Shooting Sports is one of the most popular 4-H projects in Larimer County, and Larimer County has one of the largest Shooting Sports programs in Colorado.
Members learn to care for and safely handle shooting sports equipment. There are numerous options, from rifles to bows. Youth have the opportunity to hone their skills and test themselves by competing at the county shoot, and if they qualify, the Colorado 4-H State Shooting Sports Championships.
4-H offers 9 Shooting Sports disciplines.
There’s a lot to the Shooting Sports project! We know families will have questions.
Start with the Participation Requirements below.
Learn more on the Shooting Sports Discipline pages.
Email to ask any questions!
Here’s a quick overview of policies and requirements. Please reference the Policies and Procedures for 2025 for more details.
Youth must be 8 years old by December 31, 2024 and complete enrollment for Larimer County 4-H via v2.4HOnline.com before the deadlines: February 1, 2025 for returning members and March 1, 2025 for new members.
Enroll by choosing Shooting Sports as the project and then each discipline individually. Here’s an instruction sheet to help you navigate to Submit enrollment on 4HOnline. Click the “Submit” button at the end and watch for an email confirmation. (The member enrollment fee payment is submitted separately from the 4HOnline system.)
Pay the $50 enrollment fee online at the Larimer County Extension website’s payment form or via check mailed to Larimer County Extension.
To learn more about joining 4-H, visit the Join 4-H page on the Larimer County Extension website.
Shooting Sports competitions are divided into two age divisions based on 4-H age as of December 31:
Juniors: ages 8–13,
Seniors: ages 14–18.
Fair projects use standard 4-H age divisions based on 4-H age as of December 31:
Juniors: ages 8–10,
Intermediates: ages 11–13,
Seniors: ages 14–18.
Review the Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports Policies and Procedures for 2025 for information about our mission, policies, and procedures.
All Shooting Sports members and parents/guardians MUST agree to each of the following documents each year:
The Required Paperwork is gathered electronically via a Google Form. Hard copies are NOT gathered. The link to the Required Paperwork will be shared during the Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom only. The link will not be publicly posted on this website.
You are responsible for reviewing these documents—your electronic signature acknowledges that you have read and agreed to abide by all policies.
These forms are REQUIRED before members can participate in Shooting Sports orientations and practices. If you do not submit paperwork by the March 21, 2025 deadline, youth will not be eligible to participate in shooting sports activities in 2025.
All members are required to attend one mandatory Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom FIRST. Members new to Shooting Sports in Larimer County, plus returning members who are adding a new discipline, must also attend a New Member Orientation specific to each discipline SECOND.
The orientation process must be completed before members can attend practices. (Returning members are defined as those who participated in practices for the discipline during the previous year.)
Hunter education is NOT required for Shooting Sports in Larimer County 4-H. Members can participate in practices and county shoots without a hunter education card.
However, to be eligible to compete at the state competition, participants must submit their hunter education card before the July 1, 2025 deadline. Photos/scans of hunter education cards can be uploaded during enrollment on 4HOnline, or email a photo of your hunter safety card to info@LC4HSS.org. (Bowhunter education is accepted for Archery.)
Hunter education is issued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The course is available as a traditional classroom course or an online course followed by an in-person conclusion class. Register for classes at https://register-ed.com/programs/colorado. Information for the online course can be found at http://www.hunter-ed.com/colorado.
Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports historically hosts a hunter education internet completion course in March or April. Watch for more info as the year progresses.
Follow the Larimer County 4-H Dress Code including the Specific Project Requirements for Shooting Sports. Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports adds a few requirements to the standard Colorado 4-H Dress Code.
Consult your discipline’s key leaders before purchasing equipment.
Equipment descriptions are included on each discipline’s page, and more specifics are outlined in the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Rule Book. But your discipline’s key leaders can offer specific advice before you invest in equipment.
A parent, guardian, or responsible designated adult over the age of 18 is required to be in attendance with members at all Shooting Sports practices.
Everyone in attendance, including guests, must sign in and out. We need an accurate count of everyone, including participants, leaders, parents, siblings, and guests.
All participants must attend a minimum of 4 Larimer County 4-H practices for each discipline to participate in the County Shoot. The following rules apply in addition:
If a member is participating in both .22 Rifle and Air Rifle, the youth may opt to attend two practices in each discipline rather than four in each. (This does not apply to practices for any other discipline.)
.22 Rifle members must attend at least two practices outdoors (of the minimum 4 practices) to be eligible to participate in the county shoot.
.22 Pistol members must attend at least two practices outdoors (of the minimum 4 practices) to be eligible to participate in the county shoot.
Informational meetings, orientations, safety meetings, and workshops do NOT count as practices.
All injuries occurring at 4-H Shooting Sports events should be reported to key leaders immediately. A first-aid kit is available and all injuries should be documented.
Each discipline holds one scheduled Larimer County Shoot. Members must meet all practice requirements and participate in the official, scheduled Larimer County Shoot for each discipline to qualify for the state competition. No alternate dates or sites are accepted.
To complete the Shooting Sports project, members create a display board, a stand-alone project, or a decorative item. Members who are participating in multiple disciplines select one discipline for their exhibit and include all required sections for each discipline in the Shooting Sports e-Record Book. See more details about projects and record books on the Projects page.
Youth must meet practice requirements, participate in the official county shoot, and place in the top 6 in the class to qualify for the Larimer County state shooting team. Larimer County also requires members to exhibit at the county fair and be awarded a red or blue ribbon to be eligible for the state shooting competition. Hunter education cards must be submitted by July 1, 2025 to be eligible to participate at the state level.
Specific disciplines have additional requirements. Please visit each discipline’s page to learn more. Contact the discipline’s key leader with questions.
