The sudden passing of outdoorsman Ryan Rector from a work accident in 2022 left the community of Naples devastated. The 27-year-old hunter, mentor, fire chief, and business owner was well-known and well-liked, and his untimely passing created a gaping hole in his absence. To honor Rector’s passion for turkey hunting and penchant for mentorship, his loved ones organized the Ryan Rector Youth Opportunity Foundation, which has now completed its second annual youth turkey hunt weekend. The youth turkey hunt connects youth hunters to mentors, recognizes youth for participating in hunting, and awards prizes for the top turkeys taken.
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“One of the things Ryan always did that was important to him was take kids hunting,” Rector’s stepdad Steve Cromwell said. “He had a soft spot for kids. From the time he was 18, he always took kids out for youth weekend, usually two kids that didn’t necessarily come from a hunting family, that he could share his passion for hunting with.”
The concept of the youth turkey hunt is fairly simple. Thanks to a host of sponsors, it is free to register. Youth hunters aged 12 to 15, that have taken the hunter safety course, may hunt in any Wildlife Management Unit throughout the state. If a registering youth does not have an adult mentor to hunt with, coordinators will do their best to connect them to one. Hunters must be present at the Turkey Camp award ceremony, held at the Maxfield Hose Company in Naples, to win prizes or raffles. Trophies are presented for a variety of harvested turkeys, and beyond trophies, all youth hunters are eligible for additional prizes, whether they harvested a turkey or not. The point isn’t so much to put all the emphasis on the biggest turkey, Cromwell said, but rather, to celebrate the youth hunters that get afield to participate.
“We know we are going to get kids from hunting families to sign up, and that’s awesome,” Cromwell said. “But one of the things we really wanted to focus on was, how do we get kids out there to hunt that may not have an opportunity to hunt to get out there and see what it is all about.”
The Ryan Rector Youth Opportunity Foundation was started within a year of Rector’s passing as a way to honor and remember him. Once the idea was formed, organizing the first event happened quickly. Rector’s parents came up with the concept on St. Patrick’s day of last year, and the first youth hunt was held that spring.
“Our son had a huge circle of friends,” Cromwell said. “When we came up with the idea, a group of his friends that had hunted with him stepped up to volunteer as mentors.”
The first year kicked off with 60 youth hunters participating, with 26 turkeys harvested, from across the region from Buffalo to Waterloo. The second year had the participation of 70 kids, 22 of which filled turkey tags. Both years, the top trophy for the biggest gobbler killed went to a female youth hunter.
“For us, a win is getting a kid in the woods to experience a sunrise, hear a turkey gobbling, and to feel that adrenaline,” Cromwell said. “The idea is whether a youth is successful or not, whether they shoot a jake or a 22-pounder, the win is getting out there and going turkey hunting.”
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