Building the Next Generation of Hunters YHEC | NRA Explore

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Building the Next Generation of Hunters

NRA's Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) provides a fun environment for kids 18 and under to improve their hunting, marksmanship and safety skills. Through its simulated hunting situations, live fire exercises, educational and responsibility events, YHEC helps build upon skills learned in basic hunter education courses and encourages safer, lifelong hunting habits.

From rifle, bow and muzzleloader shooting at life-sized targets, to wildlife identification, map and compass orienteering and more, YHEC participants can get hands-on training in eight skill areas, giving them expertise in all methods of take and all types of game.

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79% of YHEC participants have purchased a hunting license in their home state

The program has had over 1.3 million participants since inception

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Designed to promote and encourage safe, lifelong hunting 

What You Will Learn

Test your knowledge of hunter safety, ethics, responsibility and laws

Back of a hunter in blaze orange holding a shotgun with the sun in the background

Hunter Safety Trail

Demonstrate your knowledge of safe hunting practices in various hunting situations

Compass laying on a map

Orienteering

Prove you know how to navigate a course utilizing a map and compass

Skulls of multiple animals on a table

Wildlife Identification

Identify tracks, hides, feathers, and signs of North American wildlife

Young men wearing ear protection shooting scoped rifles at a range.

.22 Rifle

Utilize a .22 rifle to shoot at action-type or life-size game targets

Young girl smiles after shooting a shotgun on a range.

Shotgun

Demonstrate your shotgun shooting skills across multiple hunters' clays stations

Young man in red shirt shooting a muzzleloading rifle next to a fence.

Muzzleloader

Use a muzzeloading rifle with open sights to shoot at action-type or life-size game targets

Archer in camouflage at full draw.

Archery

Walk through a course with life size animal targets

Want To Know More 

For more information about YHEC, contact Youth Hunter Education at (844) 221-8861 or [email protected]