BOUNTIFUL, Utah — What may sound like a loud afternoon in the foothills above Bountiful is actually the sound of a growing youth sport.
The Davis County Clays shooting team is seeing increased participation, particularly among young women, as more students discover competitive clay target shooting.
For Hazel Erickson, a senior with Davis County Clays, the sport has become a major part of her life.
"This is my fourth year," Erickson said.
She spends much of her free time practicing at the Bountiful Lions Range, where athletes compete in disciplines such as sporting clays, skeet and trap shooting.
"It's something you need to practice really hard to get good," Erickson said.
Her success did not come overnight.
"I was not amazing when I started out, but I figured out that I love it so much and I decided that that's what I wanted to dedicate my time to," she said.
When Erickson joined the team four years ago, she was one of only two girls participating. Today, she said the number of female shooters has grown significantly.
That trend reflects national participation data. According to the Firearm Industry Trade Association, 2024 saw the highest levels of participation among women and young adults in clay target shooting sports.
Coach Isaac Erickson has watched that growth firsthand.
"It's always fun to see girls join the team," he said. "For Hazel, just seeing her confidence grow in something and seeing her be able to compete against the boys, beat some boys is always a boost. There's plenty of strong female shooters in the league that she competes against."
The Davis County Clays team currently has 35 members, and athletes can continue joining throughout the season.
Statewide, Utah Youth Education in Shooting Sports has approximately 350 members spread across 14 teams. Like many other youth sports organizations, participants travel and compete in tournaments against athletes from across the country.
For teammate Carter Pack, the sport has had benefits beyond competition.
"My mindset has grown and it's just changed so much, I feel like," Pack said.
Coach Erickson said building confidence is one of the team's primary goals.
"That's the goal, is just trying to find a sport that these kids can have and build some confidence in while they're young and hopefully make a lifetime hobby out of it," he said.
For Hazel Erickson, that confidence has translated into success on the range.
She has won multiple state championships, western regional competitions and recently placed third at the National Junior Clay Target Championship.
Now, she has her sights set on an even bigger goal.
"My biggest goal is to make it onto the national team and compete in the Olympics and other national tournaments," she said. "That's going to be a huge challenge and it's going to take a lot of time, but I'm ready to fight for it."
For the athletes of Davis County Clays, every target presents a challenge. It's one they continue to embrace as the sport grows across Utah.