Participate in a Uintah Basin tradition with 2 target shooting competitions

DWR press release

VERNAL — If you want to try your hand at close-range target shooting that involves connection, tradition and competition, bring your family and friends with you to participate in the men's Wild Bunch Shoot on Friday and the women's Josie Shoot on Saturday.

The annual events are organized by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Foundation. Although both shooting competitions are free, participants are encouraged to pre-register on Eventbrite for the men's and women's events. However, participants can also register on the day of the event, before the last filming time slot.

History of the filming of Josie

In 1988, Utah Hunter Education instructor Carole Jackson had a vision to encourage women of all ages in the Uintah Basin to use their newly acquired skills in a shooting competition. With the support of her family and the local community, she created the Josie Shoot. It was aptly named after a local pioneer that Jackson could relate to – Josie Bassett Morris.

Josie's name is well known in the Uintah Basin, and you can still visit her cabin at Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, where she resided until 1964 at the age of 91. Josie was known for her sharp, independent spirit and this appealed to Jackson. and allowed her to recruit more women to learn marksmanship and continue Josie's legacy.

“The Josie Shoot was created to provide women with an atmosphere of support, encouragement and comfort where they could improve their firearm shooting skills or learn about the sport,” said Tonya Kieffer-Selby , DWR Northeast Region Outreach Manager. “This women-only event provides an opportunity for women to socialize, make new friends with similar outdoor interests and create memories. »

35th Annual .22 Josie Shoot

The 35th annual .22 Josie Shooting will be held Saturday, June 1 at the Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex in Vernal from 8 a.m. to noon. For tiebreakers, a play-off will take place at 11:15 a.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Uintah Conference Center at 313 E. 200 South in Vernal.

“This event is one I look forward to every year,” Kieffer-Selby said. “Some of these women have been participating in this event since filming began and are now bringing their granddaughters and great-granddaughters. It is an honor to continue this wonderful tradition for women around the world, knowing that they are part of a legacy that believes in Carole's vision and wants to continue for the “trailblazer” in each of us . This camaraderie also builds valuable partnerships within our small community. And now with the addition of the Men's Wild Bunch Shoot, everyone can participate all weekend long.

Age categories for the women's competition include juniors (11-17 years), seniors (18-49 years) and “vintage” (50 years and over). All participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and must have completed Hunter training to participate.

2nd Annual Wild Cluster Shoot .22

The .22 Wild Bunch Shoot will take place Friday, May 31 from 3-6 p.m., also at the Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex in Vernal. The awards ceremony will take place at the Uintah Conference Center in Vernal at 6:45 p.m. Attendees can register and find more details on Eventbrite.

“Last year we had about 50 participants, and since it was the first year, we felt it was a huge success,” said Anthony Christianson, DWR wildlife recreation programs specialist.

Age categories for the men's competition include “youngin” (11 to 17 years old), “codger” (18 to 49 years old) and “old fogy” (50 years and older). As with the women's competition, all participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and must have completed Hunter training to participate.

Attendees at both events are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair for seating during the event. Participants will also be required to provide their own ammunition and will use a standard .22 caliber rifle – no magnum rifles, target rifles, handguns or bipods will be permitted in the competition.

This year, as in previous years, participants in both events can register to shoot sight or scope, but not both. The distance to targets is approximately 30 meters. Participants will have 10 shots in three different positions: lying, sitting and standing. The Wildlife Conservation Foundation is the title sponsor and will award prizes to the top three places in each of the age categories.