Story and Photos by Justin McDaniel,
Assistant Editor, www.NRAhuntersrights.org

Spotting his quarry, Aaron Carr quietly dropped to one knee, carefully steadied his muzzleloader against a fence post and slowly worked to control his breathing until the shot felt just right. When
it did, he gently squeezed the trigger until it broke, leaving him shrouded in smoke and a trophy ram flat on the ground.
Of course, the ram he toppled was a silhouette target and, considering that Pennsylvania’s northern mountains were covered in sunshine instead of snow, and the trees were still cloaked in leaves, it wasn’t hunting season, either.
But that didn’t matter to Aaron or the 330 other participants from 16 states who readied themselves for the fall season by participating in the NRA’s 23rd annual International Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC).

Eleven-year-old Matthew Dunkle of Gillette, Pa., checks his rifle.

Held Jul. 28 to Aug. 1, 2008, at Mill Cove Environmental Area and Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pa., the event marked the culmination of the only youth hunting skills
competition of its kind in the country, which has reached more than 1.2 million youngsters since 1985.
“YHEC just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” said Bill Poole, Director of NRA’s Education and Training Division. “Just look at the smiles on these kids’ faces. If that doesn’t tell you that they are going to keep on hunting, I don’t know what will. That’s the true goal of the YHEC program—to get kids involved in hunting for a lifetime.”
In Aaron’s case, that goal can be classified as “mission accomplished.”
The 19-year-old from Greers Ferry, Ark., may have looked like just another YHEC competitor, but having exhausted his YHEC eligibility, Aaron traveled nearly 1,200 miles to Pennsylvania’s north woods not to win prizes or accolades, but instead to 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 Aaron, who competed at YHEC for three years and finished second overall in the 2007 event. “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.”
Because coaches also get to compete at YHEC, albeit in their own division, members of the Cleburne County team had the chance to go head-to-head with Aaron, and beating their youthful coach became the team’s goal.
“It’s real competitive,” Aaron said. “They always strive to beat me. Sometimes they succeed, too.”
Through the YHEC program, young hunters have the opportunity to test what they have 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, .22 rifle and shotgun—as well as four responsibility challenges—map and compass orienteering, wildlife identification, a written hunter safety exam and the Hunter Safety Trail, which presents participants with mock hunting scenarios on a wooded course.
Competitors at YHEC are divided into two age groups: senior (ages 15-18) and junior (ages 14 and under). They compete both as individuals and members of five-person teams. All events build on what youngsters learn in conventional hunter education courses.

Colby Benninger, 17, enjoys competing with kids from all over the country.

“It’s just a blast,” said Nathan Leavitt, 17, of Springfield, Ore., when asked about YHEC’s appeal. “I heard about YHEC from a friend, and I thought it was really cool. It’s just so much fun.”
Nathan’s Oregon Senior Team claimed its second consecutive overall title at this year’s YHEC, recording a score of 8,317 out of a possible 12,000 points to best the Pennsylvania Senior Blue Team. And, for the fourth year in a row, the North Carolina Forbush Elementary Claybusters won top honors in the junior team category with a score of 7,193.
On the individual side, Hunter Fulton, 17, of Grand Cane, La., won his first senior individual title, racking up 1,795 points out of a possible 2,400. With yet another repeat, Nick Kiter, 14, of Yadkinville, N.C., won his second junior individual championship with a score of 1,688. Nick is also a member of the junior team champion North Carolina Forbush Elementary Claybusters.
The top finishers won a treasure chest of prizes that included muzzleloaders, bows, arrows, ammunition, firearm accessories, medallions and patches, and Hunter and Nick both earned a whitetail deer hunt at Gsell’s Whitetail Refuge in Fayetteville, Pa. But everyone who attended YHEC walked away a winner. Hundreds of kids made lifelong friendships, spent quality time with their families and gained a deeper appreciation for hunting and the outdoors, regardless of their finish in the point standings. That is the real value of YHEC.
“It’s a lot of fun to compete against people from all over the country,” said 17-year-old Colby Benninger from nearby Troy, Pa. “I have friends from a couple of shooting clubs that I wouldn’t get to see if it wasn’t for YHEC. You learn a lot about good sportsmanship, safety, responsibility and hunter ethics by just competing here.”
Colby said his favorite event is archery, even if learning to become a proficient arrow-slinger takes a lot of hard work.
“I’m a big bow shooter,” he said. “I’m not terribly good at it, but I just like shooting.”
Many young hunters like Colby put in countless hours learning how to become skilled shots and safe, ethical hunters while gearing up for YHEC. A summer trip to the international event is a reward for a job well done. And even as the price of gas soared past $4 a gallon this summer, that didn’t stop families from making the necessary sacrifices to attend YHEC.
“We never considered not coming, not at all,” said Jim Lowen, who, along with his wife, drove 17 hours from Hillsboro, Mo., so that his two daughters, 17-year-old Sarah
and 13-year-old Rebekah, could both compete at YHEC. “With the kids competing, we wouldn’t pass it up if we had to walk.”
All of the parents, coaches and volunteers—almost to a hunter—echoed that sentiment.
“When we polled the parents about coming to this year’s YHEC, they got excited, and the momentum just built from there,” said Tim Culver, coach of the Nelson County, Ky., YHEC team, which attended the international event for the first time this year. “The kids just really wanted to come, so the parents and a lot of local groups jumped in to help fund our trip.”

Rebecca Barnes, 18, of Millerton, Pa., takes aim.

Culver added that members of his family have hunted since they could walk, and he introduced his three boys to hunting at a very young age. Anyone who has ever hunted knows that enjoying wildlife and nature with family is why it’s worth it to wake up before dawn and sit for hours in a deer stand or duck blind. That’s what makes YHEC the ultimate family sport.
“I like spending time with my dad,” said Jake Dinger, 12, of Pine Grove, Pa., after his turn on the Hunter Safety Trail. “I like the sport, and I love to shoot guns. Last year I went archery hunting, and I shot a spike. I also shot a gobbler during the mentored youth hunt. I shot a turkey this year, too. I hunt with my dad, my cousin and my pop, and YHEC gives me a lot of good practice.”
With a little luck, the skills Jake and his fellow YHEC competitors have learned will make for many more memorable hunts—and time spent with family—in the seasons to come.
Next year YHEC returns to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M., Jul. 27 to 31. The Whittington Center last hosted the event in 2007. To make sure you’re there, call
(703) 267-1503 or visit www.nrahq.org/hunting/youthed.asp to learn how to find or start a YHEC program in your area.

Garrett Rathbun (left) and Ethan Moss (right) observe a map on the orienteering course.

A Shout-Out
A great deal of YHEC’s success is due to the generous, longstanding support from the program’s sponsors. Most recently, Cabela’s became a new sponsor by joining the NRA’s Add-A-Buck program, which gives Cabela’s customers the opportunity to add a dollar, or multiples of whole dollars, to their purchases, with those funds earmarked to benefit YHEC. The NRA would also like to thank the following sponsors for their continued support of the YHEC program:

The Big Game Hunters Foundation
Brunton
Butski’s Game Calls
Camp Fire Conservation Fund
CVA
Drury Outdoors
Easton
Federal Premium Ammunition
Fort Knox Safes
Gsell’s Whitetail Refuge
Hallmark Cutlery
Hodgdon Powder
Hoyt USA
Lucky Buck
Mzuri Wildlife Foundation
The NRA Foundation
Remington
Saddle Pro Brand
Steiner Germany
Swarovski Optik
Walker’s Game Ear
Woolrich