Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports Regulations

Updated 12.4.2025

GENERAL INFORMATION

Refer to Schedule in front of the book

4-H Shooting Sports Member Requirements. All members who wish to participate in the Holt County Fair MUST:

  • Youth are to be under the direct leadership of a certified 4-H Shooting Sports Leader in disciplines offered in Holt County.
  • Youth must practice safety at all times. Any youth in violation of safety rules may be expelled from the practice, competition, or program after one warning.
  • Meet the minimum age requirements for each discipline.  4-H Age - Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports is open to all 4-H members age 8 and older by January 1 of the current year
  • Be a member of the Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports Club
  • Be enrolled in 4H online with specific shooting sports discipline(s) to participate.
  • Attend at least 3 practices per discipline with a Nebraska 4-H certified Instructor or provide written evidence of safe practice or competition signed by a 4-H certified instructor including the instructor’s phone number.
  • Register pre-fair entries to shoot at the Holt County Fair by July 21
    • Exhibitors may only enter in the department/class that corresponds with the 4-H projects they are enrolled in.
  • No early shooting for the fair will be held. Participants wishing to take part in the Holt County Fair Shoot must do so on the date scheduled for each discipline, no exceptions.

Dress Code to shoot at the Holt County Fair:

  • An official Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports Club t-shirt or white shirt with a 4-H emblem or 4-H chevron/armband is required during competition at the Holt County Fair.
  • Jeans or slacks with no holes are required (no shorts).
  • Closed toe shoes that cover the foot are required. (No sandals, no croc-type shoes, no clogs, etc.) Boots are allowed for all disciplines except BB Gun and Air Rifle. No shoes that go up on or above the ankle are allowed for BB Gun and Air Rifle. No shooting jackets are allowed.
  • All clothing, including headgear must be appropriate for youth activity without any sexually suggestive words or graphics and NO tobacco or alcohol ads, etc.
  • Participants will be reminded of dress code. If unable to fix the problem with dress code, the participant will not be allowed to shoot. Rules for dress code may change in inclement weather under discretion of certified instructors and 4-H Assistant/Educator or Shooting Sport Superintendent.
  • Safety glasses are required in all disciplines, except archery. Ear Protection is required in Shotgun, Rifle, Smallbore Pistol, and Muzzleloading. Anyone on the firing line must wear eye and ear protection for the discipline (this includes parents and bystanders). Shooters are responsible to bring their own ear protection.

Accommodations

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, the individual or parent/guardian must contact the 4-H Assistant/Educator by Fair entry date (unless disability occurs between entry date and fair, in that case, contact should be made as soon as possible). Certain instances may require a written petition supported by a physician's written statement detailing the accommodation, the issues preventing the use of standard position or positions, or modifications in equipment required to permit participation in the event that do not give unfair advantage to the participant.

Firearms/ammunition:

  • Youth are encouraged to bring their own firearms that meet the standard rules for each discipline. Check with discipline leader for rules. Club firearms will be available if needed.
  • Firearms must be clean and in good working order and are subject to inspection by Shooting Sports Instructors.
  • Firearms should be identified with a name marked with tape on the stock and must be brought in a case or box and must be moved straight from vehicle to the range and immediately checked in with the discipline leader(s). Firearms must be immediately taken to vehicle at the conclusion of the shooting event.
  • All ammunition must be separate from the gun. For trap a maximum load of 1 1/8 ounce of size 7 ½, 8, 8 ½, or 9 shot must be used. For .22 rifle round nose or lead round nose bullets are recommended. Factory only ammunition is allowed.

Static Exhibits

There are also 4-H shooting sports static projects, refer to the Environmental Education & Earth Science for specifics on those projects.

For more information go to:

DIVISION 950 - BB GUN CLASSES

BB Gun will shoot 10 shots prone, 10 shots standing, 10 shots kneeling, 10 shots sitting (total of 40 shots) with age break classes listed below.

CF-J950900 - BB Gun - Beginner 8 Years Old
CF-J950901 - BB Gun - Novice 9-10 Years Old
CF-J950902 - BB Gun - Junior 11-12 Years Old
CF-J950903- BB Gun - Intermediate 13-14 Years Old
CF-J950904 - BB Gun - Senior 15 & Over

DIVISION 951 - AIR RIFLE CLASSES

Air Rifle will shoot 20 shots kneeling, 20 shots prone, and 20 shots standing (Total of 60 shots). Holt County will have the age break classes listed below.

