Youth shooters score well in Pheasants Forever shotgun event
Mike Kiel photo
Kids must complete a hunter safety course before they can participate, but can come from any location.
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POLSON — The Flathead Valley chapter of Pheasants Forever held a youth target shooting event recently in which several kids from Lake County showed up to compete.
Designed for kids ages 12 through 18, the event has been going on for 27 years, and according to Pheasants Forever’s Mike Kiel, has seen a lot of growth over the years. While the program is based in Kalispell, kids from any location are invited to the sport if they fit into the age range and have completed a hunter safety course.
The event takes place over eight weeks with eight different instances of trap, skeet, or sporting clay shooting. The final event, at which the kids shot for team trophies, took place in Polson at Big Sky Sporting Clays.
The teams are made up by the kids themselves, and placed into skill level classes A, B, or C based on how the kids scored over the first seven events. After the eighth event, trophies are awarded for highest score for girls, boys, and teams based on the 480 targets shot.
Six kids from Lake County participated in this year’s competition, all from Polson. Kaden Blixt scored the highest among them with 404 points, achieving the high score in five different events. The next highest scorer was Blaise Burland with 357 points. Hunter Boyd achieved 314 points, Nic DePoe reached 296, Isabella Paul was awarded 287, and Braxton Allen got 282.
The Reznecks team, including Blixt, Boyd, Burland, and Paul achieved second place in the Class A competition with a total of 1,684 points. Team Nothing But Dust, including Allen, was awarded fifth place in the Class B lineup with a score of 1,341. The Wad Quad team, including DePoe, reached first place in Class C with a total score of 1,123.
“A lot of the kids who start with us stay with it until their senior year,” Kiel said. “Their scores from year to year have improved unbelievably. It’s been really fun to watch them.”
To find out how to get children involved in upcoming youth events, visit the Montana Pheasants Forever website at montanapf.org.
