Attention ladies! Join the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for a free, activity-filled afternoon at our Women's Hunting and Fishing Open House. Whether you're a seasoned outdoorswoman or brand new to hunting and fishing, this event is a welcoming space to learn, connect and get inspired!

What to expect:

This event is designed to introduce women and girls of all experience levels to a variety of hunting and fishing skills, equipment, women-friendly groups and more!

• All ages are welcome at the open house! Youth ages 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• A great community of female hunters and anglers!
• Firearms are provided.
• Eye and ear protection are required on the shooting range. You may bring your own or we will provide the basics for you.
• Dress comfortably. The ranges are outdoors, so please dress appropriately for the weather.
• All participants must fill out an event waiver when signing up.

Schedule of events, demonstrations and clinics:

Join us for hands-on activities and demonstrations throughout the day! All shooting range and cooking demonstration activities are first-come, first-served. Please be aware that there may be a wait to participate in some of the events.

Scheduled demonstrations:

• 1 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 3 p.m.: Waterfowl hunting dogs
• 1:30 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. | 3:30 p.m.: Upland game hunting dogs
• 1 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 3 p.m.: Cooking wild game and fish

During the entire open house (1–4 p.m.)

• Casting demonstrations (fly fishing, rod and reel)
• Archery target practice (ages 10 and up)
• Shotgun shooting (ages 12 and up)
• .22 Rifle shooting (ages 12 and up)
• Chat with experts at informational booths:waterfowl, upland game and turkey, big game, hunter education, fishing, licenses and permits, rules and regulations
• Field-to-table game processing

Exhibitors and event sponsors

Exhibitors and event sponsors will be on hand all day to answer your questions, share tips and demonstrate equipment:

• Becoming an Outdoors Woman
• Wasatch Women's Fly Fishing Club
• Wilde Arrow

Please note: The Lee Kay Public Shooting Range will be open to the public during usual facility hours of operation (Saturdays, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.). Range fees and a separate waiver are required for visitors who plan to shoot on their own separate from this DWR Open House event.

We can’t wait to see you there! If you have questions, please use the contact information below.

Event Contact:

Kaylee Mortensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Meet the team!

Morgan is a wildlife biologist for the DWR in Southern Utah. She grew up in Tooele county where her earliest memories of hunting were tagging along with her dad and their dogs as they hunted pheasants in agricultural fields. A love for the outdoors and delicious field-to-table game meat have kept her involved in hunting into adulthood, with mule deer and chukar as her favorite species to pursue. As both a biologist and hunter, she values hunting for the funding and efforts it generates for wildlife conservation.

Meet the team!

Heather is the upland game coordinator for the DWR; based out of the Salt Lake office, but she lives in South Central Utah. She has always loved animals, and has wanted to work with animals in some capacity since childhood. She grew up in Cedar City, and though this was a small town with a strong hunting community, she didn't get into hunting until she started working for the DWR in her mid 20s. She is partial to hunting forest grouse and elk, but enjoys any pursuit of game, and processes the meat at home for the ultimate cost-savings. Participating in the sport of hunting fulfills her passion of contributing to the conservation and management of wildlife, obtaining organic meat, and sharing an exciting pastime with friends and family.

Meet the team!

As Communications Team Coordinator for the DWR, Darby Doyle is editor of the Utah’s hunting and fishing guidebooks, the DWR website blog, and the wild game and fish recipes section. She’s an award-winning food, beverage and outdoors writer, and she’s passionate about sharing with fellow locavores the joys of getting the most out of every harvest, from field to freezer to plate. Darby grew up mostly in rural Kentucky, but since 2006 she’s lived in Salt Lake City with her husband and two sons — the whole Doyle bunch are avid hunters and anglers — along with the family’s goofy Labradors, a bunch of backyard chickens and a big garden that’s usually in need of some serious weeding.

Meet the team!

RaLynne Takeda is the Hunter Education Program Manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources. Her career in Hunter Education spans almost 30 years. She grew up in an outdoor family in Salt Lake County. She enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, shooting, camping, fishing, kayaking and occasionally finding time to hunt between life and work.

Meet the team!

Kaitlyn Purington is a native aquatics biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. She is a lifelong lover of rivers, streams, springs and lakes, and is passionate about protecting the species that call these places home. Kaitlyn grew up in California and found her love for fishing at a young age, spending most summers fly-fishing with her family in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. Since moving to Utah, she has continued that tradition, using fishing as a way to explore more of the beautiful landscapes the state has to offer. Whether she is out in the field collecting data or casting a line on a high alpine lake, Kaitlyn is constantly reminded of how special Utah is for fish and wildlife recreation opportunities.

Meet the team!

Blanche Smith is the manager of the Lee Kay Public Shooting Range in Salt Lake City, Utah. The range features multiple shooting venues, including a 300-yard range, a 100-yard archery range, and a shotgun venue offering trap, skeet and 5-stand sporting clays. The facility also includes a 900-acre conservation area. Blanche is a member of the Single Action Shooting Society and competes in Cowboy Action Shooting competitions. Her highest accomplishment is finishing as a Top Ten Lady Frontier Cartridge competitor at the 2016 World Championship.

Meet the team!

Krystal Tucker is a natural resource officer with the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement. She started her career as a field officer for Davis County and is currently a sergeant in the division’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program. Krystal is a wife and mother of two children and never misses an opportunity to take her family into Utah’s great outdoors. When she is not working, she is actively bird hunting, fishing, kayaking, camping and hiking around the state. She has dedicated her career to getting more women and children involved in nature and to conserving Utah’s wildlife.

