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Youth hunter safety teams from around the state took their best shot during the State Hunter Education Tournament, sponsored by the N.C.Wildlife Resources Commission.
Teams from the northern foothills region performed particularly well. Yadkin County schools took home 33 of 72 awards, including two of the top three overall team awards in both the senior and junior age groups. Teams from neighboring Surry, Forsyth and Davidson counties grabbed another half-dozen prizes.
The State Hunter Education Tournament, held in Richmond County on April 24, involved more than 400 kids from across the state. The competition included 70 teams representing 50 schools—32 high schools and 18 middle schools. Events included hunt skills (a written test plus orienteering) and target shooting with bow and arrow, rifle, shotgun (trap) and muzzleloader.
Awards went to the top three teams and individuals in each event, at both the senior and junior age levels. The top overall team and overall individual awards were based on aggregate scores in all events except muzzleloader shooting, which is an optional, single-shot competition.
The Wildlife Commission launched North Carolina’s tournaments 26 years ago to promote hunter education and firearms safety. Teams advance to the State Tournament based on performance in nine district tournaments. Tournaments are open to teams from middle and high schools, both public and private, that offer hunter education courses. Home-schooled students and teams representing organizations such as 4-H clubs also can compete, provided they meet eligibility requirements.
Winners of the 2004 State Hunter Education Tournament were:
TEAM AGGREGATE SR
1 Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
2 Surry Central High (Surry County)
3 Forbush High/White (Yadkin County)
INDIVIDUAL AGGREGATE SR
1 Kayla Kite – Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
2 Denton Spruill – Ridgecroft High (Hertford County)
3 Harrison Revelle – Ridgecroft High (Hertford County)
TEAM AGGREGATE JR
1 Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Forbush Elem. (Yadkin County)
3 Perquimans Middle (Yadkin County)
INDIVIDUAL AGGREGATE JR
1 Tyler McCormick – Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Jessica Kite – Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
3 James Patterson – W. Harnett Middle 4H (Harnett County)
TEAM TRAP SR
1 Forbush High/White (Yadkin County)
2 Hunt High (Wilson County)
3rd Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
INVIDIVIDUAL TRAP SR
1 Chad Wrenn – Hunt High (Wilson County)
2 Sam Hughes – Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
3 Kody Baker – W. Davidson High (Davidson County)
TEAM TRAP JR
1 Forbush Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
3 Swain County Middle (Swain County)
INDIVIDUAL TRAP JR
1 Tyler McCormick – Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Michael Winslow – Perquimans Middle (Perquimans County)
3 Nicholas Doub – Forbush Elem. (Yadkin County)
TEAM RIFLE SR
1 Perquimans County High (Perquimans County)
2 Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
3 Forbush High/Blue (Yadkin County)
INDIVIDUAL RIFLE SR
1 Dustin Dellinger – Perquimans High (Perquimans County)
2 Jordan Holcomb – Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
3 Josh Myers – W. Davidson High (Davidson County)
TEAM RIFLE JR
1 Chowan Middle (Chowan County)
2 Farmville Middle (Pitt County)
3 Perquimans Middle (Perquimans County)
INDIVIDUAL RIFLE JR
1 Josh Harrell – Farmville Middle (Pitt County)
2 Issac Spillman – Forbush Elem. (Yadkin County)
3 Richard Charlton – Chowan Middle (Chowan County)
TEAM ARCHERY SR
1 Forbush High/Blue (Yadkin County)
2 E. Forsyth High/Blue (Forsyth County)
3 E. Bladen High (Bladen County)
INDIVIDUAL ARCHERY SR
1 Justin Dull – E. Forsyth High/Blue (Forsyth County)
2 Brendon Pryor – N. Henderson High (Henderson County)
3 Cynthia Abell – Forbush High/Blue (Yadkin County)
TEAM ARCHERY JR
1 Apple Valley Middle (Henderson County)
2 Swain County Middle (Swain County)
3 Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
INDIVIDUAL ARCHERY JR
1 James Patterson – W. Harnett Middle 4H (Harnett County)
2 Matthew Bodenhammer – Apple Valley Middle (Henderson County)
3 Paxton Brendle – Boonville Elem. (Yadkin County)
TEAM HUNT SKILLS SR
1 Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
2 Jones Sr. High (Jones County)
3 Surry Central High (Surry County)
INDIVIDUAL HUNT SKILLS SR
1 Nathan Eddleman – Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
2 Devan Hester – Forbush High/Red (Yadkin County)
3 Trey Murphrey – Jones Sr. High (Jones County)
TEAM HUNT SKILLS JR
1 Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Perquimans Middle (Perquimans County)
3 Forbush Elem. (Yadkin County)
INDIVIDUAL HUNT SKILLS JR
1 Tyler McCormick – Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Blayne Kime – Perquimans Middle (Perquimans County)
3 Jessica Kite – Fall Creek Elem. (Yadkin County)
TEAM MUZZLELOAD SR
1 Starmount High (Yadkin County)
2 Orange High Sr. FFA (Orange County)
3 N. Henderson High (Henderson County)
INDIVIDUAL MUZZLELOAD SR
1 Jonathan Hobbs – Starmount High (Yadkin County)
2 Jonathan Clark – Avery High (Avery County)
3 Tia Vestal – Starmount High (Yadkin County)
TEAM MUZZLELOAD JR
1 Chowan Middle (Chowan County)
2 Newport Middle (Craven County)
3 Swain Middle (Swain County)
INDIVIDUAL MUZZLELOAD JR
1 Jonathan Cave – Boonville Elem. (Yadkin County)
2 Jared Aman – South Stanly Middle (Stanly County)
3 Josh Keller – Mill Creek Middle (Catawba County)
High-scoring teams can advance to the International Youth Hunter Education Challenge, which will take place July 26-30 in Mansfield, Pa.
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