Redwood County Pheasants Forever is committed to supporting our area youth. Growing outdoor men and women is more than teaching our youth about good stewardship and healthy hobbies; it’s about setting youth up for success as they begin down the path to what’s next. Redwood County has been fortunate enough to foster several youth who have been able to use shooting sports as a setting stone to lift them up to what’s next.
Redwood County Pheasants Forever Supports Area Youth
Shaun Mathews is a Junior this year at River Valley High School. At the January 2024 Redwood County Pheasants Forever board meeting, Shaun presented the group with a scholarship request to help train for a national shooting competition this year in Nebraska. For those aware of how the national shooting competitions work, a competitor is only allowed to compete in one competition once in their career. Previously, Shaun has competed in the air rifle division. This year he is looking to compete in shotgun, trap, sporting clay and skeet.
To prepare for this competition, Shaun Mathews is a dedicated athlete. Similar to other shooters in the club, he shoots five rounds a night, twice a week from now through June. Shaun has also been working with a shooting coach from Shooters to help him improve leading up to the national competition and beyond. In that time, he’s picked up on average 6 clays per round! As avid shooters ourselves, we know it is expensive to shoot, even clays. Shaun is looking forward to shooting twice through June and working with his shooting coach in preparation for the national shooting competition. Redwood County Pheasants Forever has chosen to donate $1,000 to 4-H Shooting Sports to assist with training
As Shaun heads into his senior year, he is hopeful to follow in his peer Jared Zollner’s footsteps by receiving scholarships to attend college and shoot at the collegiate level. We look forward to following him in his future endeavors.
Winner of All Expense Paid Trip to National NRA Summit
The NRA hosts a National Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) annually. Shaun is one of 23 high school students selected from sophomores and juniors across the country. This opportunity includes an all expenses paid week long trip to our nation’s capital, NRA museum, and NRA range. It also includes over $40,000 of scholarship opportunities that are awarded on site culminating a grand scholarship at the end of the week.
This Is Why We Do What We Do
Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs. This sponsorship supports our mission by supporting youth who are interested in keeping our passion alive. Youth like Shaun are setting the foundation for the future of our hunting heritage. He has been an avid Redwood County Pheasants Forever volunteer and supporter throughout our events. We look forward to watching his success at the upcoming national competition.