Objectives:
Enhance youth development of self-concept,
character and personal growth through safe, educational and socially acceptable
involvement in shooting activities.
To involve youth in a life skills program
that teaches safe and responsible use of shooting
sports equipment including sound decision-making, self-discipline
and concentration.
To promote the highest standards of safety,
sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
To expose participants to the broad array
of vocational and life-long avocation activities related to shooting sports.
To strengthen families through participation
in life-long recreational activities.
To complement and enhance the impact of
existing safety, shooting and hunter education programs using experiential
(hands on) educational methods and progressive development of skills and
abilities.
Competition Guidelines:
A county may enter any number of eligible
Junior or Senior Division boys and/or girls in an area 4-H Shotgun match.
4-H'ers
must post a minimum score (Juniors 16 hits
and Seniors 20 hits) at a State approved match consisting of three counties
or more to qualify for the state match.Qualification
matches must follow the standards set forth in these guidelines.
4-H'ers can
use only one opportunity per 4-H year at a qualification match to shoot
the minimum score to qualify for state match participation. After 4-H'ers
qualify for that year, counties can establish 5-7 member Junior or
Senior teams for state competition at their discretion. If a county qualifies
less than 5 shooters in either division, the shooters will compete as individuals.
The contest will be a modified trap shoot.
Twenty-five (25) single orange
domed, 108 mm (standard) clay targets will be thrown, at random angles
not greater than 45 degrees left or right of center of the trap away from
the 4-H'er using
a Trius TrapMaster trap. The trap will be located to the right of the 4-H'er
and a dividing screen will be used to separate the shooter and the trap.
Thrower arms will be marked by event management
and targets must be placed between those
marks to keep target within bounds for competition.
Click
here for figure
Throwers elevation will be secured by
event management so target presentation may
only be oscillated (adjusted left and right).
Elevation will be set using a magnetic protractor place on top of the adjustable
throwing arm base with the spring removed touching the arm release.
Elevation will be adjusted so the magnetic protractor reads between 12
and 15 degrees with an operator sitting on the trip seat.
Click
here for figure.
Target speed will
be controlled by locking the spring at its maximum tension where there
is no visible threads between the springs and the frame assembly.
Tampering with trap speed or elevation
settings will be justification for county ejection from a match.
In the event that
a trap becomes disabled or throws targets outside the required zone or
fire, it willbe repaired or replaced by the event management as necessary.
A coach of a 4-H'er involved during trap repair or replacement is responsible
to confirm that traps throw targets at the proper angles and elevation.
Targets thrown at the request of a 4-h'er can not be disputed over a field
of fire issue.
One point will be awarded per target broken.
Each 4-H'er will be allowed two (2) optional
practice targets before their record round begins or
may view two (2) targets before their record singles round begins.
The 4-H'er or coach is responsible to inform
the scorekeeper if either one or two practice shots are desired prior to
shooting. The option of shooting practice shots is permitted only
once prior to shooting any targets.
Ties in the singles event will be broken
rounds by shooting at 5 pairs of targets.The first
round of tiebreakers may be shot immediately following the 4-H'ers singles
round. Subsequent sets of pairs
will be shot as needed to determine placements of individuals and teams.
A coach must select one representative to participate in tie breakers on
behalf of the team.
During
tie breaker rounds participants will not be allowed any practice rounds.
However, they will be allowed to view the target presentation before shooting
for record score.
Shoot management
or their designee will serve as trap operators for doubles. Doubles will
be thrown by consistently placing targets back to back (not stacked)on
the thrower arm at the same location for each pair. The angle will
be so that one target is consistently at or near the straight away and
the other consistently at or near 45 degrees from the center of the field
of fire. There is no out of bounds.
For each subsequent
set of doubles, the trap elevation will be lowered or raised until placing
can be determined.
In the event of
a no-target, gun or ammunition malfunction during a tiebreaker niether
target of a pair will be scored and another pair wil be thrown to score.
No adult will be
allowed to score/referee, operate a trap, or record scores for a 4-H’er
from his or her county. Each county should
have a minimum of two adults at the range with
each team at all times. At least one of these
adults must be a certified coach. These adults may be asked by the Range
Officer to operate traps, be safety officers, scorers/referees, or any
other task deemed necessary by the Range Officer. These extra adults are
needed to ensure a safe match. If a county cannot bring two adults, their
shooters will not be allowed to compete.
Coaching will be
allowed behind the firing line unless it holds up the match. If a coach,
after one warning by the Range Officer or their assistant, continues to
slow the match, then they will forfeit this privilege. At no time is a
coach allowed to indicate the flight elevation or direction of any target.
Violators will be required to leave the range.
Safety Procedures
All 4-H'ers
must have successfully completed the Georgia Hunter Education Program.
All 4-H'ers,
trap operators, coaches, scorekeepers/referees, and range safety officers
will wear hearing and eye protection at all times while on the firing line.
At no time may a
gun muzzle be rested on the body part or a toe pad in 4-H competition.
In addition no body part may be rested on the muzzle of the firearm
All shotguns and ammunition will remain
in a closed box and secured by a certified coach until ready to move to
the firing range and after the match is over.
The next shooter in rotation will be ‘on-deck’
waiting their turn and ready to go. Ammunition
will be presented to the scorer/referre to be inspected for rule compliance
and shall remain in a closed box until time for the 4-H'er to shoot. A
coach will hand one shell at a time to the 4-H'er on the firing lane.
