Outdoor Youth Challenge Winners at National Hunting and Fishing Days Celebration

            Winners have been announced for the Outdoor Youth Challenge held during West Virginia’s Celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Days Sept. 27 and 28 at Stonewall Resort State Park, according to Shawn Head of the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. This year, the Challenge events were moved to the side of the lake where most other activities were set up and rules were changed to allow more youth entries. Any youth between the ages of 6 and 18 could participate, and they had to complete at least 10 of 20 events related to hunting, fishing and outdoors recreation to be eligible for prize drawings at the end of each day. There were approximately 349 youth signed up for this year’s Challenge. Youth entrants could participate just for fun or could sign up to compete (junior group or senior group) for grand prizes. This year’s grand prize winners in the competition were:

Saturday

• Jarred Perkins of Montcalm, W.Va., who won a lifetime hunting and fishing license, but since he already had one, accepted the monetary value of the license to purchase equipment at Jerry’s Sporting Goods Store in Weston;
• Kody Seech of Buckhannon, W.Va., who won a Junior Group Junior Conservation Camp Scholarship and Jonathan Alton of Weston, W.Va., who won a Senior Group State Conservation Camp scholarship;

Sunday

• Kenny Moore of French Creek, W.Va., who won a lifetime hunting and fishing license;
• Corey Hostuttler of Mannington, W.Va., who won a Junior Group Junior Conservation Camp Scholarship, and Lenny Wheatly of Walkersville, W.Va., who won a Senior Group State Conservation Camp scholarship.

            The two lifetime hunting and fishing licenses were donated by the Chestnut Ridge and Prickett’s Fort Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The four Conservation Camp scholarships were sponsored by Mountain Air Services of Buckhannon, W.Va.

             “The Outdoor Youth Challenge is probably the most important single event at West Virginia’s Celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Days,” according to DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “It encourages our youth to learn new skills and to gain important knowledge and experience about wildlife, hunting, fishing, firearm safety, law enforcement and outdoor recreation. For some youngsters, this may be the only opportunity they will have to be exposed to these fun and exciting outdoor activities.”