Arizona 4-H Shooting Sports

Our next Shooting Sports Level-1 Instructor training workshop will conduct 14-16 July 2023 at the James 4-H Camp located in the Mingus Mountains outside of Prescott, Arizona. During this event, instructor candidates will have the opportunity to become certified in two shooting sports disciplines over the course of the 2.5 day event. Registration information will be posted mid-March 2023.

Update as of 27 February 2023:  Congratulations to all of our competitors who braved the inclement weather across the state and made it out to Casa Grande.  Results for the match have been uploaded in the attachment below.  Remember, the top four senior competitors in each discipline qualify to move on to the National Match (assuming they have not attended Nationals in that discipline before).  

Update as of 13 February 2023:  Updated rules for this year's match are attached below.  If you have any questions reference any of the changes listed, please reach out to Erik.  Also, please note there was a typo in the address on the Air Championship Match flyer.  The correct address for our host VFW site is:  4853 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, Arizona 85018.

Update as of 27 January 2023:  Thank you everyone for getting your registrations completed in a timely manner.  I'm happy to report we have doubled our discipline entries from last year!  This year we have 160 entries in our match, including several entries in our re-introduced disciplines of Muzzleloading and Hunting Skills.  Stay tuned to the website for any changes that may occur to the schedule now that registration has closed.  If you are interested in volunteering to help out during the event, please reach out to Erik or your local county shooting sports representative.

Update as of 16 January 2023:  The February 2023 Arizona 4-H State Shooting Sports Championship Matches consists of the nine disciplines and courses of fire listed below.  Specific rules governing the courses of fire below will be released in the near future.  Expect most courses of fire to be reduced in length (compared with 4-H National Match rules) due to the time constraints we face during the weekend

Courses of fire have been selected based on the most recent 4-H National Match guidelines available as of the revision date of these rules.  They will be modified from their National Match origins due to time, resource and equipment limitations unique to Arizona Shooting Sports.  When a conflict occurs between an Arizona State Match rule and a National Match rule, the Arizona State Match rule  has precedence.  In the absence of a specified State Match rule, all National Match rules remain in effect.

The Arizona State Shooting Sports coordinator has the authority to modify, change, delete or add rules before or during any match. 

The 2023 Arizona State Shooting Sports Championships are right around the corner!   Z-Suite registration is now open (links below).  All competitors must be registered and paid via Z-Suite no later than 21 January 2023.  

As our updated 2023 State Match Rulebook has not been released yet, please reference the 2022 rulebook in the interim (link found at the bottom of the page).

Our state air rifle and air pistol match will be held on 18 February 2023, at VFW Post #720, 4853 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018.  Junior, Intermediate and Senior shooting sports project members will have the opportunity to compete in both air rifle and air pistol matches (or just one) during this event.  Championship silver belt buckles will be awarded to first place in each age division.  Our top four senior competitors qualify for the opportunity to represent Arizona at the 4-H Nationals Match in June 2023.  All competitors will receive a t-shirt commemorating their participation.  The match costs $25 to register plus $5 per discipline competed in.  Thus, a competitor who wants to participate in air rifle and air pistol will be charged $35 for the day.

Competitors should provide their own equipment for this match, including personal protective equipment and pellets.  That being said, should a member want to compete and not have access to equipment (air rifle, air pistol, safety glasses or pellets), please contact the State Shooting Sports Coordinator to arrange for use of loaner items as needed for the match.  Please note that we are relaxing equipment standards during this event in order to support maximum participation.  All .177 caliber, pellet-firing (non-precision classified, Sporter and below) air rifles will be allowed to be used as long as they have iron sights (non-optical or projecting) for the 3-position match.  The same rifles with iron sights or optics (non-projecting) are allowed during the silhouette match.  All .177 caliber, pellet-firing, iron sighted  (non-precision classified, Sporter and below) air pistols are allowed to be used during pistol matches.  Competitors may use iron sights or optics (non-projecting) on the same equipment during the silhouette pistol match.

Please arrive no later than 0730 to begin the check-in process and to take advantage of the allotted practice time.  (Bring your own practice targets.)  Note times listed below are subject to change based on the number of registrations received by the submittal deadline of 21 JAN 2023.  Should the timeline be adjusted, updates will be posted on this website.

Our state archery, shotgun, smallbore rifle, smallbore pistol, muzzeloader and hunting skills matches will be held 24-26 February 2023, at the Casa Grande Trap and Skeet Club located nine miles south of Casa Grande at 8015 S. Isom Rd., Casa Grande, Arizona 85193.  All of the above shooting disciplines offer competition opportunities for Junior, Intermediate and Senior 4-H members actively enrolled and participating in correlated shooting sports projects.  Senior members are competing for the opportunity to represent Arizona at the 4-H Nationals Match being held in Grand Island, Nebraska June 25-30, 2023.  Championship silver belt buckles will be awarded to first place in each age division for each discipline.  The event costs $25 to register plus $5 per discipline to enter, with the exception of shotgun.  (Shotgun entries will be charged an additional $15 due to the cost of clays used during the match.)  All competitors will receive a t-shirt commemorating their participation in the event.

