A long standing community tradition, now sponsored by the Division of Wildlife Resources, is coming up next week. In its 34th year, the annual Josie Shoot is a .22 shooting competition for women of all ages inspired by a gun slinging, independent woman of the wild, wild west: local legend Josie Bassett Morris. The DWR shares that in 1988, Utah hunter education instructor Carole Jackson, inspired by Josie’s legacy, created the Josie Shoot. Josie was known for her vivacious and independent spirit and this appealed to Jackson and empowered her to recruit more women to learn marksmanship and carry on the Josie legacy. For over 30 years, Carole and Carl Jackson taught countless youth in hunter education and organized national shooting competitions. When Jackson lost her battle to cancer in 2016, the family found it difficult to carry on the annual shoot without her and the Utah DWR stepped in to continue the treasured tradition. The 34th annual .22 Josie Shoot will be held on Saturday, June 10th at the Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex in Vernal from 8am to noon. The awards ceremony will follow at 1pm at the Uintah Conference Center. The event is sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Foundation and is free for females 17 and older.
