To run a county or multi-county shooting sports and wildlife program, instructors must be certified by Minnesota 4-H. Leader certification trainings are designed to cover the essential knowledge and rules to become a certified 4-H county instructor.
Extension is expanding its online education and resources to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions.
4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Project
What you'll do
Learn important life skills through safe and educational experiences. You'll explore firearms safety and the importance of conserving Minnesota's natural resources. Trained and certified 4-H leaders throughout Minnesota lead this program.
- Wildlife (All ages)
- BB gun (3rd grade & older)
- Archery (3rd grade & older)
- Air rifle and air pistol (4th grade & older)
- .22 rifle and .22 pistol (7th grade & older)
- Muzzleloading (7th grade & older)
- Shotgun (7th grade & older)
What you'll learn
- Ethics, sportsmanship and responsibility
- Leadership skills
- Safe storage and handling of firearms and archery equipment
4-H shooting sports events
Young people from across Minnesota will have the opportunity to compete in local meets in events including archery, muzzle loader, shotgun, air rifle, .22 rifle and air pistol. Skillathon, wildlife calling, conservation projects and cast iron cooking will be available in a virtual format.
Teams of 3-6 youth compete on their knowledge of dairy cattle, dogs, general livestock, horses, lamas, poultry, rabbits and wildlife.
Levels of learning
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Get started with 4-H'ers in your area
All shooting sports & wildlife activities are supervised by adults. Find a club near you or contact your local 4-H office for more info.
Get started on your own
- Shooting sports hot sheet from Iowa 4-H (free download)
- Minnesota 4-H SS&W monthly e-newsletter: Get current SS&W events and resources. To subscribe, contact Nicole Pokorney.
- Shooting Sports and Wildlife Advancement Guide
- Project bowl sample questions
- Civilian Marksmanship Program
- Find shooting ranges in your county
- National Shooting Sports Foundation
- Archery in the parks
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Hunter safety classes
- Hunters Education
- National Wild Turkey Organization
- Pheasants Forever
- Parks & Trails TV - Minnesota
- Federal Youth Shotshell Program
- Skill-a-Thon master keys
- 4-H youth record keeping
Already enrolled in the 4-H Shooting Sports Project?
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The Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for people in grades 9-13. Ambassadors promote and enhance the Minnesota 4-H State SS&W Program. They take part in a two-day leadership training and they positively represent the program at state, regional, and local events throughout the year.
Project resources for volunteers
Find volunteer support materials for this project and much more on the volunteer site.
To volunteer with 4-H in your area, contact your local 4-H office.
Fairs and exhibits
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- Explain safety techniques in a video or photo display
- Identify key field game, including animal habitat, features, differences
- Report on your work as a leader in this project
- Report on what ethical behavior looks like in the shooting sports project
- Make a taxidermy display
- Show and serve a game dish that you have prepared
What a judge is looking for (project evaluation sheet)
County fair judging - what's that like?
Record keeping
4-H youth record keeping helps you reflect on your project and share what you did and learned.
Find out how to become a judge.
Contacts
Nicole Pokorney, 4-H youth development educator, pokorney@umn.edu or 1-507-536-6304
Judy Christians, SS&W events manager, chri1420@umn.edu, 507-372-3900, ext. 3902
Reviewed in 2020
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