John Clites
As one of the true experts in the shooting sports and one of the foremost hunting instructors in the tri-state area and beyond, Hyndman graduate. John Clites has received numerous awards and accolades in both civilian life as well as the military. The list of Clites’ credentials is impressive throughout the shooting/hunting world.
Here are a few of the honors:
Army Reserve Shooting Team from 1970-76
NRA Silhouette Shooter
Chevy Truck Challenge Coach and Competitor (1990-2001)
Sporting Clays Shooter with AA Rating
North American Hunting Club and NSSF Mentor of the Year in 2011
NRA Silhouette Pa. State Team 6 times as a shooter and coach
National Sporting Clays Association AA Rating
Captain of the professional team Silver Bullet shooting team
Of all the awards and competition championships that he has received, he is most proud of his coaching and mentoring career, particularly with the young, aspiring hunters and shooters throughout the tri-state area. He recently was credited for mentoring and coaching his 15,000th student.
That is an amazing number and certainly illustrates an extraordinary love and desire to pass on his shooting/hunting skills to young and old alike. He has worked with students as young as 5 and as old as 92.
He is still taking on students that want to increase their hunting and shooting proficiency. He teaches male and female students starting at the age of 10 in rifle, shotgun, handgun, and muzzleloader for both big-game and small-game hunting.
John has successfully hunted throughout the country, and he has taken in numerous species of animals, but he says his favorite is still the elusive whitetail deer.
He has also served as a guide for many people for hunting those species as well.
One of the greatest thrills of his life is serving as a guide and helping an aspiring hunter bag his first game animal.
The Bedford County shootist is proud an incredible resume, including being a certified NRA rifle, shotgun, handgun, and muzzleloader instructor and Range Safety Officer since 1983, and being a competitive shooter since the 1970s.
He competed in the national championships in many different disciplines, and his best finish was in 1990, when he took sixth place. That earned him a spot on the 10-person NRA Metallic Silhouette National Team.
He will be presented by Chuck Gentile and Carl Bernosky for his Bedford County Hall of Fame Induction.
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