Louisiana Youth Shine in Outdoor Skills at 2025 YHEC National Championship | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Youth from across Louisiana proved they are among the best in the nation in outdoor skills at the 2025 Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) National Championship last week in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The Louisiana Bayou Bandits Gold team earned the top overall junior team award and Louisiana teams earned the top team ranking in four categories – Junior Muzzleloader, Junior Responsibility Exam, Junior Orienteering and Senior Wildlife ID.

Individually, Coben Trosclair of the Bayou Bandits Gold team earned the overall top individual award in the Senior Division while Kent Rains of the Bayou Bandits Copper team took fourth overall senior award. Trosclair also was the top individual in the Senior Archery and Shotgun competitions while Rains was the top individual in Senior Rifle. In the Juniors Division, Louisiana dominated the individual orienteering category with Ehren Gros taking first, Collin Henry getting second, Sydnee Myhand getting third and Logan Benoit taking fourth.

Approximately 200 participants ages 10-18 from nine states -- Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming -- took part in the event which included competitions in wildlife identification, orienteering, safety trail, shotgun, archery, rifle, muzzleloader and pistol shooting as well as a hunter responsibility exam.

Congratulations to all of the 2025 Louisiana YHEC participants!

Louisiana award winners include:

Team Awards

Junior Division

1^st Place Overall – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Mathew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

5^th Place Overall – Bayou Bandits Bronze: Collin Henry, Kayden Cantrell, Mason Walker, Monty Blanchard, Parker Arceneaux

5^th Place Archery – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

3^rd Place Shotgun – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

4^th Place Rifle – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

1^st Place Muzzleloader – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

2^nd Place Muzzleloader – Bayou Bandits Silver: Andrew Toups, Benton Trosclair, Bryon Peters, Cole Hebert, Kohen Hebert

1^st Place Responsibility Exam – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

3^rd Place Responsibility Exam – Bayou Bandits Copper: Allen Walker, Blaise Dillard, Brantly Tedder, Camden Dillard, Levi Church

5^th Place Responsibility Exam – Bayou Bandits Bronze: Collin Henry, Kayden Cantrell, Mason Walker, Monty Blanchard, Parker Arceneaux

4^th Place Safety Trail – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

2^nd Place Wildlife ID – Bayou Bandits Copper: Allen Walker, Blaise Dillard, Brantly Tedder, Camden Dillard, Levi Church

4^th Place Wildlife ID – MASH Team: Baron Paul, Eli Thiels, Liam Thiels, Nathan Soileau, Trent Andries

1^st Place Orienteering – Bayou Bandits Gold: Andrew Hebert, Ehren Gros, Logan Benoit, Matthew Chaisson, Sydnee Myhand

3^rd Place Orienteering – Bayou Bandits Bronze: Collin Henry, Kayden Cantrell, Mason Walker, Monty Blanchard, Parker Arceneaux

4^th Place Orienteering – Bayou Bandits Copper: Allen Walker, Blaise Dillard, Brantly Tedder, Camden Dillard, Levi Church

Senior Division

5^th Place Overall – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron4

4^th Place Shotgun – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron

5^th Place Rifle – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron

2^nd Place Responsibility Exam – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron

2^nd Place Safety Trail – Bayou Bandits Copper: Audrey Pellegrin, Baylie Tedder, Kent Rains, Lillian Church, Xander Naquin

1^st Place Wildlife ID – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron

4^th Place Orienteering – MASH Team: Landon Glenn, Madeleine Soileau, Tallon Soileau, Tyler Layssard, Westin Airhart

5^th Place Orienteering – Bayou Bandits Gold: Coben Trosclair, Hunter Poche, Joel Orgeron, Logan Andrus, Rana Orgeron

Individual Awards

Junior Division

2^nd Place Safety Trail – Logan Benoit, Bayou Bandits Gold

3^rd Place Safety Trail – Eli Thiels, MASH Team

9^th Place Safety Trail – Ehren Gros, Bayou Bandits Gold

2^nd Place Wildlife ID – Liam Thiels, MASH Team

3^rd Place Wildlife ID – Ehren Gros, Bayou Bandits Gold

4^th Place Wildlife ID – Allen Walker, Bayou Bandits Copper

6^th Place Wildlife ID – Camden Dillard, Bayou Bandits Copper

8^th Place Wildlife ID – Blaise Dillard, Bayou Bandits Copper

1^st Place Orienteering – Ehren Gros, Bayou Bandits Gold

2^nd Place Orienteering – Collin Henry, Bayou Bandits Bronze

3^rd Place Orienteering – Sydnee Myhand, Bayou Bandits Gold

4^th Place Orienteering – Logan Benoit, Bayou Bandits Gold

8^th Place Orienteering – Allen Walker, Bayou Bandits Copper

10^th Place Orienteering – Kayden Cantrell, Bayou Bandits Bronze

9^th Place Pistol – Andrew Toups, Bayou Bandits Silver

Senior Division

1^st Place Overall – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

4^th Place Overall – Kent Rains, Bayou Bandits Copper

1^st Place Archery – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

7th Place Archery – Westin Airhart, MASH Team

1^st Place Shotgun – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

10^th Place Shotgun – Luke Landry, Bayou Bandits Bronze

1^st Place Rifle – Kent Rains, Bayou Bandits Copper

2^nd Place Rifle – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

10^th Place Muzzleloader – Joel Orgeron, Bayou Bandits Gold

5^th Place Responsibility Exam – Tallon Soileau, MASH Team

7^th Place Responsibility Exam – Kent Rains, Bayou Bandits Copper

9^th Place Responsibility Exam – Logan Andrus, Bayou Bandits Gold

5^th Place Safety Trail – Kent Rains, Bayou Bandits Copper

8^th Place Safety Trail – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

3^rd Place Wildlife ID – Rana Orgeron, Bayou Bandits Gold

5^th Place Wildlife ID – Kent Rains, Bayou Bandits Copper

7^th Place Orienteering – Westin Airhart, MASH Team

8^th Place Orienteering – Logan Andrus, Bayou Bandits Gold

9^th Place Orienteering – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold

5^th Place Pistol – Coben Trosclair, Bayou Bandits Gold