CF-J951900 - Air Rifle - Beginner 9-10 Years Old
CF-J951901 - Air Rifle - Junior 11-12 Years Old
CF-J951902 - Air Rifle - Intermediate 13-14 Years Old
CF-J951903 - Air Rifle - Senior 15 & Over

DIVISION 952 - ARCHERY CLASSES

All archers will shoot 10 arrows at 3 positions (30 total). 3-D Competition will consist of fourteen (14) targets with one (1) Arrow shot at each target. The course will be shot once. Archery is open to any 4-H member age 8 by January 1 of the current year.

Scoring will be:

Vitals -10, Kill -8, and Wound -5, from the following distance:

  • Junior and Intermediate Division - at a maximum of 30 yards.
  • Senior Division - at a maximum of 45 yards

All targets will be marked distances. Binoculars, rangefinders, and cameras are allowed.

NOTE: Explanation of Archery classes.

  • Freestyle Limited: Arrows must be drawn and released by hand. No limit on sights or stabilizers.
  • Freestyle: Same as limited but allows use of mechanical release.

Barebow: Arrows drawn by hand - no sights on bow or string.

CF-J952900 - Archery - Freestyle -Junior 8-11 Years Old
CF-J952901 - Archery - Freestyle - Intermediate 12-14 Years Old
CF-J952902 - Archery - Freestyle - Senior 15 & Over

CF-J952910 - Archery - Barebow - Junior 8-11 Years Old
CF-J952911 - Archery - Barebow - Intermediate 12-14 Years Old
CF-J952912 - Archery - Barebow - Senior 15 & Over

CF-J952920 - Archery - Freestyle Limited - Junior 8-11 Years Old
CF-J952921 - Archery - Freestyle Limited - Intermediate 12-14 Years Old
CF-J952922 - Archery - Freestyle Limited - Senior 15 & Over

DIVISION 953 - .22 RIFLE CLASSES

.22 Rifle will shoot 40 shots at metal silhouettes - 4 different animals at 4 different distances. .22 Rifle is open to any 4-H member that has participated in at least one year of shooting sports. Shooters may shoot a round with open sights and a round with scope.

Open Sites
CF-J953900 - .22 Rifle - Junior 9-10 Years Old
CF-J953901 - .22 Rifle - Intermediate 11-13 Years Old
CF-J953902 - .22 Rifle - Senior Division 14 & Over

Scoped
CF- J953910 - .22 Rifle - Junior 9-10 Years Old
CF- J953911 - .22 Rifle - Intermediate 11-13 Years Old
CF- J953912 - .22 Rifle - Senior Division 14 & Over

DIVISION 954 - TRAP SHOOTING CLASSES

Trap will shoot 50 shots. There will be two rounds of 25 with 5 per station. A 10 shot shoot off will break ties. Shotgun is open to any 4-H member that has participated in at least one year of shooting sports.

CF-J954900 - Trap Shooting - Beginner 9 Years Old
CF-J954900 - Trap Shooting - Junior 10-11 Years Old
CF-J954901 - Trap Shooting - Intermediate 12-13 Years Old
CF-J954902 - Trap Shooting - Senior 14 & Over

DIVISION 955 - AIR PISTOL

Smallbore Pistol is open to any 4-H member who has participated in two previous years or passed a state hunter safety course.

When not cased and not in use, all air guns are required to use a CBI (Clear Barrel Indicator) in place except as permitted by the range officer. All ported barrels must be able to have a CBI (Clear Barrel Indicator) properly inserted and visible through the chamber and end of the barrel.

  • Pellets – Only wadcutters in .177 cal. Can be used in all three air pistol events.
  • Competitors may NOT mark their foot placement in any Air Pistol event. This includes the use of tape, coins, pellets, or any other object.
  • Compression or any form of tight clothing is not allowed. This includes any garments to provide support or stability, including belts not looped through pants.
  • Two models of Air Pistols or any facsimile thereof (break open pistols) are NOT allowed in this event for safety reasons: Air Venturi V10 Target and Stoeger XP4

NO cell phones, smart watches, radios, or other electronic communication devices may be used by competitors or others on or in the immediate vicinity of competitive ranges during active competition. Exception for Range Officers. If a timer is used, it must be a separate device, not a cell phone.

