Supporting YHEC

Cassidee Dunford, 15, of Mountain Green, Utah, targets clays during the 2008 NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to attend the NRA’s annual International Youth Hunter Education Challenge. A colleague of mine, who is an editor for NRA Hunters Rights, has gone the past few years, and always comes back with wonderful stories about how much he enjoys YHEC.

But with YHEC, it’s all about the kids. Here's snippet from what my colleague has written about YHEC:

Aaron Carr of Greers Ferry, Ark., who finished second overall in the senior individual standings at last year's YHEC, is one of those lifetime hunters. The 19-year-old may have been too old to compete in this year's YHEC, but that didn't stop him from traveling nearly 1,200 miles to help coach his former team, the Cleburne County Sharpshooters.

"I had a lot of coaches help me throughout my time competing in YHEC, so I wanted to come back to help the kids," said Carr. "YHEC gets a bunch of kids into hunting and it teaches them to respect wildlife and be safe. They're a pretty good group of kids. Since I'm more their age, they can compete with me, and they can see that what I'm telling them actually works."

Through the YHEC program, young hunters have the opportunity to test what they've learned from their parents and coaches in eight events that simulate actual hunting conditions as closely as possible. There are four shooting events -- archery, muzzleloader, rifle and shotgun -- as well as four responsibility challenges -- orienteering, wildlife identification, a written hunter safety exam, and Hunter Safety Trail. All events build on what youngsters learn in conventional hunter education courses.

"It's just a blast," said 17-year-old Nathan Leavitt, of YHEC's appeal. "I heard about YHEC from a friend, and I thought it was really cool. It's just so much fun."

While making friends and having fun is the real value of the YHEC program, scores are kept and champions crowned, with both individual and team winners honored. Participants are broken into two age classifications -- (15-18) and junior (14 and under).

This just barely covers the benefits of YHEC. At this time, YHEC programs exist in 33 states and Canadian provinces. Each year, 50,000 young people take part in state and local YHEC events from across the U.S. and Canada.

It’s a program that gets kids into hunting, and there’s a way that you can help preserve this tradition. August A. Busch III recently announced a matching-gift challenge to support and encourage continued growth in YHEC.

It is very easy, and an important part in supporting the future of hunting. If you don’t want to give online, you can contact Heide Kaser, Advancement Program Officer - General Operations (National), at hkaser@nrahq.org or 703-267-1622.