This 72-year tradition is leaving the NC State Fair, bowing to increased costs
The Raleigh Jaycees Turkey Shoot has finished its 72-year run at the NC State Fair, ending a beloved fall contest that drew crack shots from age 12 to 90.
A fixture at the Fair since 1952, the turkey shoot raised funds first for Raleigh’s Jaycee Park off Wade Avenue and then a long list of charity projects stretching back decades. In 2011, the Jaycees reported the turkey shoot accounted for a third of their budget.
It challenged shooters to hit targets — not live turkeys — with a 20-gauge shotgun from a distance of 25 yards, granting the winners a free Thanksgiving dinner and T-shirts proclaiming bragging rights.
But the Jaycees announced Friday that the costs and requirements of building their booth forced them to bid a thankful farewell.
“We’ve celebrated the youngest family members winning the turkey for their table, laughed at the friendly but fierce competition between spouses and friends, and smiled at the many patrons who wore their winning shirt each year with pride,” wrote the service group in a Facebook post. “And — we’ve given away more turkeys and t-shirts than we can count!”
“A lot of people to build a hay wall”
Until 2011, the Jaycees hosted their competition inside a familiar cinder-block building that grew to be too much of an eyesore for the Fair to keep standing.
Afterward, shooters took aim at targets posted on hay bales around tractor-trailers parked in a U shape.
“It takes a LOT of people to build a hay wall and operate this event for over 12 hours each day for 11 days,” wrote the Jaycees in their post. “Luckily, we have been so fortunate to have so many dedicated people to help bring the Turkey Shoot to life for so many years. Thank you for helping keep the tradition going.”
For decades, kids waited to reach the minimum age of 12 to partake in the competition, and families vied in an annual attempt to out-shoot each other.
“For some, the story is about a crazy ride, a huge pumpkin they saw, or how tasty the latest deep-fried addition to the food menu was,” wrote former N&O reporter Aaron Moody in 2012. “In my family, only one story resonates during Fair season: an annual recap of the turkey shoot contest between my brother, my father, and yours truly has played out over the years.
“We are all lifetime hunting and fishing license holders,” he wrote, “and our roots stem back to the North Carolina-Tennessee line, where bring-your-own-gun turkey shoots are as common as apple pie. “We jump at the opportunity to partake in about any competition involving a gun. While you can’t take your own shotgun to the State Fair without being arrested, the Fair atmosphere still creates a perfect opportunity for another one of our showdowns.”
As this year’s Fair approaches, officials there offered this salute:
“We are proud of the 70-year partnership with the Raleigh Jaycees,” said State Fair Director Kent Yelverton, “and to have been able to work with their members and provide a fundraising platform for this great service organization over the years.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 11:42 AM.