North Carolina’s Youth Hunter Education Skills Tournament (YHEST) is a statewide competition for middle and high-school-age youth. Participants compete in multiple events including shotgun, archery, rifle, orienteering and a written hunting skills exam.
District 1: March 25, Eastern 4-H Center, Columbia.
District 2: March 11, New Hanover Law Enforcement Officer Range, Castle Hayne
District 3: March 18, Rose Hill Sporting Clays and Hunt Reserve, Nashville
District 4: March 18, Falcon Community Range, Falcon
District 5: March 4, Chatham County Wildlife Club, Bear Creek
District 6: March 25, Lentz Hunter Education Complex, Ellerbe
District 7: March 4, Hunting Creek Shooting Preserve, Harmony
District 8: March 18, Catawba Valley Wildlife Club, Vale
District 9: March 18, Polk County Gun Club, Columbus
2022 Junior DISTRICT YHEST Standings
2022 Junior DISTRICT YHEST Statewide Standings
2022 Senior DISTRICT YHEST Standings
2022 Senior DISTRICT YHEST Statewide Standings
Contact List:
District 1: Chase Luker chase.luker@ncwildlife.org
District 2: Lee Scripture lee.scripture@ncwildlife.org
District 3: BB Gillen bb.gillen@ncwildlife.org
District 4: Kevin Crabtree kevin.crabtree@ncwildlife.org
District 5: Casey Williams casey.williams@ncwildlife.org
District 6: CP White cp.white@ncwildlife.org
District 7: Josh Jernigan josh.jernigan@ncwildlife.org
District 8: Wes Blair wes.blair@ncwildlife.org
District 9: Mark Ray mark.ray@ncwildlife.org
The 2023 State YHEST will be held, Saturday April 29th at the John Lentz Hunter Education Shooting Complex in Ellerbe, NC.
2022 State YHEST Awards
Contact: Carissa Daniels
carissa.daniels@ncwildlife.org
In years past, any group or individual that competes in a district tournament is eligible to compete in the National Rifle Association’s Youth Hunter Education Challenge, a national youth hunter education skills tournament.
The top three North Carolina teams in each division are eligible to compete in the Eastern Regional YHEC Tournament held in Breesport, N.Y. in July.
Teams from North Carolina may complete in one of the two events offered for the National Tournament.
NC teams planning on participating at the national level must notify Carissa Daniels no later than June 15th.
Mission:
Provide hunter education graduates an opportunity to go beyond the basics by developing their knowledge and skills in all areas of the hunting experience, which will result in a safer and more responsible sportsman.
Objectives:
The Hunter Education Tournament is presented for student/team competitions in shotgun, archery, small bore rifle and hunter skills. The purpose of the tournament is:
Rules:
Download 2023 N.C. YHEST Official Rules (PDF)
Flickr Gallery - 2019 Tournament