The Minnesota 4-H State Shooting Sports & Wildlife Invitational was held in Alexandria September 5-7. A total of 755 youth from 58 counties participated in the following events with 2,009 entries: Archery, 3-D Archery, BB gun, Standard Air Rifle, 3 Position Air Rifle, Air Pistol, .22 Rifle, Muzzleloading, Trap, Silhouette, Wildlife Calling, Skillathon, and Cast Iron Cooking.

Youth had the opportunity to showcase the skills they have learned throughout the past year, having spent a minimum of 15 hours working with a trained instructor in their discipline of interest and eight hours of wildlife education. Each county also has planned and implemented a conservation project at the local level. These projects are brought to the event and judged as a group.

3-D Archery was a competitive event this year, with over 160 youth participating in a 15-target course. New in 2025 was the fun event of 5 Stand for Shotgun competitors. The Cast Iron Cooking competition served 30 meals to the judges for tasting.

The Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Program began in the 1980’s and has grown to more than 5,000 youth members and over 1000 adult leaders. Adults can become certified discipline instructors by attending a weekend workshop and instructing youth in their local community. 

Visit Minnesota 4-H online to learn more about the Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports & Wildlife Program – www.extension.umn.edu/4-h-projects/4-h-shooting-sports-project

About 4-H: Minnesota 4-H is a youth development program provided through the University of Minnesota Extension. The Extension office believes in the power of young people. They see that every child has valuable strengths and real influence to improve the world around us. Last year, they empowered over 63,000 young people across the state with the skills to lead for a lifetime.