An El Dorado County teenager won the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Wildlife Officer Foundation’s essay contest.

Brian McCoard, a 13-year-old hunter from Cool, will be awarded a lifetime hunting license at the International Sportsmen’s Exposition in Sacramento on Jan. 23.

Entrants explained what “Passing on the Tradition” of hunting means to them in 500 words or less.

McCoards’ winning essay emphasized that his father, Jared McCoard, is his role model in hunting in specific and life in general.

“I took my hunter safety course with three of my cousins. I was very nervous to take the test because I really wanted to pass it, but I have dyslexia and reading and taking tests are very difficult for me,” he wrote. “Through my dad’s hands-on lessons about hunting and gun safety, I was able to pass the written test. My dad is also dyslexic, and since he passed his test when he was my age, it gave me hope that I could pass my test also. My dad is not just my hunting mentor, he is my hero.”

The second place winner is Tyler Benedetti, 16, of Morgan Hill. Two competitors tied for third place: Ty Bauer, 12, of Eureka, and Joseph Lee, 16, of Hayward.