CLUB CLAYS
Our youth shotgun sports teams are all-inclusive. As long as a you can physically manage to safely handle and shoot a 20-gauge or 12-gauge shotgun and follow directions from one of our NRA-certified shotgun instructors or coaches, you can participate.
We have three club teams – Tishomingo Clay Busters, Prentiss County Sportsman’s Club, and Sullivan Farms Clay Hawks. Any youth in the Northeast Mississippi area is welcome to shoot with any of our club teams and/or to be a member of one of our club teams.
No experience is necessary and you do not need to have any special equipment. Family-owned shotguns that are suitable for clay target shooting are welcome and we have club guns available for those who may not have their own. Eye and ear protection is always available at our ranges. Grants and donations allow us to provide clays for youth practice. We do not charge fees for participation in training and practice but each youth provides his or her own shotgun shells and there are fees at competitions and at commercial ranges where events are held.
Normally, competitions and events we participate in cost anywhere from $15-$45 per athlete depending on the venue and the nature of the event. Youth will usually need at least two
boxes of ammunition for practice and two to four boxes for competitive events. A box of shotgun shells will cost about $10.
Regularly scheduled club practice takes place at the two shooting ranges owned by Square1 Outdoors – Prentiss County Sportsman’s Club near Booneville and Sullivan Farms Recreational Shooting Area near Tupelo. Practice is flexible. There are no tryouts. Everyone who shows up gets to participate. We don’t penalize those who cannot make practice due to busy schedules, in fact we make ranges available so that parents can take kids to shoot anytime. We do stress the fact that as a competitive shooter you’ll only get so far without formal practice and training. For some, shooting sports is a beloved hobby and they participate when they’re able. For others it’s a primary competitive outlet and the focus of their time and resources. We welcome both recreational and competitive shooters.
TRAINING
All youth participating in club-sponsored shooting sports activities are required to complete the Mississippi Hunter Education Course as soon as possible after their 10th birthday. Those competing in MSSP must complete the course prior to participating in any MSSP event. We host several hunter and boater education courses through the year.
We also provide NRA Basics of Shotgun Shooting, Rifle Shooting, and Pistol Shooting courses free to youth. NRA firearms instructor training is available to adult volunteers at a discounted price compared to fees charged by most NRA training counselors. We have a mentoring program for youth who are interested in becoming firearms instructors, as well. Youth ages 15-17 may attend the same instructor-level training as adults and become “apprentice instructors” who assist adult instructors with all facets of basic shooting classes except direct instruction and supervision of live-fire activities. Those youth who actively assist with classes may be upgraded to “assistant instructors” upon their 18th birthday and begin providing direct instruction during classes under the supervision of a certified NRA instructor age 21+. At age 21, with no further training, we are able to certify that person as an adult instructor who may then teach classes alone or with a training team. We charge no fees to the 15-17-year-old for the initial training or for the process through which they become a certified instructor. It is our hope that they will become adult volunteers and carry on our tradition of providing shooting sports training and shooting opportunities for other youth.
MSYESS (Mississippi Youth Education in Shooting Sports) provides NRA Level 1 Shotgun Training annually for discounted fees to adults who volunteer for youth shotgun shooting programs or teams. Funds to offset costs of the training are provided through coach training grants made available by the Midway USA Foundation.
EQUIPMENT
Most competitions require the use of 20-gauge or 12-gauge shotguns capable of holding and shooting two shells. For recreational shooting, any shotgun under 10-gauge is acceptable. Our ranges limit ammunition to lead shot only, 2-3/4” or 3” shells, and #7-1/2, #8, or #9 shot size. Those shells typically found in local stores with the aforementioned characteristics and showing 1145-1200 FPS are what will be needed for competitive shooting. Shotgun shell bags clipped to the belt or worn with a belt are generally used and available at the clubs, along with a choice of ear plugs or ear muffs, and safety glasses. Prescription glasses and sunglasses are acceptable.
RANGE SPECIFIC / CLUB SPECIFIC RULES
Our ranges and our club activities both prohibit resting shotgun muzzles on the foot. While this is acceptable in some circles of the shotgun shooting world, it is never allowed to be done by youth or adults at our ranges or while participating in any shotgun shooting activity, event, or program hosted by our organization.
