Last week, in the heat of a Bentonville, Arkansas summer, a group of spirited Louisiana youngsters showcased their mastery in a series of outdoor skills at the 2025 Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) National Championship. According to an announcement by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, these young guns from the ‘Pelican State’ didn't just compete, they dominated, with the Louisiana Bayou Bandits Gold team clinching the top overall junior team award.
It wasn’t just about the teamwork; individual performances were no less stellar. Coben Trosclair, a sharpshooter from the Bayou Bandits Gold, bagged the overall top individual award in the Senior Division. His prowess with both a bow and a shotgun saw him to also take the top individual prizes in the Senior Archery and Shotgun competitions. Trosclair's teammate, Kent Rains of the Bayou Bandits Copper team, proved equally formidable, effortlessly ranking fourth in overall senior award and emerging as the top individual in Senior Rifle.
The event drew approximately 200 participants, youths aged between 10 to 18, from nine states including Louisiana, with competitors exercising their skills across a spectrum of disciplines. Each challenge was designed to not just test but to hone a variety of different outdoor skills from wildlife identification to orienteering and a range of shooting disciplines. Louisiana’s youth teams excelled, garnering the top team ranking in four categories – Junior Muzzleloader, Junior Responsibility Exam, Junior Orienteering and Senior Wildlife ID.
Evidently, Louisiana’s juniors were not there to merely participate, but to dramatically raise the bar in individual orienteering. The state swept the category with Ehren Gros seizing first place, Collin Henry taking second, Sydnee Myhand clinching third, and Logan Benoit nabbing fourth.
