County Archery 4-H Club’s outdoor range

This is pretty neat addition to our great state! If love archery you have to check this out! It had been a few years since I last was at an archery range so I look forward to going to the outdoor range. I use to be a camp councilor and we would take the kids every week and I loved it. Except for the one time I bet a 12 year old kid $50 that he couldn't split my arrow... some how he did haha very impressive shot for sure.

In 2012, Doug Whitney and Greg Lebsack went through Archery Instructor Certification so that an archery program could be started for the 4-H youth of Carbon County. The club mission statement remains the development of leadership skills in the youth of Carbon County utilizing the discipline and mental concentration developed in competitive and recreational archery. With just a handful of kids, the club began shooting with the Stillwater County 4-H Archery Club since they had no facilities or equipment of their own. In the three years that followed, they began to shoot in Joliet on a shoestring budget and started the vision for something more the possibility of building an outdoor shooting range that would allow the kids to train for state and national competitions. With this goal in mind, the membership in the club has more than doubled and continues to grow.

With the site secured in 2016, through the generosity of the Town of Joliet, the club began fundraising for equipment and site facilities for the outdoor range that would include a field course, FITA course and 3D target course. 4-H facilities like this are extremely rare as most clubs are limited to shooting 10-meters indoors. Unfortunately, 10-meter indoor shooting does not prepare kids for national level competition. The kids and leaders rolled up their sleeves and addressed town council meetings, applied for grants, and spent many hours building and painting. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the Town of Joliet, as well as the local community and 4-H families, the outdoor shooting range has become a reality.

On September 16, 2017 the Carbon County Archery 4-H Club was able to celebrate this accomplishment by holding an open house. The club future goals are to host outdoor 4-H archery workshops and competitive shoots to benefit 4-H archery programs from around the region. The club is also hoping to use the equipment purchased to host an indoor competitive 4-H shoot, this winter, in Red Lodge. The club plans to keep its youth challenged, engaged and active as they maintain the new outdoor range and develop a programs to benefit other regional 4-H archery clubs. Several 3D target sponsorships are still available. For more information regarding 4-H or the Carbon County Archery 4-H Club, contact the County Extension Office at 962-3522.

Categories: Billings, Family Fun, Montana News

County Archery 4-H Club’s Outdoor Range