Less than an inch. That’s the difference between an off-day and a winning shot for a marksman.

“It takes a tremendous amount of skill to hone in on what I call the final inch,” said SDSU Extension State 4-H Program Director Tim Tanner. “That can only happen through years of dedication.”

Participants in SDSU Extension’s 4-H State Shooting Sports program have proven themselves up to the challenge. In 2023, the team saw one of its best showings at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships with a third-place finish in the team sweepstakes award. And they’re itching to go back.

“It was a great year, and the youth’s placings show how much time, effort and practice they put in,” said John Keimig, SDSU Extension Youth Safety Field Specialist.

Though not a new 4-H program, shooting sports has seen a steady uptick in interest in recent years. Keimig has led the 4-H State Shooting Sports Program since 2017 and said that aside from dips in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, youth enrollment has climbed from 4,387 in 2017 to about 4,500 currently — with many participants competing in multiple events.

There are also 650 volunteers across the state, leading practices, coaching participants and helping to run contests and events. As the program grows, Tanner said it is also driving growth for 4-H across the state and providing counties with additional program options.

“It’s really important to me that we’re meeting young people where they’re at and where their interests lie,” Tanner said. “In South Dakota in the last 5 years, this has become a point of passion for young people. I’m excited that we have so many dedicated volunteers and staff rising to meet that opportunity.”

Keimig and Tanner said there are several reasons for the renewed interest, one of them being that youth appreciate the straightforward nature of the program: you either hit the center of the target, or you don’t.

“I can compare myself to last week and the week before to know that I’m getting better,” Tanner said. “A lot of young people are attracted to the clarity they get from that experience.”

Along with the objective scoring, Keimig said the program is generally affordable to start, provides a lifelong skill and is open to boys and girls of all ability levels. He has seen youth with Down syndrome participate successfully, with help from the program’s dedicated volunteers.

“We have a place for everybody. Anybody can get better with effort,” he said. “We’ll always find a way to help you.”

Youth can participate in archery and gun contests, learning the different disciplines of pistol, rifle, shotgun, archery, hunting, muzzle loading and western heritage. While most of the disciplines focus on shooting at targets, Keimig said hunting and western heritage are more immersive experiences.

Western heritage combines shooting with a living history of the American West from 1860 to 1900. Youth get to participate in the history they’re learning by researching and choosing a character, dressing in period clothing and shooting period-appropriate guns. In the hunting discipline, youth learn all aspects of hunting throughout the year, from etiquette to tracking to Dutch oven cooking, along with shooting practice.

As with all 4-H programs, Keimig said youth development is woven throughout, and safety is the backbone of the program, suffused into each discipline. Volunteers receive annual training, and use that training to coach participants on proper handling and technique along with coaching them on their performance.

“We’re here to teach kids to be safe with outdoor equipment,” Keimig said. “The main goal is youth development and safety; we’re just using different equipment.”

Through the program, Keimig said youth learn discipline, consistency, resilience under pressure and even how lifestyle choices can impact their performance. Caffeine, for instance, can make a person jittery and less steady with their aim.

With the height of shooting sports season running from January to April, Tanner and Keimig said the sport also gives youth a place to go during South Dakota’s long winters when other outdoor options are limited. Through shooting sports, youth have a chance to learn teamwork and build camaraderie while developing their own skills.

And the volunteer coaches help youth pinpoint what they need to work on to keep improving.

“This is a meaningful social opportunity, and that’s really important for young people,” Tanner said.

Keimig said that camaraderie and sportsmanship are evident even at national shooting contests. He’s seen youth with malfunctioning equipment being helped by other competitors – even ones from other states. He remembers a contest where a young lady experienced three different guns malfunction three days in a row. Fellow competitors helped her, and she was able to keep competing.

“Shooting sports kids will do just about anything to help each other,” he said. “You don’t always have to be the best shot, sometimes you can just be a good teammate.”