From left, Osage County 4-Hers Kiera McNellis, Austin Eichem, and Dylon Harris competed at state sporting clays shoot Oct 9.
Three members of the Osage County shooting sports program participated in the Kansas 4-H State Shotgun Match, Oct. 8-9, 2022. Participants were Kiera McNellis, of the Clover Wranglers 4-H Club, and Dylon Harris and Austin Eichem, both of the North Osage 4-H Club. All three members qualified for the state shoot by shooting and scoring high enough at a regional trap and skeet shoot held in August.
Nearly 200 4-Hers from across the state shot trap and skeet Saturday, Oct. 8, at Ark Valley Gun Club in Sedgwick, Kan., and then many returned to shoot sporting clays the next day at Shady Creek Sporting Clays, in Belle Plaine, Kan.
Eichem placed 29th overall for the weekend in the junior, 10-13-year-old division. McNellis placed 96th in the senior, 14-18-year-old division, for skeet. Harris placed 16th in senior trap, 20th in senior skeet, 12th in senior sporting clays, and 13th overall in the senior division for the weekend.
Following the event, Harris was invited to apply to be a member of the 2023 Kansas Shotgun Team at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition, in Grand Island Neb., next summer. Team selection will be announced in November.
Dylon Harris to retire from 4-H archery with 6th-place finish at state match
Harris also qualified and participated in the state 4-H archery match, which was held Sept. 24, at Smoky Valley Shooting Sports facility, Lindsborg, Kan. He competes in the senior, open/compound bow division. He finished in 6th place overall at the event.
This sixth place finish wrapped up Harris’ 4-H archery career as he prepares to age out of the program. He joined 4-H in 2011, started the shooting sports project in 2012, and made his first appearance at the state archery match in 2015. Harris finished 5th, 10th, 4th, 4th respectively from 2018-2021 at the state matches, earning an invitation to be part of the Kansas National archery team each year. In 2021, only being able to attend nationals once per discipline, Harris finally accepted the team invite. In June 2022 he was one of four compound archery team members for Kansas who brought home the national championship title with their impressive scores for the week. Harris placed 9th at the national shoot in the individual scoring.
Osage County 4-Her Dylon Harris shoots at the state 4-H archery match, Sept. 24, at Lindsborg, Kan.
Through the 4-H shooting sports program, youth ages 8-18 learn marksmanship, the safe and responsible use of firearms, the principles of hunting and archery, and more. The activities of the shooting sports program and the support of trained, caring adult leaders provide young people with opportunities to develop skills, self-worth, and conservation ethics. Osage County offers 4-Hers the opportunity to participate in shotgun, small bore rifle, small bore pistol, air rifle, air pistol, and archery. Youth must be 8 years old on Jan. 1 to participate for the year, and must be able to understand and follow all safety rules for each discipline they wish to participate in. For more information about the 4-H shooting sports program, contact the Frontier Extension District at 785-828-4438.
Information and photos thanks to Keri Harris, Osage County shooting sports instructor.
