The numbers are in, and there are 721 Competitors registered from 40 States for the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships being held June 23-28 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Heartland Public Shooting Park will host the Compound Archery, Hunting & Outdoor Skills, Muzzleloading, Recurve Archery, Shotgun, Smallbore Pistol, and Smallbore Rifle events. The Pinnacle Bank Arena will host the Air Pistol, and Air Rifle events. These nine different disciplines will compete in 27 different events. 

For example, the 161 registered archers will shoot a ½ World Archery Outdoor Target (formally FITA) round, a ½ Field round, and a 30-target 3-D round.

“I believe one of the most grueling disciplines is Hunting & Outdoor Skills” says Scott Stuhr, National 4-H Shooting Sports Program Coordinator. “Not to take anything away from the other disciplines, but these competitors not only have to be proficient in shooting 3 different pieces of equipment, but they also have all that studying and practice to do for the written tests and other competitions they do each day.”

Day one for the 45 registered Hunting & Outdoor Skills competitors start with a 15-target 3-D Archery course followed by identifying specimens by using skulls, furs, wings, feathers, tracks, scat, or sound. They will also take a written test with questions pertaining to habitat, behavior, wildlife management, breeding seasons, or other characteristics. Day two is a 15-target hit or miss shotgun competition that simulates different hunting scenarios. The Hunter Skills test is based off topics such as first aid, decoys, game recovery, firearms/ammunition, or game care to name a few. Then there is a written test on map interpretation and reading. A 15-target rifle competition, with 2-D animal targets, begins day three. The test includes subjects such as ethics, safety, landowner relationships, and federal and state game laws. They may also view videos of hunting situations and be asked if they should “shoot or don’t shoot” and “why”. There is a hunting scenario given to the participants prior to the competition that the participants must prepare for and be able to answer questions about. A compass course, using a real compass (no GPS allowed) rounds out the day.

For more information about the National 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships please visit. National Championships

If interested in volunteering at the National Championships, please visit Volunteer Opportunities

To learn more about 4-H Shooting Sports, go to https://4-hshootingsports.org.

For information on having a booth, sponsoring an event, or becoming a supporter of 4-H Shooting Sports, or anything else related to 4-H Shooting Sports, please contact Scott Stuhr, at coordinator@4-hshootingsports.org