Several Dillon County youth competed in the 1st youth shotgun shooting event of the 2016/2017 season. The youth shotgun season kicked off Saturday, December 3rd with a sporting clay shoot hosted by the South Carolina Youth Shooting Foundation (SCYSF) at Rocky Creek Sporting Clays near Rock Hill, SC. 544 youth shooters competed in several different divisions. The South Carolina shooting season has 4 different sponsors in which youth are able to compete. The different hosts are the SCYSF, 4-H, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP).
Tangie McFee, of Latta, shot a High Over All (HOA) of 89 out of 100 targets in the Ladies division while shooting on the Sr. Course. Although Tangie is an 11th grader at Latta High School which would have allowed her to shoot in a lower division of Sr. 1st year, she moved up to the more experienced Sr. Division. Tangie was shooting with the 4-H Mid-Carolina team out of Orangeburg and her squad mates were 12 graders which moved them up to the Sr. Division.
Also shooting on the same course were Dillon County 4-H members Walker Brumble who shot an 84 and Mason Powers who shot a 77. While Mason, a 10th grader, could have shot on a different course, he also moved up to the Sr. Course as he was shooting on a squad with Walker who is a Sr. Shooter.
Dillon Christian School also had several shooters to attend. Shooting in the JV advanced division was a squad of Sara Freeman, Connor Collins and Walt Bailey. Both Sara and Connor broke 73 targets on the JV course and Walt broke 67.
Rich McFee, also of Latta and shooting with the Mid-Carolina 4-H, shot on the Intermediate course and broke 92 out of 100 targets. This was a tie for 1st place as HOA but Rich came in 2nd due to the tie breaker.
The next youth shooting event will be December 10th and hosted by the SCDNR at the Palmetto Shooting Complex in Edgefield, SC. This event will be a qualifying skeet shoot and the top 5 teams from every division will be invited back in February to shoot for the State Skeet Championship.
The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. The Dillon County 4-H Shooting Sports program is still taking new members for the 2016/2017 season. To find out more information call Erika Owens at the Clemson extension office at 843-774-8218
