The Union County Sheriff's Office is inviting shooters of all ages to its Marysville range on November 7 for the annual Turkey Shoot. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m.
Contestants bring their own shotguns, and scopes and red-dot sights are prohibited. Turkey Shoot entry costs $5 per round, with separate rounds for adults and youth. The Annie Oakley Shoot costs $10 per round.
A page from the USA College Clay Target League outlines one knockout version of Annie Oakley: three shooters compete on the same thrown bird, and successful shots can eliminate contestants who miss. The page may not describe the rules used at the Marysville event.
Kid-Friendly Options Round Out the Lineup
Younger contestants have their own lane at the event. The BB Gun Shoot is open to children ages 6 to 10, who fire at paper targets using BB guns the sheriff's office provides; registration is $5 per contestant, and the first 20 winners take home a BB gun, limited to one per registered contestant, the sheriff's office post notes.
Also on-site will be the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Archery Trailer, open to all ages free of charge, with bows and expert instruction supplied on the spot. The trailer offers instruction on safe shooting for anyone who wants to try archery regardless of experience.
A food truck will be on-site for the day, and anyone with questions about the event can contact Deputy Shawn Dyer at 937-645-4100, extension 4310. The Turkey Shoot takes place at the Union County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Training Facility, located at 15146 U.S. Hwy 36 E in Marysville.
Two Clubs, One Growing Sport
The money raised goes toward supporting the Fairbanks and North Union shooting clubs, both of which compete in the Ohio State High School Clay Target League. Fairbanks student athletes have earned top state rankings in Conference 2, including third-place finishes in junior varsity trap divisions in June, according to the league's own leaderboard data.
North Union's program has an especially fast rise behind it. The North Union Board of Education formally approved creating the high school trap shooting club in March 2022, and the team drew about 30 student participants in its first season, the Marysville Journal-Tribune reported at the time. By June 2024, the club had grown into a nationally competitive program, sending 12 youth marksmen to the USA High School Clay Target League National Championships in Mason, Michigan, after the team placed fifth overall at the Ohio Trap Shooting State Tournament, per the Richwood Gazette.
The Public Safety Training Facility on U.S. Route 36 serves purposes beyond the annual fundraiser, too. WKTN News reported this month that the Union County Sheriff's Office also uses the facility for community outreach, including free multi-week women's firearm safety courses, with participants required to pass county background checks before instruction begins.
Part of a Statewide Surge in Youth Marksmanship
The Turkey Shoot's beneficiaries are part of a sport that has exploded across Ohio in recent years. The nonprofit USA Clay Target League now supports more than 56,000 student-athletes on roughly 2,000 school-approved teams nationwide and has maintained a record of zero reported injuries since it was founded in 2001, according to DRGNews, with every participating athlete required to complete mandatory firearm safety training before competing.
Regionally, nearby Delaware County has seen similar growth: the Black Wing Shooting Center hosted more than 550 high school marksmen during state tournament events in June, the Morning Journal reported, underscoring how local ranges have become the primary practice grounds for Central Ohio high school teams.
State Tournament Participation
The Ohio State High School Clay Target League anticipated more than two dozen high school teams and nearly 425 student athletes for its Ohio Trap Shooting State Tournament in Delaware on June 6 and 7, 2026. That estimate documents expected participation, not tournament results; the statewide competition is separate from the Union County fundraiser.
Events like the Turkey Shoot also tie into the state's broader hunter education framework. Under Ohio Department of Natural Resources rules, all first-time hunting license buyers must complete an official hunter education course covering firearm safety, ethics, and hands-on tool handling before they can buy a license, with both instructor-led classroom sessions and interactive online courses available. Turkey shoots themselves trace back to early American frontier tradition as community marksmanship tests, evolving over time into fundraisers that award gift cards or frozen poultry rather than live game, according to a Massena Rod and Gun Club social media post describing the format's history.
