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 the state of Colorado.
Members learn how to care for and handle shooting sports equipment safely. There are numerous options, from rifles to bows. Then members have the opportunity to hone their skills and test themselves by competing in the county shoot, and if they qualify, the Colorado 4-H State Shooting Sports Competition.
4-H Shooting Sports offers 9 Shooting Sports disciplines.
For 2025, Larimer County 4-H is offering full participation in the following 7 disciplines:
Members can enroll and complete a fair project in the following 2 disciplines, but practices and competition will not be offered:
Here’s a quick overview of polices and requirements.
Please reference the Policies and Procedures for 2024 for all of the details.
To participate in 2025, youth must be 8-years-old by December 31, 2024 and complete their enrollment in Larimer County 4-H via v2.4HOnline.com before the deadlines: February 1, 2025 for returning members and March 1, 2025 for new members. Choose Shooting Sports as the project and then each discipline individually. (For .22 Pistol and Western Heritage, please see the discipline pages for additional age requirements.)
Enrollment fees can be paid via check mailed to Larimer County Extension or online on the Larimer County Extension website’s payment form.
To learn more about enrolling in 4-H, visit the Join 4-H page on the Larimer County Extension website.
Shooting Sports contests are divided into two age divisions based on 4-H age as of December 31:
Juniors (ages 8–13), and
Seniors (ages 14–18).
Fair projects use the standard 4-H age divisions based on 4-H age as of December 31:
Juniors (ages 8–10),
Intermediates (ages 11–13), and
Seniors (ages 14–18).
Please review the Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports Policies and Procedures for information about our mission, policies, and procedures. (Soon to be updated for 2025.)
All Shooting Sports youth and parents/guardians MUST agree to the Shooting Sports Waiver and Practice Policy, as well as the Policies and Procedures. You will agree to the Required Paperwork ELECTRONICALLY. Hard copies will NOT be gathered. (The link to the electronic forms will be shared during the Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom ONLY. The link is NOT publicly posted on this website.) These forms are required before members can participate in Shooting Sports orientations and practices. They must be submitted by all members each year. If you do not submit paperwork, you will not be eligible to participate in shooting activities in 2025.
Please be sure to follow the Larimer County 4-H Dress Code including the Specific Project Requirements for Shooting Sports. Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports includes a few requirements in addition to the standard Colorado 4-H Dress Code.
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 a member can attend practices. (Returning members are defined as those who participated in practices for the discipline during the previous year.)
Consult your discipline’s key leaders before purchasing equipment. Contact info for the Key Leader is included on each discipline’s page.
Equipment descriptions are included on each discipline’s page, and more specifics are outlined in the Colorado State 4-H Shooting Sports Rule Book. However, your discipline’s key leaders can offer specific advice before you invest.
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. 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 internet 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.
All participants must attend a minimum of 4 Larimer County 4-H practices for each discipline in which they wish 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.
A parent, guardian, or responsible designated adult over the age of 18 is required to be in attendance at all Shooting Sports practices. Everyone in attendance must sign in and out—we need an accurate count of everyone including participants, parents, siblings, and guests.
All injuries occurring at 4-H Shooting Sports events should be immediately reported to key leaders. A first-aid kit is available. All injuries must also be documented.
Each discipline holds 1 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 exhibit. If members are enrolled in multiple disciplines, they will choose one discipline for the focus of their exhibit and include the 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 can set additional requirements. Please visit each discipline’s page to learn more, and contact the appropriate discipline’s key leader with questions.
There is a lot to the Shooting Sports project and we know that new families will have questions. Start by reading the Participation Requirements on this page, and then check out the Discipline pages. We’re happy to help and answer any questions you may have, so please ask.
