DSC and NRA: Training the Next Generation of Hunters and Shooters

I stumble upon so many good things by chance. When I called friend, outdoor writer and TV host Larry Weishuhn to track down some images for American Hunter yesterday, he was excited to tell me he was heading for the Dallas Safari Club’s (DSC) biannual S.A.F.E.T.Y. Extravaganza youth event in Mingus, Texas, this weekend. Twice a year since 1998, the DSC invites 125 inner-city kids from the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, along with one of their parents, to come to Mingus’ Greystone Castle hunting resort and enjoy one-on-one safety instruction in archery, crossbow, shotgun, rifle, pistol and black powder. What a great mix of activities, I thought. Participants also take part in a safety skills exercise to apply what they’ve learned, further emphasizing safety first.

Aptly named, S.A.F.E.T.Y. stands for:
S-Shooting
A-Archery
F-Field
E-Excellency
T-Trials for
Y-Youth

For information on future DSC S.A.F.E.T.Y. Extravaganzas, visit the DSC website or call 800-399-3006.

The event makes me think about the NRA’s own youth hunting program, the Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC). Recognized as the most comprehensive youth hunting program in North America, YHEC is NRA's “graduate studies” program in outdoor skills and safety training for young hunters. Open only to those who have completed hunter-safety training at the state or provincial level, YHEC is conducted under simulated hunting conditions to provide the best practical environment for reinforcing and testing a young hunter's skills in all shooting disciplines and includes instruction in hunter safety and orienteering. For information, visit YHEC or call NRA Hunter Services at 800-492-4868.