Wyoming Youth Hunting Championships June 8 in Upton

Of all high school state championships – football, golf, soccer, speech/debate, track and field – none are more “Wyoming” than the state hunting championships.

The Youth Hunter Education Challenge, as it’s officially called, will be held June 8 near Upton. Young hunters need not qualify in a regional or district tournament to compete. All Wyoming youth 18 and younger who have passed hunter education are eligible to showcase their hunting skills (and probably learn a little).

The challenge tests youngsters in sporting clays-style trap shooting; .22, muzzleloader and archery marksmanship;wildlife identification; orienteering and hunter safety judgments.

“The challenge is designed to be a fun event for all participants – not just the winners,” said Jim Dawson, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s hunter education coordinator.

This is the sixth year the challenge has been hosted by the Upton Gun Club and officially sanctioned by the National Rifle Association. Participants in both age categories (15-18 years old and 14 and younger) are eligible to advance to the international competition to be held July 21-26 at the NRA’s Whittington Center near Raton, N.M. Several Wyoming youngsters have competed in the international since the Wyoming state competition began.

In addition to the department and the gun club, the challenge is sponsored by the Wyoming Friends of the NRA, Cabela’s and a variety of Wyoming businesses. All participants receive a prize for competing.

To participate, youth must submit copies of their hunter education card, birth certificate, photo, and a $10 entry fee. Entry forms are available at Game and Fish offices or at wgfd.wyo.gov.

“The members of the Upton Gun Club do yeoman’s work making this a fun, memorable event for the youngsters involved,” Dawson added.

For more information, contact Dawson at 307-473-3400 or Rick Rothleutner of the Upton Gun Club at 307-281-9980.

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Shotgun Life Announces “Contextual Advertising” as a Part of Complete Redesign

Contextual Advertising Automatically Pairs Ads With Editorial, Giving Direct Relevancy to Companies Reaching Affluent Wing and Clays Shooters

Shotgun Life (www.shotgunlife.com), the first online magazine dedicated to the best in wing and clays shooting, announced the industry’s first Contextual Advertising – a unique system that automatically matches a company’s products with quality editorial benefits.

Contextual Advertising lets companies run multiple ads on Shotgun Life, which are routinely matched with stories based on key words and other corresponding factors. For example, a shotshell manufacturer can run one ad for subgauge shells, another ad for waterfowl shells and yet a third for upland shells depending on the nature of the story. A gun case company can match their products with over/under, semi-automatic or side-by-side shotguns. Categories can also be established by gender, helping advertisers reach the 37% of Shotgun Life readers who are women.

Shotgun Life’s new Contextual Advertising complements its superior Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is built into its Internet software platform. Since so many shooters now scour the Internet for information before making a buying decision, Shotgun Life’s SEO, combined with Contextual Advertising, educate potential customers beyond the ocean of “guns for sale” classifieds that proliferate the Internet. This powerful combination of Contextual Advertising and SEO effectively gives advertisers intelligent Internet exposure in-perpetuity.

“Having spent 15 years in Silicon Valley as a marketing and media-relations professional, the Shotgun Life team brings a wealth of related experience to the wing and clays shooting industry,” said Shotgun Life Publisher, Irwin Greenstein.

Shotgun Life’s Contextual Advertising and SEO campaigns are complemented by an aggressive social-marketing program that reaches some 50 affinity groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs.

These new capabilities are complemented by a redesign that conveys a luxurious upscale image. The online magazine now features a leather backdrop, easy-to-read royal blue headlines, rotating lead stories and exciting new opportunities for streaming-media marketing.

Because of the underlying modular software platform, ads can be moved anywhere on Shotgun Life, and for a very modest premium companies can mix-and-match different ads throughout the online magazine.

Read and join the discussion on Shotgun Life Announces “Contextual Advertising” as a Part of Complete Redesign at OutdoorHub.com.

Conservation Group to Hold Youth Hunt and Sporting Clay Shoot in Cross Village, Michigan

The Eastern UP Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) will host its 6th annual Youth Hunt and Sporting Clay Shoot on Saturday, September  8, 2012 at the Wycamp Lake Shooting Preserve in Cross Village, MI, from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

According to Jim Rose, the event is open to youngsters ages 10-16 who took and passed a hunter education course and have a valid Michigan small game hunting license. Participants must also wear hunter orange, have eye and ear protection and be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Each youngster will have an opportunity to shoot 25 rounds of sporting clays and participate in a three bird hunt with a guide and dog. Registration, which includes lunch, is $45 for RGS members and $55 for non-members (Junior membership included).

Participants are to bring their own shotgun, chapter will furnish 12 and/or 20-gauge shells.

For more information and/or registration call Rose at 906-292-5570.

Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is the one international wildlife conservation organization dedicated to promoting conditions suitable for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and related wildlife to sustain our sport hunting tradition and outdoor heritage.

Information on the RGS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

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