Invitation to a Challenge

You are invited to attend the Indiana Youth Hunter Education Challenge, sponsored by the Indiana YHEC Association. This event will provide a broad spectrum of outdoor skills challenges. IndYHEC’s goals are: to provide youth with a fun, positive experience that encourages future involvement in the shooting sports; to encourage safety, responsibility, and skill development in all areas of the outdoor/hunting experience; to promote public awareness of hunter education; and to publicize the positive aspects of hunters and their sport - hunting!

IndYHEC is an event where young people ages 11 to 19 can try their hands at field archery using McKenzie 3-D targets, light hunting rifles and muzzleloaders, sporting clays, orienteering with a compass, wildlife identification, and other hunter safety events. All events are set up to approximate and reflect situations one might encounter in the field while hunting. All state YHEC participants qualify to participate in the International YHEC event. Are YOU up to the Challenge?

And the Challenges are...

This year, the YHEC shooting and outdoor skills events will include 8 challenges that will be scored for YHEC and for the Youth Shoot. Since this year's YHEC event is held jointly with the NMLRA Youth Shoot, there are 3 more challenges you may participate in, but they will not be scored for YHEC. These 3 additional challenges will ONLY be scored for the Youth Shoot. YHEC Participants are expected to compete and be scored in all eight YHEC challenges, but you are not REQUIRED to participate in the 3 additional Youth Shoot challenges. We encourage you to do them for fun and to keep your outdoor skills honed. Just make sure you have the required 8 completed by the time the YHEC venues close on Saturday afternoon!

The 2007 YHEC Challenges and Youth Shoot Challenges are as follows:

Archery: Shoot ten arrows at 3-D animal targets at different distances
Rifle: Shoot ten .22 rimfire rounds at paper and steel targets
Shotgun: Shoot a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun to disintegrate air-borne clays
Muzzle Loading: Aim for a steel gong & paper targets at different distances
Orienteering: Use a compass, find your bearings, walk a course
Wildlife Identification: Identify tracks, pelts, silhouettes, and sounds
Hunter's Safety Trail: Decide if that shot in the field safe...and ethical?
Hunter's Exam: Answer 50 written questions over all aspects of hunting safety

Additional Youth Shoot Challenges:
Pistol: Use .22 pistols to hit steel plate targets and paper targets
Tomahawk Throw: Stick the primitive hawk in a wooden target
Paint Ball Shoot: Paint paper targets at different distances

Welcome to the new Indiana YHEC blog!

We will be transferring more information here shortly. But for now, please make a note of the date change and plan on joining us in Friendship, Indiana in July for all the fun! Go here for even more information.
If you have questions or comments, be sure to use the comment feature below. We will respond to them here, as well, so visit this site often. Keep safe and keep shooting!