Destination Denali

Aug 19, 2025 4:39:36 PM

10-minute read

First-hand account with attendee and RRS employee, Barrett Young

On June 21–22, 2025, the National Rifle League hosted the Alaskan Wilderness Hunter match. This was their first “destination match,” hosted in Cantwell, Alaska, just outside Denali National Park. I was lucky enough to attend and compete in the most unique match I’ve ever experienced, representing Really Right Stuff.

RRS Employee, Barrett Young

Preparing for Alaska

Traveling to Alaska for a precision rifle match is more involved than your average range day. I poured over my packing list before meticulously packing my rifle, ammo, and equipment in a locked, hard-sided case. Pro-tip: There is no guarantee that airport employees understand their firearm policies as well as you do. So before heading to the airport, print a hard copy of the TSA and your airlines firearm policies and carry it with you for quick reference while declaring firearms. TSA was confused why I had a sandbag (Armageddon Gear Shmedium Mid-Size Game Changer, heavy fill) in my carry-on backpack. After rifling through my bag, and swabbing for explosives, they cleared me with only a few minutes of delay. The flight to Anchorage was uneventful, landing just before midnight on Wednesday, with the sun still shining high.

On Thursday morning, I bought bug spray, a 35-pack of water bottles, some beef jerky, and drove to Talkeetna. The 2-hour drive north of Anchorage was gorgeous. It was a perfect Alaskan summer day, 80-degree weather without a cloud in sight. I stopped at Upper Susitna Shooters Association rifle range to confirm my zero and Data On Previous Engagements (DOPE). To my surprise, my rifle held zero during the 2100-mile flight and baggage handling from Salt Lake City to Anchorage.

To prepare for the match, I trained in Utah’s high desert mountain ranges, practicing shots across gusty ridgelines, steep inclines, and distances stretching to 1,000 yards. The more I practiced, the more refined my DOPE became. I also competed in NRL22 matches to refine my bag and tripod techniques while on the clock.

A photo of a competitor recording his DOPE.

Match Days

NRL Hunter matches take place over two days and mimics real-world hunting situations, challenging shooters to locate, range, and engage targets ranging from 15 yards to 1,000 yards in less than four minutes. Competitors are required to hike between stages in mountainous terrain, so the conditions can be very demanding. Shooters could earn a maximum of eight points per stage, across 20 stages, for a total of 160 points. Each stage is blind, with competitors not knowing the location of the targets or the firing positions before their four minutes begin.

The Denali match brought together 167 shooters, with most—60 to 70%—traveling from the Lower 48 to compete. The setting was unreal: Alaska’s high tundra, surrounded by vast views, clear skies, and steep canyons. Since I would be the Range Officer (RO) for the RRS-sponsored side stage during the main match days, I shot the full 2-day course of fire on Friday, during the official RO range day. ROs shoot the entire course beforehand so they can help administer the main event.

Shooting from a prone position was challenging in this environment due to the low scrub foliage. I took almost every shot at the match, kneeling behind one of our carbon fiber tripods. This allowed me to shoot over the bushes and grass, while maintaining near-prone levels of stability. During my favorite stage, I shot from a standing position through a grove of trees. For these shots, I set my tripod to standing height and clamped my rifle in the Anvil 30 ARC ball head while bracing the butt of the rifle stock against a tree for rear support. This provided near-perfect stability, and I cleaned the stage. Friday ran a bit late; we started at 7 am and ended at 10 pm. While it was a long, exhausting day, the summer solstice was in full effect, so there was no shortage of sunlight.

At our RRS-sponsored side stage, participants had the opportunity to shoot with one of our TFCT-34L carbon fiber tripods for the chance to win a free RRS tripod of their choice. Shooters would engage two bear silhouettes (324 yards and 420 yards) first from a kneeling position, then adjust the tripod to a standing position, then re-engage the targets. The winner of the side stage, Cole Sikes, finished with 4/4 impacts in a blazing one minute and sixteen seconds.

At one point during the weekend, we shut down the stage so an actual black bear could safely pass behind the target without getting hit. What’s a trip to Alaska if you don’t see a bear or two? Saturday ran late, ending at 10 pm, yet again. By the end of the event, I was exhausted; the late nights, little food, and lack of sleep were all catching up to me, but I had a blast. Monday morning, I headed to the airport for my flight home and declared my firearms and ammo without issue. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport might be the easiest airport in the world to check in a firearm.

Overall, it was a great trip and a fantastic match. I would personally like to thank Sarah and the Long Range Shooters of Alaska for all the work they put in behind the scenes. Congrats to the overall winner, Clayton Smith, who scored 143 out of 160 total points. This event was my personal best, shooting just outside of the 25th percentile. This was the most organized NRL Hunter event I have personally attended, and I was very impressed, especially given the rural Alaskan venue. I look forward to next year's events and hope to eventually attend another NRL match in Alaska.

Final Thoughts

You won’t find a better venue or better people than at the NRL Alaska Wilderness Hunter Match. Having grown up in Alaska, this place will always hold a special place in my heart. Getting to enjoy the beauty of the state while also pushing myself mentally and physically, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you ever get the chance to travel to Alaska to shoot a match, hunt, or even vacation, do it.