Shooting Sports & Wildlife Project

Explore firearms safety and the importance of protecting Minnesota's natural resources. Learn the safe use of air pistols, air rifles, .22 cal. rifles, shotguns, black-powder guns and archery. Wildlife education may include environmental awareness talks, a trip to forest resource centers, floods and natural disaster clean-up, or canoe trips to explore topography changes. Watch this video and see what 4-H youth are doing in 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife.

New rule change for 2012 State Shoot - Please note!

At the March, 2011 MN 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife PDC meeting, a rule change was made that is effective in 2012 and will affect participants at the MN State 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Invitational. Please ensure that all coaches and youth are aware of this change.

Members must complete 15 hours of on-line training per discipline with 8 hours of annual updates, and 8 annual hours of wildlife education to participate at the MN 4-H State Shooting Sports & Wildlife event in September. Training MUST be conducted by 4-H certified coaches, certified in the discipline(s) they are instructing.

(This change is an increase in hours - from 5 to 8 hours of annual updates. This means that if a youth spent 15 hours of training their first year in a discipline, they must now have 8 hours of training in that discipline each additional year.)

Prepay program for shells and equipment

To promote the recruitment and development of young shooters, ATK Commercial Products (including Federal Premium Ammunition and Champion Traps and Target) offers a direct-sale discount program to approved youth shooting sports programs, including 4-H.

2011-12 ATK Youth Direct Pre-Paid Program - information and order form (104 K PDF)
prices valid until March 31, 2012
Shooting Sports supplies - order form (470 K PDF)
Educational materials - order form (65 K PDF)

State & regional events

To view county or local club events, visit the county website.

View all 4-H events

MN 4-H SS&W e-Newsletter!

We now offer a direct, monthly e-newsletter that offers additional current SS&W events and resources. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, please e-mail Nicole Pokorney at pokorney@umn.edu.

Shooting Sports & Wildlife Leader Certification

Shooting Sports & Wildlife instructors must be certified. This is a weekend training designed to cover the knowledge and rules to become a certified instructor in one of these disciplines: Archery, Muzzleloading, Shotgun, Air Rifle/Air Pistol/.22 Rifle, Wildlife and Coordinator. It covers life skills, state regulations, and content skills needed for each. More info

Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Invitational

4-H youth in grades 3 - one year past high school who have completed 15 hours of shooting with a certified instructor and eight hours of wildlife education may participate in the following areas: Archery, Muzzleloading, Shotgun, Air Rifle, Air Pistol, .22 Rifle, Silhouette Fun Shoot and a Skill-a-thon. More info

National 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Competition

Earn a spot from the state shoot and have an opportunity to attend this week-long national shoot. More info

4-H Regional & State Project Bowls

Project Bowls are an exciting way for youth to explore a project area. Teams compete in quiz competitions with questions about specific project areas. Project Bowls are available for Dairy, Dog, General Livestock (Beef, Sheep & Swine), Horse, Poultry, Rabbit and Wildlife projects. Winners of the Regional Bowls advance to the State Bowl. More info

Minnesota State Fair

4-H plays a pivotal role in youth development and public education at the Minnesota State Fair. Over 7,000 4-H youth have the opportunity to interact with the public and educate fairgoers through 4-H exhibits, demonstrations, performances, and 4-H promotion. More info