All sporting arms (i.e., shotguns, rifles, pistols brought specifically for use during an activity, event, or program and not carried on the person for purposes of self-defense) must arrive unloaded and in a case. Certain programs such as 4H may have rules that require the use of EICs (Empty Chamber Indicators). We honor any such requirements that go beyond our safety measures but none that conflict with our safety measures. Any questions regarding safety or range rules should be directed to an NRA Range Safety Officer or shotgun coach or instructor if an RSO is not present. NRA-certified Range Safety Officers are the ultimate authority where safety is concerned on our ranges.
LOCAL VENUES
We encourage all area youth and families to visit local shooting venues to challenge themselves and broaden their exposure to different shooting disciplines. It’s important to support local venues and their events in order to ensure that we continue to have clubs in our area where we can continue to shoot.
Chaney Town Clays
1545 Hall Road
Pontotoc, MS 38863
Cypress Creek Shooting Sports
3626 Perry Road
Grenada, MS 38901
Lakeside 5 Stand
156 Drive 308
Shannon, MS 38868
McIvor Shooting Facility (MDWFP)
4216 Davis Chapel Road
Sardis, MS 38666
Prentiss County Sportsman’s Club
103B CR 1210
Booneville, MS 38829
Ray’s Place
654 Hwy 4 East
Booneville, MS 38829
Sullivan Farms Recreational Shooting Area
660 Mt Vernon Road
Tupelo, MS 38804
The Gravel Pit
3557 Sand Road
Steens, MS 39766
Whitetail Ridge Outdoors
444 Birmingham Ridge Road
Blue Springs, MS 38828
Each of these venues has a FB presence.
PROGRAMS
Mississippi 4H Shooting Sports has opportunities in every county for young people to participate in numerous shooting disciplines. Seasons generally begin around the first of each year and culminate in district-level events in May to determine which participants will represent their respective county programs at the state championship event held during summer. Youth ages 10-18 are eligible to compete in the 4H shotgun discipline. For more information, contact your county MSU Extension or visit the link below.
https://extension.msstate.edu/4-h//4-h-safety-programs/4-h-shooting-sports
MSSP (Mississippi Scholastic Shooting Program) is a competitive shotgun program facilitated by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Youth in grades 7-12 from 
throughout our state participate in MSSP in hopes of winning scholarships and other awards. We participate in two annual qualifying events held each fall at state-owned shooting ranges. These events consist of 100-clay rounds of Sporting Clays. The top 150 youth from these events proceed to the MSSP State Championship in May where they compete in Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays to determine who earns $10,000 in scholarships and awards. There are no fees for participating in the qualifying events or the state championship. Athletes must be members of a public or private school shotgun team, home school group shotgun team, or a club-based shotgun team. If the athlete attends a school that has a shotgun team, he or she must compete in MSSP as part of that school team.
https://mdwfp.com/law-enforcement/ms-scholastic-shooting-program/
SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program) is a national youth organization that provides student athletes aged elementary through college with a supportive environment where shooting sports 
serve as catalysts for teaching life lessons and skills that emphasize positive character traits and citizenship values. SCTP events include trap, skeet, and sporting clays. There are SCTP programs in and around Mississippi that local youth can participate in. A membership to the national organization is required. Our state SCTP program is based at Cypress Creek Shooting Sports in Grenada, MS.
AIM (Academics Integrity Marksmanship) is the official youth program of the Amateur Trapshooting Association. AIM requires a membership in the national organization. Members of AIM will 
enjoy the thrill of shooting registered competition on a level playing field as an individual and/or as a team. The purpose of AIM is to provide a safe and positive experience with firearms and registered trapshooting for youth, elementary age through college age. AIM encourages good sportsmanship and personal responsibility through competition while establishing the foundation to make trapshooting a lifelong vocation. AIM/ATA events can be found locally at Whitetail Ridge Outdoors and the state matches are held annually at Capital Gun Club near Jackson, MS.