LEWISTOWN, Ill. - University of Illinois Extension announces that the Fulton County 4-H Shooting Sports Program will begin its late summer/fall session in August. Registration materials are available online at go.illinois.edu/FultonShootingSports, or by calling the Extension office in Fulton County at 547-3711.

The major emphasis of 4-H Shooting Sports is safety while handling firearms. Respect, character building, and accuracy of shooting are also components.

Air Rifle is open to youth age 8-18 as of 9/1/21. Shotgun, Smallbore (.22) Rifle, and .22 Caliber Pistol are open to youth age 10-18 as of 9/1/21. There is a program fee (once per 4-H year) of $20 due from each participant, and also a supply fee ($10 for Air Rifle, $10 for .22 Caliber Pistol, $30 for Shotgun, $30 for Smallbore .22). If you need assistance with the fee, contact the Extension office at 547-3711. Class sizes are limited. Payment and all forms must be turned in to be added to the list. All members are required to complete a Shooting Sports Enrollment Form, Risk Form, and Health Form. The forms require parent signatures.

For Shotgun, shoots are held at Jacob’s Field, near St. David.  Shoots for Shotgun will be on six Sunday afternoons – August 15, 22, and 29; September 12, 19, and 26. All begin at 4 p.m. Certified instructors are Lee Roy Knuppel and Lonnie Van Pelt.

For Smallbore (.22) Rifle and .22 Caliber Pistol, shoots will be held at the Lee Roy Knuppel farm, east of Canton. These will be on the same dates as above – August 15, 22, and 29; September 12, 19, and 26. Pistol will be held at 1:00 p.m., and Smallbore Rifle will be held at 2:00 p.m. Certified instructor is Lee Roy Knuppel.

Air Rifle sessions will be on the same dates as above, at 1 p.m., at 613 West Avenue H in Lewistown. Certified instructors are Terry Cremer and Craig Hand.

If weather causes cancellations for any discipline, additional dates will be set. 

Current CDC guidelines in place at the time will be followed regarding wearing masks.

Eye and ear protection will be provided. The enrollment deadline is August 10, or earlier if certain disciplines becomes full. Spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

There is a Mandatory Safety Meeting on August 11, at 6:30 p.m., at the University of Illinois Extension Fulton County office. Those who attended a previous 4-H Shooting Sports Safety Meeting for the same discipline are not required to come. However, if they are enrolling in a new discipline this time, they must attend the safety meeting. 

Fulton County has four certified instructors and one certified coordinator. These five individuals have attended state trainings to become certified.  Nick Schisler is the coordinator, and the instructors are Terry Cremer (Air Rifle), Craig Hand (Air Rifle), LeeRoy Knuppel (Shotgun, Pistol, and Smallbore .22), and Lonnie VanPelt (Shotgun). There are also screened and trained assistants, who provide support to the instructors.

Volunteers are welcome to apply to become certified instructors or trained assistants.

All interested youth are urged to download the materials and get them submitted, or call the office to have a paper copy mailed to you.

Partial support from the National Rifle Association provided equipment which helps introduce shooting sports safety to Fulton County 4-H youth.

If you are a person who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact Janis Blout at University of Illinois Extension, Fulton County office, 309-547-3711.

SOURCE: Janis Blout, Fulton 4-H Program Coordinator, jblout@illinois.edu

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ABOUT ILLINOIS 4-H: 4-H strives to help youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H aims to impact the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.