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RALEIGH,
N.C. (April 10, 2006) – The annual North Carolina Youth Hunter Safety Tournament,
sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, will
be held April 22 at Millstone 4-H Camp in Richmond County, near Ellerbe.
The tournament brings together the best of district competitors from across the state. Students, 12 years old and older, will test their accuracy in target shooting with rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader and bow and arrow, tackle an orienteering course and demonstrate outdoors and hunting safety knowledge through a written exam. The event begins with competition starting at 8 a.m. and concludes with an awards ceremony, which follows completion of competition around 4 p.m. “People ought to come out and see it,” said Gene Shutt, camp director at Millstone. “If you’ve never seen a shooting tournament, it is something to see. The teams are well disciplined, the marksmanship is incredible, and we just have a ball with it. “I easily anticipate 1,500 people at this year’s tournament.” The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission launched youth hunter safety tournaments more than 25 years ago to promote hunter education and firearms safety. “Not all participants
are necessarily hunters,” said Tim Lemon,
a hunter education specialist with the Wildlife Resources
Commission, based in Wilkes County. “Most do have a background
or an interest in hunting, but not all. You have quite a few who are
strictly interested
in shooting sports or archery.” “There are 90-pound girls competing next to 200-pound boys,” said Hunter Education Specialist David Denton, whose district tournament held in Tyrell County has grown in 10 years from 12 to 27 teams. Top scoring teams and individuals could get an invitation to the national competition, the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania on July 24-28. Teams and individuals from Yadkin County won in several categories in last year’s nationals, held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M., with the Forbush Claybusters taking first place in both junior and senior divisions. Millstone 4-H Camp is located five miles east of Ellerbe, with directions and map available at www.millstone4hcamp.org.
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