many thought they were out for a short walk observing good muzzle control and were surprised at how many questions observations and challenges they encountered in the short walk.

All in all, the event was successful and enjoyed by all the participants and volunteers.

Thanks, Brian! 2010 is the 25th Anniversary of YHEC, so watch for upcoming news and live coverage of the International YHEC event, July 26-30 in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

Nicole McMahon brings us the following tale. The Youth Education Summit has a lasting impact on the young people it reaches, as Kylie Kiess, Pennsylvania Y.E.S. alum ’09, demonstrates:

Past Pennsylvania YHEC and Y.E.S. Participant enjoys unique opportunity

Williamsport Area High School’s (WAHS) Millionaire Marksman Club President Kylie Kiess had an extremely exciting opportunity arise at their fundraiser held this past Saturday.

The club was hosting a “burger burn” fundraiser at Gander Mountain to raise money for its organization while also making connections with the outdoor enthusiast community. Bob Hart, one of the most accomplished long-range rifle builders in the world, was one of the individuals they encountered. “Bob was very impressed by the idea of a shooting/rifle club at WAHS and wanted to do something special to help publicize our cause,” said Brian Soars, advisor for the Millionaire Marksman Club.

Hart invited Kiess and her family on a long-range goat hunt at Pipeline Ridge Hunting Preserve that afternoon along with a cameraman from the outdoors company Antler Addition to videotape the hunt for a future television episode. Soars said, “From one mountaintop to another, Kylie connected with a ram at a distance of 721 yards and dropped it like the king's tea into Boston Harbor. For those of you who may be interested, she was shooting a Hart rifle chambered in .30 Hart.”

This extraordinary opportunity would not have been possible without YHEC and the Pennsylvania Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.). Kiess helped start the Millionaire Marksman Club in an effort to bring YHEC to her community, and after completing Pennsylvania Y.E.S. in 2009, she possessed the leadership skills to do so.

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The 25th Anniversary of YHEC was met with record numbers in North Carolina State YHEC last weekend. Held by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at Millstone 4-H Camp in Ellerbe, North Carolina, the event included a strong showing from the 2009 International YHEC winners from Forbush as well as a narrow win for the Junior Team from South Davie Middle School.

“The degree of the skills exhibited by these young people at the state championships is incredible,” said Travis Casper, the assistant hunter education programs coordinator for North Carolina. “The competition is keen, but so is the camaraderie between competitors.”

Thanks to Oklahoma State YHEC Coordinator Carey Pribil for passing on the above photo from his recent YHEC even in Canton.

"The NRA/OKYHEC season is off to a great start! Our first event in Canton, OK at the Chain Ranch saw 35 youth participating," Pribil said. "12 of these youth had never participated in a YHEC event before Saturday." 

Oklahoma still has five events left before the State YHEC event to be held June 19th at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. "We're really looking forward to the other YHEC events this season," Pribil said. Keep checking back, because NRAblog will keep you up to date on YHEC in Oklahoma and other states.

2010 marks the 25th anniversary of YHEC, and we'll be giving you full coverage of the International YHEC this July from Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

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 

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.”