Beau Emett started winning shooting competitions when he was in the seventh grade. He won the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) Utah state .22-caliber (smallbore) rifle event and placed fourth at the nationals that first year. In 2018, his eighth-grade year and only his second year of competing, he took the national title. You won’t find Beau bragging about his accomplishments, though. As his father, Royce, told America’s 1st Freedom, “I don’t think he understands what he’s accomplished. He’s very humble.”
Beau’s competition performance is enhanced by what he’s learned while hunting. He started hunting with his father at about eight years old and has taken deer, elk and even a mountain lion.
Beau does particularly well in the standing position. During a phone interview with America’s 1st Freedom, he told us his secret: “The main thing is I don’t drink any pop or eat any sort of candy.” Essentially, no caffeine or sugar makes for significantly less shaking when he shoots.
Whatever the reasons, Beau is certainly a steady shot. For the 2018 nationals, he out-shot the closest competitor by nine points in the standing position both in the first round and the short go. His final total in the short go was 336, with the runner-up getting 319. That score not only gained him the title, but also represented Beau’s personal best, which was his goal all along: to out-shoot himself.
