The annual Utah Hunting Skills Challenge is coming up, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is inviting anyone who has completed Hunter Education to register and compete in the upcoming event.
The unique contest — formerly known as the Youth Hunter Education Challenge — allows individuals who have graduated from Hunter Education to develop and improve their hunting, marksmanship and safety skills.
"The Utah Hunting Skills Challenge is a great way for hunters — both youth and adults — to showcase the skills they learned in Hunter Education during this competition," DWR Cache Valley Public Shooting Range Manager Steven Bassett said. "This event provides a fun atmosphere for people to improve and showcase their hunting skills and is a great activity for families to enjoy and participate in together."
This year's event will be held May 15-16 at the Cache Valley Public Shooting Range at 2851 W. 200 North in Logan. It will begin on Friday, May 15 from 3-6 p.m. with a written exam and wildlife identification challenge. Then, it will resume on Saturday, May 16 at 7 a.m.
Registration is $35 per participant, and participants are requested to register on Eventbrite by May 8, as early registration helps organizers finalize contest details. However, registration will remain open until May 15.
The challenge has two categories for younger competitors — one for youth under 15 years old and one for youth 15-18 years old — and an adult category for people who are 19 years old and older.
There are a variety of events in the competition, including:
- Wildlife identification
- .22 long rifle
- Shotgun
- Archery
- Muzzleloader
- Orienteering
- Safety trail (which includes a variety of scenarios to test ethics and safety when hunting)
- Written exam (which will test participants on hunting rules and regulations, and on the information learned in Hunter Education)
Prizes will be awarded to the top five highest-scoring individuals in the junior and senior divisions and to the three highest-scoring individuals in the adult division.
"There are a lot of great things about this program, and one of the most rewarding things is to see the excitement of the youth when they master new skills as part of the competition," Bassett said. "We hope that this annual event becomes a new tradition for many Utah families interested in outdoor recreation."
Learn more details about the event on the DWR website and register on Eventbrite.