Alaska NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge
State Championship - June 7-9, 2019

Test your wildlife identification skills. This challenge may ask you to identify tracks, hides, skulls, bones, feathers, and signs of North American wildlife. To study, check out wildlife guides and books from your local library. Make flash cards and quiz your teammates. Visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (offices throughout the state) and look at the wildlife displays to gain more knowledge. If you can, visit the Museum at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to learn more!

Fire a .22 rifle to shoot at metal clanger targets placed downrange. Bring your own rifle or arrange to use the equipment we will have available. Juniors and Seniors will shoot at different distances and a tie breaker shot will be sure to challenge your skills! Want to practice? Use the Fairbanks North Star Borough's outdoor range (located off South Cushman Street, south of the railroad crossing, on the left) open daily from 10 A.M. - 10 P.M.

At this event, you will fire at targets using a muzzleloading rifle. The targets will be ASSRA 50 yard standing targets, placed downrange, at 25 yards. You will be allowed one sighting shot in the top left hand target bull. Then, you will fire one shot each at the other five target bulls, for score. The winner will be the highest score, X’s will be used as tie breakers. Incase of an exact tie, competitors' age will be used as a tie breaker, with the tie going to the youngest competitor. You may bring your own rifle and equipment or use one we will supply.

Demonstrate your shotgun shooting skills across multiple clay target stations. 12 and 20 gauge shotguns and ammo provided. To practice, visit the Fairbanks Trap Club (or another range for shotgun shooting), during open hours. For Fairbanks Trap Club hours of operation, please call 907-457-6116. Tell the head honchos out there you are practicing for YHEC and they will help you out!

Walk across our open field course shooting at life size animal targets. Seniors and Juniors will shoot from different, various distances. Only three practice shots are allowed before beginning the competition course. Archery equipment and arrows provided if needed. To practice, visit a local archery shop and range, or in a safe place near your home! (Make sure you have an adequate backstop and arrows won't go where they should not go!)

Demonstrate your knowledge of safe hunting practices in various hunting situations. Challenge your first aid and preparedness skills. Showcase your sportsmanship attitude. Answer "shoot or don't shoot" situations with hunting logic and by applying Alaska's regulations, ethics, and common sense. To prepare, study your hunter education material and the State of Alaska hunting regulations. Don't forget your "Hunter Orange," bug repellent, and water! What else would you bring with you, if you were out hunting (on foot)?

NO COMMUNICATION DEVICES ARE ALLOWED AT THIS STATION. At this station you will be required to: Identify the five (5) major terrain features on a map. Know the four (4) cardinal directions. Read the scale of a map. Determine a Grid azimuth on a map. Determine field elevation using contour lines. Compute distance either straight line, or along a trail. Find your location using intersection. Convert a grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth, or the other way around. Compute a back azimuth. Follow a magnetic azimuth for a given distance and locate a target. Add intersection and resection.

For the purpose of breaking tie scores in the final results for the Alaska NRA YHEC State Championship, the scoring database we use is designed to implement the following tie breaking criteria, as established by the national YHEC program: In the event of a tie, the individual/team with the highest level of achievement in the Hunter Responsibility Exam will be declared the winner(s). If a tie remains, the individual/team with the highest level of achievement on the Hunter Safety Trail Challenge will be declared the winner(s). Should a tie remain, the individual/team with the highest combined level of achievement in the four (4) responsibility events (Hunter Responsibility Exam, Hunting Orienteering Skills Challenge, Hunting Wildlife Identification Challenge, Hunter Safety Trail Challenge), will be declared the winner(s). The final tiebreaker will be based on a combined score of the four (4) shooting events (Hunting Shotgun Challenge, the Light Hunting Rifle Challenge, Hunting Archery Challenge and the Hunting Muzzleloader Challenge).Should individuals/teams tie in the Hunter Responsibility Exam, the tie breaking formula will start at the second criteria (Hunter Safety Trail Challenge).