Public invited to compete in annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge

Salt Lake City — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is hosting the 39th annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge next month in Logan and is inviting anyone who has completed Hunter Education to register and compete in this exciting event.

The National Rifle Association launched the Youth Hunter Education Challenge in 1985, and Utah has been involved in the unique program since it began. The contest allows individuals who have graduated from Hunter Education to develop and improve their hunting, markmanship and safety skills. Currently, 16 states in the U.S. participate in the program.

Despite the name, the competition is also open to adults, in addition to youth ages 6 to 18 years old.

"The Youth Hunter Education Challenge is a great way for hunters — both youth and adults — to compete in the skills they learned in Hunter Education," DWR Hunter Education Program Manager RaLynne Takeda said. "We added an adult category a few years ago because it never hurts anyone to improve their hunting skills. This provides a fun atmosphere for that, and is a great activity for families to enjoy and participate in together."

The event will be held June 14–15 at the Cache Valley Public Shooting Range in Logan. Registration is $35 per participant, and you must register on Eventbrite by May 30 to compete. There are a variety of events in the competition, including:

• Wildlife identification
• .22 long rifle
• Shotgun
• Archery
• Safety trail (which includes a variety of different scenarios to test ethics and safety when hunting)
• Written exam (which will test participates on hunting rules and regulations and information from Hunter Education)

Prizes will be awarded to the top five highest-scoring individuals in the junior, senior and adult divisions.

"There are a lot of great things about this program, but one of my favorite parts is the great families I have met throughout the years that have become lifelong friends," Takeda said. "The most rewarding thing is to see the excitement of the youth when they master new skills as part of the competition."

Learn more details about the event and register on Eventbrite.