Natural Resources
4-H Shooting Sports Project
The Colorado 4-H Shooting Sports Project encourages youth to develop safe, responsible, and skilled use of various shooting disciplines, including archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, and muzzleloading.
Participants learn proper care, handling, and safety practices for each type of equipment, and demonstrate their knowledge and skills through practice, talks, demonstrations, exhibits, and competition at local, district, state and national levels if qualified.
The project also encourages exploring connections with other related areas, fostering discipline, focus, sportsmanship, and confidence while providing opportunities for advanced skill development and potential careers in shooting sports, law enforcement, or wildlife management.
Project Overview
Archery
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn care for and safety of archery equipment (recurve and compound)
- Demonstrate safety through practice, talks, demonstrations and exhibits
- Demonstrate skills in archery through local, district, and state events
- Explore other project areas in relation to archery
Air Rifle & Air Pistol
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn care for and safety of air rifle and air pistol equipment
- Demonstrate safety through practice, talks, demonstrations and exhibits
- Demonstrate skills in air rifle and air pistol through local, district, and state events
- Explore other project areas in relation to air rifle and air pistol
.22 Rifle & .22 Pistol
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn care for and safety of .22 rifle & .22 pistol equipment
- Demonstrate safety through practice, talks, demonstrations and exhibits
- Demonstrate skills in .22 rifle &.22 pistol through local, district, and state events
- Explore other project areas in relation to .22 rifle & .22 pistol
In order to participate in the Pistol project. Members must have completed at least one project year of 4-H Shooting Sports that includes live fire range experience with a firearm or air gun.
Shotgun & Muzzleloading
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn care for and safety of shotgun and muzzleloading equipment
- Demonstrate safety through practice, talks, demonstrations and exhibits
- Demonstrate skills in shotgun and muzzleloading through local, district, and state events
- Explore related projects
Outdoor Skills
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Investigate topics such as:
- The history, ethics, laws, and careers around hunting
- Types of hunting and outdoor equipment
- Preparing/planning for hunting including firearm safety and outdoor survival skills
- Hunting skills and techniques such as tracking game, field care and processing of game
- Characteristics of popular game species
Western Heritage
Designed for members 9-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Instill the practices of firearm safety, personal responsibility, and marksmanship along with an appreciation for American history.
- Learn in a participatory living history style through the use of historically accurate firearms, clothing, and accessories representative of the years 1860-1900.
- Optional: Create an “alias,” or name/costume representative of a character in the Old West.
In order to participate in the 4-H Western Heritage Project, 4-H members must:
- Have one project year of 4-H Shooting Sports that includes live fire range experience with a firearm or air gun.
- Be nine (9) years of age by December 31st of the current 4-H year and allowed only the use of small bore rifle and shotgun.
- Be eleven (11) years of age by December 31st of the current 4-H year and allowed use of Long Gun and Sidearm (.22 Rimfire rifle, .22 Rimfire pistol, and shotgun).
- Have written permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate in this project in compliance with the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Youth Handgun Safety Act of 1994.
Official Project Materials
Materials & Curriculum
Member Resources
Find Your County
Counties play a crucial role in 4-H by providing a platform for young people to learn and grow.
Counties facilitate the delivery of 4-H programs that are of particular interest in their area and qualified, compassionate adult leaders run local clubs to support our youth 4-H members.
To find out if this project is supported locally, contact your local extension office.
Upcoming Events
Currently there are no events scheduled at this time associated to this page. Please check back for the latest events as they are scheduled.
Project Tips
- The discipline that you select is the exhibit class that you will exhibit in.
- No live ammo or projectiles including arrows (with or without field points, broadheads), knives, functional or nonfunctional firearms or bows will be allowed to be displayed.
- Do not use the word weapon when creating your display.
- Make sure there are no safety violations in your display (Examples of violations: no earplugs or no safety glasses on a photo of a youth firing his/her firearm.)
Exhibit Types
Display Board Exhibits
- One display board illustrating something learned in the project this year.
- The display board size of 4 ft. x 3 ft. is to be used with all 4-H projects.
- Only two-dimensional items should be attached.
- The board should fold flat for transport.
Stand-Alone Exhibits
- One article which you made as a part of the project this year. Examples: gun stocks, decoys, quivers, but not limited to just these.
- Stand alone exhibits will be a maximum size of 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 7 feet in height as the item is intended for display.
- Follow unit requirements and rules in the State Fair Exhibit Requirements.
Decorative Exhibit Items
- One article which you made as a part of the project this year. This item would be considered a decorative item (lamps, shelves, jewelry, artwork, etc.)
- Decorative items will be a maximum size of 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 7 feet in height as the item is intended for display.
- Follow unit requirements and rules in the State Fair Exhibit Requirements.
Careers
Legal Activities
Businesses need support for their day-today activities to function and to be able to transition
Communications
Convey important product or service information and promote the industry
Wildlife Game Officer
Work with the public to ensure safety, conservation, and compliance
Engineer
Create new and exciting products to improve technology for safety and consumer satisfaction
Professional Guide
Spend time helping others enjoy the outdoors
Law Enforcement/
Security/Military
Provide safety, service, and education
History
Provide education to the public about historical events and equipment relating to the shooting industry
Competition
Join club, collegiate, or professional groups to participate in more shooting sports opportunities