Before students take off for Thanksgiving Break, they may want to see if they can also take home a free turkey to roast.
Thursday, the University of Idaho Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) will host their annual Turkey Shoot, and spots are filling up fast.
Jared Clark, the officer in charge of this year’s event, said 83 of 90 available spots are already filled.
The Turkey Shoot is a rifle-shooting contest open to all students, staff, faculty and family members who can compete in three categories — adult male, adult female and children ages 12-17. Winners in each category will receive a turkey.
UI Army ROTC Public Affairs Officer Jesse Frantzich said he knows some people are not aware the ROTC exists on campus, and said he hopes to bring recognition to the program.
Every year, the Turkey Shoot has been completely booked, Frantzich said. Most of the time, university staff and faculty from different colleges fill a majority of the spots.
Clark said the event will go from 1-7:30 p.m. Ten slots open every 30 minutes, which is why many people sign up in groups. Capt. Chris Greenleaf, executive officer for the program, said the event serves as a team-building exercise for faculty members who come in groups.
“The event’s kind of gained a following, I guess,” Greenleaf said.
He said participants should bring one non-perishable food item to enter. The food will be delivered to a local food bank.
In the past, Greenleaf said they usually fill the bed of a pickup truck with donated food.
The event may seem simple, but Clark said that is not the case.
Event staff make sure participants know about gun safety and that the weapons are functional and easy to use. Volunteers will go through the event with all 90 participants, Clark said.
He said around 25 students and all three of the ROTC’s cadre will be there to help out.
Participants will meet in the ROTC conference room in the basement of the Memorial Gym. From there, they will watch a PowerPoint presentation on how their 30-minute session will go, the principle teachings of marksmanship and the fundamentals of weapon safety. There will also be a dummy rifle there for participants to get a hands-on experience, ask any questions and get comfortable with the weapon before going to the Memorial Gym Rifle Range to compete for the turkey.
From there, an instructor will give commands to the shooters to guide them and add safety to the event.
Clark said the event is for the community of Moscow, and it’s a popular one at that. He said he knows a lot of people look forward to the Turkey Shoot every year.
“People really do have fun. It’s not about winning the turkey, but it’s just coming out with their friends and just having a fun time shooting a rifle,” Clark said.
Taylor Nadauld can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @tnadauldarg