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RALEIGH, N.C. (May 3, 2006) - The snap of a .22 rifle replaced the crack of a bat on this field of dreams. Millstone 4-H Camp near Ellerbe hosted the 28th annual Youth Hunter Safety Tournament – the state championship, sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission - on Saturday, April 22.
Several hundred students matched precision in target shooting, whether in rifle, muzzleloader, shotgun or archery. They also squared off in orienteering skills with a compass on a field course and tested outdoors and safety knowledge through a written exam. “All competitors are graduates of the hunter safety education program,” said Capt. Chris Huebner of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “The program teaches proper firearms handling, hunting ethics and how to be safe and responsible sportsmen. The district tournaments and state tournament are a competitive element of the hunter safety education program for youth that promotes and helps develop those skills. “The tournaments are becoming increasingly popular, but the gist is tomorrow’s outdoors men and women are practicing safe conduct with firearms and archery, today.” Competitors hoped
to qualify for an invitation to the national championship, the Youth
Hunter Education Challenge, a week-long
event at Mansfield
University in Pennsylvania this July. Junior and senior division
teams from Yadkin County have already received their invitations:
They are
the defending national champions. “We always make sure we don’t neglect the non-shooting events,” said
David Moxley, the coach for Forbush High. “It’s
competitive. You have to train and practice like you would
for any other sport.” The overall 2006 state champion, receiving the traveling trophy, was the Forbush High “Red” team. Download the State Tournament Results here in PDF format.
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