Young guns aim high

It's a routine Hannah Barnes follows every time she picks up a shotgun.

First, she makes sure her feet are shoulder-width apart and that her body is slanted at a 45-degree angle.

She then raises the gun to her shoulder and takes a deep breath, counting off several seconds in her head before delivering the order to pull.

A clay target zips about 25 yards down the shooting range before a blast echoes throughout the Troy-Deary Gun Club and the projectile shatters into an assortment of orange fragments.

Barnes was nervous to pick up a gun two years ago, but the motion has now become second nature for the Potlatch High junior after joining the University of Idaho Extension 4-H Youth Development program.

"It started out pretty rough, I had a lot of anxiety about shooting," she said during a team practice Sunday. "With the help of the coaching staff I was able to get over it. Now, I love it."

Barnes is one of eight participants the Latah County 4-H program will be sending to the Idaho 4-H Shooting Sports Contest next week. Contenders will test their skills in archery, small-bore rifle and trap shooting in Jerome and Twin Falls from next Friday to Saturday.

The upcoming event marks the first major competition for the organization since its inception nearly three years ago.

"I've been here for six years, and there has always been an interest from 4-H members," said Kelli Loftus, associate educator of the Latah County 4-H program. "When I ask kids what they want to do, shooting sports and archery always come up. But the question was, do you get equipment first, or do you get leaders?"

After speaking with local members, Loftus opted to pursue equipment needs for the organization. Grants from the National Rifle Association and the Latah County Community Foundation allowed Loftus to purchase air rifles and archery components for the fledgling program.

"I had never really written a grant before, so I wasn't sure what to ask for," Loftus said. "We went over the things and figured out what we needed. Since then, a lot of people and organizations have donated money to help."

Bear Schultz, a nationally-certified instructor with the Latah County 4-H shooting sports program, said fundraising continues to play a key role in helping the organization attract prospective members.

"The one that really helped us out this year was the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation," Schultz said. "They donated a little over $2,000 so we could buy .22 air rifles we're going to end up with 10 (rifles) all together with some other private donations."

Schultz said the contributions have helped the program provide gun safety instruction to members ranging from 10 to 18 years in age.

"I'd like to see more kids involved, if nothing else, to get a knowledge about guns and eliminate the fear," he said. "If you understand everything about guns, they're just a tool. If you don't, then people get scared."

While gun safety is the primary objective of the organization, Schultz said he is excited for team members to experience their first competitive shooting event next week.

"To be quite frank, they're nervous," he said. "But I've been explaining to them that the first year is all about learning, so they should go down and just have fun. We'll worry about winning next year."

Josh Grissom can be reached at sports@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @GoshJrissom.