Give Freedom A Future By Giving A Hunter A Teacher

Like many of you, I grew up hunting. And like many of you, I feel that shooting, hunting and all that goes with them-from the beauty and wonder of nature, to the bounty of the hunt-are some of the greatest blessings of my life.

So I sometimes wonder where I'd be today if I'd never had the opportunity to experience and enjoy those blessings in my youth.

Think about your own life. If no one had introduced you to hunting, shooting or whatever pursuits you care about-would you have missed out on them altogether?

Whatever the case, it's clear that young people today have fewer opportunities for hunting and shooting than many of us had when we were young.

That's why I'm a strong supporter of NRA's Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC), a vitally important effort that marks its 25th anniversary this summer.

Every summer, all across America, the NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge picks up where state-level hunter safety courses leave off, and gives young men and women the best, most in-depth hunter safety and skills training available.

Organized around eight areas of study and practice, this "graduate studies" program uses classroom instruction, practical training and exercises that simulate situations encountered in the field to train young men and women in .22 rifle, shotgun and muzzleloader shooting, archery, wildlife identification, orienteering and more.

Through marksmanship competitions, Hunter Safety Trail exercises that reinforce safe and ethical hunting habits, written examinations and constant feedback from instructors, the Youth Hunter Education Challenge continually challenges young hunters to be the safest, most effective and ethical hunters.

Although it's not a formal competition, the program recognizes and rewards achievement by allowing participants to vie for both individual and team awards in two age classifications: senior (ages 15 to 18) and junior (ages 14 and under).

Each year, approximately 50,000 young men and women participate in YHEC programs in more than 40 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

And each year, several hundred of the best of those participants advance to the NRA International Youth Hunter Education Challenge-the annual culmination of the program-which is often held at the NRA Whittington Center near my home in New Mexico.

I always enjoy going out to observe the proceedings and meet the young people who attend. It reminds me of my own hunting apprenticeship, back on my family's ranch in Nebraska. It brings back fond memories of teaching my son and daughter to hunt and shoot. What's more, it renews my faith in the future of our country and our cause. Because if the clean-cut, well-spoken, courteous young men and women I see at YHEC are any indication of the future leaders and voters of this country, then I would say our freedoms are in very good hands.

One fact is clear: Just as NRA helped set the national standard for hunter training when it worked with New York state to develop a hunter safety course back in 1949, today the NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge is raising the bar ever higher.

Over the past 25 years, YHEC has reached some 1.2 million young people in the U.S. and Canada. Anecdotal evidence from various states suggests that the youngest hunters in the field are among the safest hunters in the field.

In fact, figures from the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA), while not definitive, show that between 1997 and 2007, hunting accidents dropped dramatically.

So if you want to give your son or daughter-or any young hunter you know-the skills and expertise for a lifetime of safe, effective hunting enjoyment, then I urge you to find out more about YHEC programs available in your area. Go to www.nrahq.org/hunting/yhec/contacts.asp or call (703) 267-1524 for more information.

You can go a step further and help support the Youth Hunter Education Challenge-or any of our hunter training or youth educational efforts-by making a contribution to The NRA Foundation. To find out how your gift can support the hunting traditions and freedoms of future generations while affording tax benefits for you and your family today, please contact Heide Kaser at hkaser@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1622.

In 1787, John Adams wrote, "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom."

Today, I believe there is no better way to teach young people safety, ethics, respect for our natural resources and all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship-from the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, to the responsibility to vote than through positive programs like the Youth Hunter Education Challenge.

If you agree, please join me in supporting these vital efforts.