News Releases

Youth hunter safety challenge

News Release

Monday, October 10, 2011

Media contact: Joy Hill, 352-258-3426

If you love to hunt and are 18 or younger, you will want to participate in the Regional Youth Hunter Education Challenge. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding this fun and challenging event on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the FWC's Ocala Youth Conservation Center.

These events are designed to teach young men and women advanced outdoor and hunting skills. To participate, you must have already completed the state mandated hunter safety course, and you must register prior to the event.

The competition will be in two age divisions. The junior division is for youth ages 14 and younger; the senior division is for ages 15 through 18. Participants compete as individuals. Events include:

• A hunter safety exam.
• Firearms safety walk-through.
• Shotgun-shooting challenge (clay pigeons).
• Small-bore rifle shooting challenge (stationary targets).
• 3-D archery.

This is a fun competition and the only such warm-up event in the state to prepare participants for the State Youth Hunter Education Challenge in May 2012, also scheduled at the Ocala Youth Conservation Center. The individual competitions at the regional event Saturday will mirror some of the events at the state competition. The top performers in the May event become eligible to compete in the National Youth Hunter Education Challenge in Pennsylvania next summer.

The Ocala Youth Conservation Center is in Marion County at 7325 NE 170^th Ave., Silver Springs, in the Ocala National Forest, and will begin at 9 a.m. sharp. No latecomers will be allowed to join after the competition begins. Sign-in begins at 8 a.m. Participants are required to register prior to the event by calling or emailing Greg Workman at 352-625-2804 or Gregory.Workman@MyFWC.com. You can find more information at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.