The Range Officer will be in charge at
all times during the match. Failure to heed the Range Officer's instructions
immediately will be grounds for ejection from the match ad removal from
the range.
All shotguns will be placed at a designated
place at the firing range and will remain there until the shooter is told
to approach the firing line. Only a coach is allowed to transfer a shotgun
from the designated gun storage area to the firing line and back to the
designated area. All guns must have the action open while being transferred
to the firing line. The only time a 4-H'er may handle an uncased shotgun
is while at a shooting station on the firing line. Violation of this rule
will be grounds for ejection from the match and the removal of any 4-H'er
coach, or spectator from the range with no warning or appeal.
All 4-H'ers, trap operators, coaches,
scorekeepers/referees, and range safety officers will wear hearing and
eye protection at all times while on the firing line.
An adult coach will stand behind the 4-H'er
and monitor safety. The coach will load the shotgun or hand shotshells
(one shotshell only when shooting singles and two shotshells only when
shooting doubles) to the shooter. After the trap operator says, "ready"
the 4-H'er will say "pull" to call for a target.
In the event of
a misfire, the 4-H'er can not move either hand from the firearm, must maintain
muzzle control down range and follow the instruction of the referee. Only
a referee can inspect the firearm to determine and declare an ammunition
or gun malfunction or shooter error.
Safety is the number
one consideration in the 4-H SAFE proram. The Range officer or any safety
officer may eject a 4-H'er, coach or spectator for unsafe actions or behavior
at any time during the match with no warning or appeal upon
event coordinators approval.
Equipment and Ammunition
Any 12 or smaller
gauge shotgun will be allowed to be used
in this match.
4-H’ers
will supply their own shotgun and shotshells. Shotshells must meet
the following specifications:
1 1/8 oz cannot
exceed 1290 Feet Per Second (FPS)
1 oz cannot exceed
1325 FPS
7/8 oz can not exceed
1350 FPS.
Shot size must be
7 ½ or smaller and not exceed 1 1/8
oz. Shells will be factory loads. NO RELOADS
WILL BE ALLOWED. Shooters are responsible for bringing enough shells for
practice shots, record fire and tie breakers if necessary.
It is the coach’s
responsibility to provide written proof from the manufacturer that the
ammunition meets Georgia 4-H requirements if questioned by a Range Officer
or scorer/referee.
Written proof shall consist of a box labeled with FPS information or a
manufacture’s literature
with that information.
Scoring
A scorekeeper/referee will observe each
target's flight and record hits or misses on the official scoresheet.
The scorekeeper/referee must see a visible piece of the target break off
to be scored as a hit. "Dusting" or moving a target does not count as a
hit. When there is hit verses miss disagreement the trap operator's
score is the tie breaker. The decision of the scorekeeper and trap operator
is final.
If a 4-Her calls
for a target and the trap operator fails to release it within one second,
the trap operator, scorer/referee, or coach may call "no target."
Each shooter gets a maximum of two "no targets" due to mechanical gun failure.
Failure to take off the safety, select the proper barrel, or if shell is
not loaded does not count as a mechanical failure and is considered a "no
target" In the event the shotshell primer is clearly struck by the firing
pin but does not fire, it is considered an ammunition failure and is a
"no target" Failed ammunition must be replaced by another factory
shotshell.
If a target breaks when thrown from the
trap, the trap operator or scorer/referee will call "no target"
A no target will not be scored and must be re-shot.
The scorekeeper/referee shall be in a
position to see that targets are placed within the marked zone on the trap
arm and shall say “lost” for each missed target.
Disputes over hit or missed targets must
be resolved prior to calling for the next target
(or pair in doubles.) Calling for the next target
signifies agreement with the scorekeeper/referee and previous targets can
not be reviewed. The trap operator’s opinion of hit or missed
shall be used to resolve disputes over hit or missed targets. The
decision of the trap operator is final for scoring hits or misses. If
the trap operator is unable to or fails to make a judgement, the decision
of the scorer/referee is final.
It is also the responsibility of the scorekeeper/referee
to make judgment over gun or ammunition malfunctions or 4-H'er error.
At the conclusion of each 4-H'ers turn,
each 4-H'er must initial his/her score at the scorer's table before returning
to the ready line. Failure to initial score card indicates acceptance of
scores as recorded. Score cards will be checked for
accuracy by event management.
Certified Coaches / Adults
Counties are required
to have a minimum of one 4-H certified coach in the shotgun
discipline for each 5-7 person team.
A 4-H certified coach in shotgun discipline
must be present for a county practice or event to be recognized as a Georgia
4-H SAFE program.
Additional adequate adult supervision
should be present to serve as range safety officers and help facilitate
all aspects of Project SAFE events and activities. Adults should be Certified
Overnight Chaperone Trained or Screened Volunteers depending upon responsibilities
and roles assigned.
Awards & Recognition
Awards are as outlined by the Project
SAFE Development Committee
The first place senior team and high individual
will be eligible for Master 4-H'er status and to participate in the recognition
of Special Events Winners at State 4-H Congress. The banquet meal
and lodging expenses will be paid for the team and head coach; however,
travel costs are not covered.
The State winning team and high scoring
individuals are eligible to compete again during subsequent years.
