The shooting range is almost a second home to junior Allyssa Davis. Starting with a .22-caliber shotgun when she was nine years old, she gradually began using other firearms and bows when she turned 12. Now, you can often find Davis practicing with her 4-H group every other Sunday morning, preparing for one of the many shooting competitions she enters every year.

“I love shooting, and it’s important to me,” she said. “In addition, I hope to receive possible scholarships.”

Davis often enters YHEC competitions, or Youth Hunter Education Challenge. In these challenges, the participants shoot a variety of firearms, some of which include bows, shotguns and muzzleloaders. The participants also identify wildlife, practice orienteering (using a compass) and read maps. These competitions are hosted in various locations in Kansas and Oklahoma. The national YHEC competition is hosted in Raton, N.M.  

Davis is skilled with many firearms, though one does stand out as her favorite.

“I love the compound bow,” she said.