Bullseye on determination, safety at Arkansas 4-H Shooting Sports Championship

Aug. 07, 2026 

By Ryan McGeeney
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture 

Fast Facts

• More than 100 participants competed at 2026 championship
• Shooting sports can be a lifelong pursuit
• Fastest-growing 4-H program nationwide

(733 words)

Download photos from event

FERNDALE, Ark. — Not everything is supposed to come easily. For Tessa Herring, 13, the junior shotgun competition at the Arkansas 4-H Shooting Sports Championship in mid-July was downright frustrating.

ON TARGET — An Arkansas 4-H member takes aim at a clay target during the shotgun portion of the Arkansas 4-H Shooting Sports Championship in late July. More than 100 4-H members from across the state competed. (Division of Agriculture image.)

But Tessa’s mother, April Herring, continued to encourage her daughter.

“For Tessa, specifically, this is harder for her than other sports are,” April Herring said. “It’s important that she sticks with it and keeps trying, even though it doesn’t come easy. She loves to duck hunt — and she has an easier time with that than shooting trap. They say in time it will get better.”

The Herrings were among more than 100 youth and dozens of family members, coaches and volunteers who attended the two-day event, which included competitions in shotgun, archery, .22-caliber rifle and air rifle shooting.

Jesse Bocksnick, extension 4-H outdoor skills instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said the Arkansas 4-H shooting sports program helps participants learn positive characteristics that can serve them on or off the range.

“The kids are developing life-long skills,” Bocksnick said. “Patience, determination, concentration and safety.”

The 2026 championship saw the highest attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021.

“We’re very much on the rebound,” Bocksnick said. “The parents and volunteers spend hundreds of hours a year, making sure their kids learn safety, life skills and teamwork. It’s just an overall bonding experience that’s hard to duplicate anywhere else.”

Bocksnick also said that nationally, shooting sports is the fastest-growing program across 4-H, reaching about 500,000 youth participants each year, along with about 20,000 volunteer coaches and other participants.

“The adults love it because they can bring the entire family out,” Bocksnick said. “This is one sport that doesn’t stop when people graduate high school. Regardless of talent level, people can do this as a family from the time they’re 9 years old until they’re too old to do anything anymore. Unlike football, baseball or basketball, they can make this competitive contest a lifelong event.”

One element that has rapidly increased participation in recent years has been the addition of a Genesis archery division, which uses an inexpensive, entry-level model of bow that is less complicated and expensive than the traditional compound bows used in archery competitions.

“I think we may be the first 4-H program with a Genesis division, and it is very popular for us,” Bocksnick said. “We began this three or four years ago. We were hoping just to get a few kids interested in it, but the first year, about 90 percent of our shooters switched from compound bows to Genesis, just because it was easier, cheaper and everybody liked it. This year, things were split down the middle. We’re starting to see people get back into regular archery.

“It’s been huge for getting kids interested in archery,” he said.

Winners in the 2026 Arkansas 4-H Shooting Sports Championship include:

Archery 

Junior division:

Senior division:

Genesis archery

Junior division:

Senior division:

Shotgun

Junior division:

Senior division:

.22 rifle

Junior division:

Senior division:

Air rifle

Junior division:

Senior division:

The junior divisions include participants who are 13 years old or younger. The senior divisions include participants 14 years old and older.

The mention or use of product or trade names is for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture or a preference that excludes other suitable products.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu. 

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.  

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution. 

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Media Contact:
Ryan McGeeney
rmcgeeney@uada.edu
501-671-2120