Governor Greg Gianforte announced on Friday, September 23, that he would be hosting a 2022 Youth Hunting Story Contest for Montana youth and apprentice hunters ages 10-17. The launch of this contest marks an inaugural event that will celebrate the hunting heritage in Montana. With a deadline of Monday, November 28, the contest is now open and accepting story entries about animals harvested by Montana youth hunters during the 2022 hunting seasons.

Young and apprentice hunters wishing to enter their hunts into the contest should write and submit a story of no more than 500 words along with a photo from their outdoor experiences. From these entries, the governor will select ten winners, five from the 10-13 age group and another five from the 14-17 age group. Winning hunters will not only be invited to the State Capitol in mid-December to be recognized by the governor but be awarded prizes from Stone Glacier, Vista Outdoor, and Sitka.

In order to be eligible, contestants must be Montana residents and licensed or apprentice hunters. Stories of pursuing and harvesting any legal game, birds, or furbearing animals in Montana will be eligible.

About the contest, Governor Gianforte commented: “Hunting is a proud tradition in Montana that will be carried on by the next generation. This contest will allow us to read about their adventures and recognize ten young hunters as the contest winners at the State Capitol this December.”

Anyone interested in learning more or wishing to enter the Governor’s Youth Hunting Story Contest is encouraged to visit youthhunting.mt.gov. By entering, a person authorizes the use of his/her photo in promotion of this contest. Entries submitted by November 28 are limited to one per hunter. Any falsified entries will be disqualified.