During the Z-suite registration process, competitors may choose up to three disciplines they would like to compete in over the course of the weekend (one event during each time block).  Please note that the hunting skills match includes an archery 3-D course of fire that mandates competitors can safely utilize a bow (provided by the competitor) in various hunting scenarios. 

Equipment inspection/check-in forms are available for printing during the Z-Suite registration process.  Equipment utilized by competitors during the event must meet the standards listed for each match unless an exception to policy is approved by both the State Discipline Lead and the State Shooting Sports Coordinator.

Reserved camping with hook-ups is available at the event range complex for $25-$35 per night.  Please contact Casa Grande Trap and Skeet Club at 520-836-9926 to make reservations.  A discounted hotel block of rooms is anticipated to be released in the near future.  Lunch will be available on site from the American Legion on Saturday and Sunday, 25-26 February 2023, for $5 per plate.  There will also be snack items and beverages available for purchase with all proceeds benefiting the Arizona Shooting Sports program.

We will be conducting a raffle for various shooting sports and non-shooting sports items conducted during the event benefiting the Arizona 4-H Shooting Sports program.  There will also be a variety of optional fun-shoot challenges and 4-H Ambassador led activities available for competitors and non-competitors to participate in.

Timeline for the weekend is below.  Competitors are encouraged to register and complete equipment inspection on Friday, 24 February, in order to avoid potential long lines on Saturday and Sunday morning.  Those who complete their registration and inspection on Friday afternoon will also be allotted practice time on available ranges.  Please bring your own paper targets as desired.

18 NOV 22 Update:  Today is the day!  Please remember that we are meeting at the VFW in Tucson tonight at 6pm, NOT at the range.  We will be reviewing general 4-H education modules 1-4 as well as a class on Arizona 4-H shooting sports policy and procedure.  The address for tonight is: 8424 E. Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85710. 

Class reservations will be confirmed for all instructor students upon sign-in.  Block-one classes with a Saturday morning kick-off include:  Archery, Muzzleloader, Rifle and Shotgun.  Block-two classes starting late Saturday afternoon include:  Hunting Skills and Pistol.

16 NOV 22 Update:  Please be aware there is a bicycle race being held in the vicinity of the range complex this weekend in Tucson.  Recommend everyone considers using the Rita Rd. exit rather than the Houghton Rd. exit to access the ranges.  The bicycle race is expected to cause significant traffic delays in and around the Houghton Rd. area.

10 NOV 2022 Update:  Reduced rate hotel accomodations at one of the closest hotels to the range complex have been coordinated courtesy of the Pima County Shooting Sports Committee.  November 18, 19 and 20, the hotel is offering a rate of $179 for single/double occupancy and $189 triple/quad occupancy (plus applicable taxes).  Please let them know you are a part of Arizona 4-H Shooting Sports.

    Hampton Inn & Suites Tech Park

    9095 S Rita Rd

    Tucson, AZ 85747

25 OCT 2022 Update:  Registration, cost and scheduling information is available at the following link:  event page. 

Please be aware that our next training class for shooting sports Level-1 Instructor certification is scheduled to occur 14-16 July 2023 at James 4-H Camp near Prescott, Arizona.

Level-1 Instructor Training will take place in Tucson, 18-20 November 2022.  Training will begin Friday evening at VFW Post #549, 8424 E. Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85710.  Training Saturday and Sunday will be conducted at the Southeast Regional Park Shooting Range, 11296 S. Harrison Rd., Tucson, AZ 85747.  Attendees who are previously certified as adult volunteers and meet all course requirements throughout the weekend, will graduate as 4-H qualified instructors in two shooting disciplines. 

Disciplines being offered during this training session currently include:  archery, rifle, pistol, shotgun, and hunting skills.  (Attendees may also attend Friday night and Saturday only if they wish to become qualified to instruct in one discipline.)

It is recommend that anyone who wants to attend this training becomes a 4-H adult certified volunteer prior to attending the course.  This is a recommendation and not a requirement.  Please contact your local 4-H county office for more information on how to initiate this process, or reach out to the State Shooting Sports Coordinator, Erik Schroeder to get started.

The 2022 Arizona 4-H Shooting Sports Education State Match will be held February 25-27 at the 7 Mile Hill Shooting Range near Kingman, AZ.

More information here.

The Arizona Shooting Sports Committee provided an opportunity to focus on the educational and recreational aspects of shooting sports. In place of an in-person Arizona Shooting Sports Competition, we conducted a free postal match contest from March 15 through June 15. All county and tribal 4-H members were encouraged to participate in the postal match. The postal match provided youth the opportunity to participate in eight activities that included Rifle, Handgun, Shotgun, and Archery discipline activities. Youth submitted their target score or results via pictures and forms. The committee team scored the results and approved the scores. The rules were relatively simple and we relied upon the guidance of leaders and advisors to avoid confusion and problems.

* Youth awards will be sent out to the local Extension office once all materials are received from the vendor.  The Shooting Sports team will notify the local leader and staff of awards delivery before it is sent out. Thank you, Shooting Sports Team.