AIR PISTOL SILHOUETTE

Distance and Course of Fire
All targets must be staged with the front edge of their base aligned with the front of the rail.

Shooters will fire:

  • 10 Chickens at 10 yards
  • 10 Pigs at 12.5 yards
  • 10 Turkeys at 15 yards
  • 10 Rams at 18 yards

Targets are set in banks of five and shot from left to right, with the lower bank shot first.

Equipment
Any .177 caliber air pistol equipped with a safe trigger. Scopes are allowed provided they do not project an image onto the target.

Targets
1/10 scale metallic silhouette targets.

Time

  • 30 seconds ready time
  • 2½ minutes firing time per bank of 5 targets

Shooting Positions

  • Beginner 9-10 years old: Seated rests the grip (and hands) on supporting material. Must have a coach.
  • Juniors, Intermediates, Seniors: Standing position only. Two-hand holds permitted, but hands and arms must be free of the body beyond the wrists (NRA Rule 5.8).

Coaching and Spotting

  • Online Coaching:
    • Required for Sub-Juniors
    • Allowed and strongly encouraged for Juniors
  • Spotters:
    • One spotter per competitor
    • May use a scope or binoculars
    • Must not touch the competitor or equipment once the position is assumed
    • Must stand beside or behind the shooter (not forward)
    • Coaches/parents may NOT spot for their own shooters

Scoring and Tie Breaking

  • Targets knocked off the rail or lying in a non-vertical position in proper sequence count as hits.
  • Targets shot out of order count as misses.
  • Ties for the top 10 individuals will be broken using the following order:
    1. Most Ram hits
    2. Most Turkey hits
    3. Most Pig hits
    4. Most Chicken hits

If still tied, competitors will complete a Rams shoot-off using alternating shots until one shooter hits and the other misses. One warm-up shot is allowed prior to the first tie-breaker shot.

NGB Reference
NRA Air Pistol Silhouette Rules

DIVISION 955 - AIR PISTOL CLASSES

CF-J955900 - Air Pistol - Beginner 9-10 Years Old
CF-J955901 - Air Pistol - Junior 11-12 Years Old
CF-J955902 - Air Pistol - Intermediate 13-14 Years Old
CF-J955903 - Air Pistol - Senior 15 & Over

DIVISION 956 - MUZZLELOADING CLASSES

Muzzleloading will shoot 5 scoring shots on one target. Must use patch and ball with loose powder. NO SCOPES. Muzzleloading is only open the 4-H members who have participated in three years of shooting sports. Black powder substitutes only.

CF-J956900 - Muzzleloading - Beginner 10-11 Years Old
CF-J956901 - Muzzleloading - Intermediate 12-13 Years Old
CF-J956902 - Muzzleloading - Senior 14 & Over

DIVISION 957 - SMALLBORE PISTOL CLASSES

Smallbore Pistol is open to any 4-H member who has participated in two previous years or passed a state hunter safety course. Smallbore Pistol will shoot 80 record shots at 50 feet.

Slow Fire Bullseye followed by Rapid Fire.

Slow Fire Bullseye: All slow-fire; 30 shots - 10 shots per 10-minutes string

Rapid Fire: (10 shots slow fire, 15 timed fire and 15 rapid fire). Time Limit: Slow fire – 5 minutes (10 Shots); Timed Fire – 20 seconds per 5 shot string (Total 15 shots); Rapid Fire – 10 seconds per 5 shot string (total 15 shots).

Equipment: .22 pistol, either semi-automatic or revolver. Peep, ghost, optical or electronic sights are prohibited.

CF- J957900 - Smallbore Pistol - Beginner 10-11 Years Old (Must have parent/guardian online with shooter)
CF-J957901 - Smallbore Pistol - Intermediate 12-13 Years Old
CF-J957902 - Smallbore Pistol - Senior 14 & Over

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