BUNKER HILL, Ill. – Moultrie-Douglas County 4-H member Declan Stollard recently achieved an impressive accomplishment at the Illinois 4-H State Shotgun Shoot, earning top honors among some of the state's best young shooters.
Held on September 26 in Bunker Hill, Illinois, the annual competition brought together 75 youth shooters from across Illinois to showcase their marksmanship skills. Stollard turned in an outstanding performance, successfully hitting 83 out of 100 clay targets. His score earned him Second Place in the Junior Division among 16 competitors and 16th overall among all 75 participants, including those in the senior division.
Declan is an active member of both the Moultrie-Douglas 4-H Shooting Sports Club and the Sullivan Moultrie County Shining Stars 4-H Club. Throughout the season, he has worked closely with certified Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports instructors Tom Bates and John Warriner, who were present to support him at the state competition.
"We are incredibly proud of Declan and all of the hard work he has put into developing his skills," said John Warriner, Moultrie-Douglas 4-H Shotgun Leader. "His success is a great example of the dedication, sportsmanship, and confidence that youth develop through the 4-H Shooting Sports program."
Illinois 4-H State Shooting Sports competitions are held annually each September and offer youth the opportunity to participate in air rifle, air pistol, shotgun, and archery events. Through the 4-H Shooting Sports program, members gain valuable life skills including responsibility, discipline, safety awareness, leadership, and teamwork while building confidence in a supportive environment.
The Moultrie-Douglas 4-H program continues to provide local youth with opportunities to develop shooting sports skills and compete at both county and state levels. Families interested in learning more about the 4-H Shooting Sports Program are encouraged to contact the University of Illinois Extension office serving Moultrie and Douglas counties.
Congratulations to Declan Stollard on this remarkable achievement and for representing Moultrie-Douglas County 4-H with excellence at the state level. Moultrie-Douglas 4-H has wrapped up their fall shoots but they do have club plans to meet at Lakefork Sportsman's Club in Atwood on April 10, May 1, and June 5 from 10am-noon, and are also planning a May field trip to the Oakland Shooting Clays facility. Youth ages 8-18 can participate and must be registered in the club "Moultrie-Douglas Shooting Sports" on 4h.zsuite.org. Youth do not have to live in Moultrie-Douglas counties to participate. The club offers practice in a supportive setting, with trained instructors, on archery, shotgun, air rifle, and air pistol. Kids must be 10 years and older to participate in shotgun. All equipment is provided but youth can bring their own shooting and safety gear if they would like.
For more questions or interest about the Moultrie-Douglas 4-H shooting program, reach out to 4-H coordinator, Rachel Stenger at 217-543-3755 or rstenger@illinois.edu.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.