Just one 4-H club in Thurston County offers shooting sports, but Justin Spruiell, a Thurston County 4-H instructor and volunteer, says it’s about so much more than target practice. “While the title of the project is Hunting Skills, I prefer to think of my position as developing the next generation of conservationists,” he shares. “Each month I work with various nonprofit organizations in the outdoor space to introduce kids to different game animal species, tie in a conservation topic and show kids how they can get involved.” He is the lead instructor for hunting skills, and the only one in Thurston County.
Thurston County Shooting Sports
Justin got involved in 4-H with his oldest kid five years ago. While they focused on poultry projects, Justin’s interest was always shooting. “I was interested in joining the shooting sports program but had to wait until [my oldest] was 8,” he explains. “Once that happened, I became an archery instructor, and when hunting skills class was offered, I jumped at the chance to bring this to the kids. We are wrapping up our first year of Hunting Skills, and I can’t wait to see where this project will go moving forward.”
Like most 4-H families, they do a wide range of projects. And as a volunteer for Thurston County 4-H, Justin is kept equally busy. He is the hunting and shooting sports instructor and for the Thurston County Fair this year. “Shooting sports is unique from the rest of 4-H as all of the instructors must be volunteers (training, background checks) along with additional training for your chosen discipline, range safety and suicide prevention,” he explains
He is also the environmental science superintendent and the superintendent for the Pocket Pets. For the pocket pets – which includes things like bugs, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. – he wants the younger kids to have a great time at the fair.
The environmental science projects include everything from entomology and rock collecting to fishing and camping, Justin explains. “I am hoping to see this section grow more in the coming years as there are some remarkable opportunities,” he adds.
Currently, Thurston County Shooting Sports, led by Mark Fleischer, is the only 4-H club in the area that is offering these projects. Within the club, the projects are wide and varied. Justin explains:
“The Hunting Skills project is a lot of things, and the name I think is a little misleading at times. I treated this project as an opportunity to engage our youth in wildlife conservation topics, teach about management principles, and ensure they can talk intelligently about the role hunting can play in those. Each month we started with an outside activity, like fire starting, came in to learn about a wild game species, which tied into a conservation principle or ongoing issue, and ended with conversations and games.”
See The Projects at the 2026 Thurston County Fair
Head to the Thurston County Fair July 30 through August 2 to meet these hardworking 4-H kids and learn about their projects!
One kid made a turkey call from a kit. “They got to experience putting together, finishing, and personalizing a pot call,” Justin shares. “This led into a visit from the National Wild Turkey Federation, who spoke to the kids on turkey conservation and gave calling lessons. Every kid made a turkey noise by the end of the day, and I have no doubt the car ride home was filled with yelps and cuts. We also created simple first aid kits for our packs, and the kids developed their hunting plan for a species, which I hope some take on a trip next year.”
Karsten Colvin, 10, made a turkey call and a first aid kit for his projects this year. He has been in 4-H for two years. “I like hunting skills 4-H because I get to learn about different types of animals and their habitats and conservation projects to help them,” he shares. “I really like the hands-on activities like making turkey calls and learning wilderness first aid, so if my partner gets hurt while we’re out hunting, then I can help them.”
Karsten will also be competing in archery at Thurston County Fair and the turkey call contest. He is excited to compete! The first-ever turkey call contest will happen Sunday, August 2, at 2:30 p.m.
“The kids spent the year developing their own hunting plan around a species of their choosing, learning its habits, regulations around it, ongoing threats, and conservation projects surrounding the species,” says Justin. “The kids were allowed to choose their own species, so everything from wood ducks in Washington to audad in Texas and even gazelle in Africa. We learned about disease transfer between farmed and wild animals, the dangers of lead ammunition, bear awareness, ethics and how conservation is funded in our country. It is a little bit of everything and anything the kids may be interested in. In the future, there is even a national competition that requires kids to be proficient in archery, rifle, shotgun, map skills, tracking, and the ability to read regulations. It is a diverse project to develop well-rounded and ethical sportsmen and women.”
Sheldon Wenschhof, another 4-H member, also enjoyed the hands-on projects, which are such a big part of 4-H. He used the turkey call he made when he went hunting in Idaho.
During one meeting, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife came and taught them about cougars and bears. “I enjoyed learning how to use bear spray for the first time,” Sheldon shares.
Meet all the hard-working 4-H kids at the Thurston County Fair – don’t miss it!