It's that time of year again! The Utah Hunting Skills Challenge, previously part of the NRA’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge, will take place June 20 -21, with events at the Lee Kay Public Shooting Range in Salt Lake City, Utah. This fun, hands-on challenge is a great event for beginner to advanced shooters of all ages. If you've completed a hunter education course, you're eligible to participate!

Please register by May 30, so we can plan accordingly.

Participation

Due to the amount of equipment and staffing required to put on the event, we will require a minimum of 35 participants. The number of participants will determine how many events are set up. An email will be sent out the week before the event to inform those registered what (if any) changes will take place.

Cost

$35 per participant. Please register via Eventbrite with a credit card.

NOTE: We will accept cash for those registering day of the event. Please bring exact change.

As a special incentive, if an adult/alumnus also registers a first-time youth competitor, they can get $10 off their registration! Please contact Troy Anderson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information and to receive your $10 off.

Schedule of Events

Friday, June 20: Lee Kay Public Shooting Range

• Check in — 11:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.: Come to the Lee Kay Public Shooting Range Main Building to finish your registration.

• Written Exam — 11:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.: After you finish registration, you will head directly to take the written exam. You will pause to have the opening ceremonies at 3 pm but will have a chance to finish after.

• Opening Ceremony — 3 p.m.

• Games & activities — 6:30 p.m.– close: We will start some fun games, and have a chance to hang out and chat. Information will also beprovided for those who want to explore Salt Lake City and the beautiful area.

Saturday, June 21: Lee Kay Public Shooting Range

• Opening and safety briefing — 8:30 a.m.

• Event breakouts — 9:15 a.m.: Break into our groups and rotations to finish the rest of the events.

• Awards ceremony — TBA. When everyone is finished with events, we will have an awards ceremony. The location is to be determined but we will have all the information for you when you show up and complete your registration.

Note: Dinner will be provided for participants on Friday night. Lunch will be provided for participants on Saturday. Family members may purchase additional meal tickets for $10 per person.

Rules and Regulations

There will be eight events set up, depending on participation numbers. At each event, participants will bring their specific equipment for that event. If a participant does not have their own equipment, some will be provided for them to use. Find the official rules for specific events and equipment limitations on the YHEC Regional Rules page. Participants are eligible to compete in the NRA National Youth Hunter Education Challenge competition held this year in Betonville, Arkansas.

For more information and practice help, visit the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hunting Skills Challenge resource page.

The following events will take place:

.22 Long Rifle

This event will consist of six stations where five shots will be taken at each station (for a total of 30 shots). Shots will range from 0-75 yards. Each station may use a different shooting position (standing, kneeling, sitting and prone). Stations may use props or shooting scenarios (standing using a post, tripods, shooting from a ground blind, prone using a log, etc.). Targets will be standard rimfire silhouette targets (chicken, turkey, pig and ram).

Shotgun

This will be a sporting clays-style competition. Expect clay targets to be thrown from all directions. Most targets will be true doubles but some report pairs (second bird is launched at the sound of the first shot) may be thrown. A total of 30 shots will be taken. The best practice for this would be 5-stand or a walk-through sporting clays course.

Muzzleloader

The muzzleloader event will consist of 10-12 shots. You will shoot at metal silhouette or knockdown style targets. Shot distances will range between 0-75 yards. Each station may use a different shooting position (standing, kneeling, sitting and prone). Stations may use props or shooting scenarios (standing using a post, tripods, shooting from a ground blind, prone using a log, etc.). There will be a possibility for a written exam.

Archery

The archery event will be a walk through a 3D-style course. Targets will range from 0-40 yards. A total of 30 shots will be scored. Scoring will use the traditional 3D rings and will be scored 10-8-5. Targets will be standard Delta or Reinhart targets. Rangefinders are not allowed.

Written Exam

The written exam will consist of 60 questions. All questions will be taken from Utah Hunter Education Student Manual and Utah Hunting Guidebooks. The questions will go over everything from ethics to information on wildlife species. This will not be an open book test so be sure to study. Contact Troy Anderson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for your free copy of The Utah Hunter Education Student Manual.

Safety Trail

The safety trail is designed to test the young hunter’s ability to make safe and ethical decisions. It will go over basic safety scenarios and have you react to each of them. You will find anything from crossing a fence or ditch properly to encountering animals in the wild. You may even be tested on judging an animal's distance in yards.

Orienteering

Orienteering is the ability to use a map and compass. You will be tested on how well you can use a compass to find waypoints along with how well you read a map to find different landmarks. Traditional and modern technology methods will be used.

Wildlife Identification

Wildlife identification is the ability to identify the game animals of North America. You could encounter all sorts of things from scat and tracks to a small piece of fur, skulls or bones. The best way to study is to study The Hunter's Guide, and visit different areas that have taxidermy mounts.

Divisions

• Junior Division: Under 15. Individuals turning 15 years of age on or before August 15 shall be in the Senior Division classification.

• Senior Division: Ages 15 to 18 years old.

• Adult/Alumni Division: Age 19 and above. Open to any adult that would like to compete.

Prizes

Overall prize eligibility is limited to registrants who observe all safety rules and event regulations.

Prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories:

Junior Division

• First through 5th place in the individual events
• Top five overall

Senior Division

• First through 5th place in the individual events
• Top five overall

Adult/Alumni Division

• First through third

This event will be held regardless of the weather, please dress accordingly.

Event Lodging

Discounted hotels and camping options are available. Please contact Troy Anderson for more information.

Event contact:

Troy Anderson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 385 280-5007