More than 3,500 students will compete in the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s 44^th annual Youth Hunter Education Skills Tournaments (YHEST) this month. Events will include shotgun, archery, rifle, orienteering and a written hunting skills exam.

The 2022 schedule by state wildlife district is:

District 1: March 26, Eastern 4-H Center, Columbia

District 2: March 12, New Hanover Law Enforcement Officer Range, Castle Hayne

District 3: March 19, Rose Hill Sporting Clays and Hunt Reserve, Nashville

District 4: March 19, Falcon Community Range, Falcon

District 5: March 5, Chatham County Wildlife Club, Bear Creek

District 6: March 26, Lentz Hunter Education Complex, Ellerbe

District 7: March 5, Hunting Creek Shooting Preserve, Harmony

District 8: March 19, Catawba Valley Wildlife Club, Vale

District 9: March 19, Polk County Gun Club, Columbus

Competition is conducted on senior (high school) and junior (middle and elementary schools) divisional levels, with overall team and overall individual awards based on aggregate scores in all events. Home-schooled students and teams representing 4-H or FFA can also compete, provided they meet eligibility requirements. Sixty teams will move on to compete at the state tournament on April 30 at the Lentz Hunter Education Complex in Ellerbe. For more info about the Youth Hunter Education Skills Tournament, go to ncwildlife.org/YHEST.

While the competition is for students 18 years and younger, the Wildlife Commission offers free hunter education courses and advanced hunter education on a regular schedule for all ages. For more information, go to ncwildlife.org/huntered or call 919-707-0031.