Hannah Zeagler, daughter of Terry and Deedra Zeagler, has quite a collection of medals and Yeti cups that she has won from the vast number of target shooting competitions she has entered over the last eight years. Hannah, who is by her own definition an “outdoor girl,” has been target shooting since she was in the fourth grade; although her shooting skills started at a much younger age as she tagged along behind her daddy.
“My daddy had a big influence on me,” she said when asked how she became interested in what some regard as a male-dominated sport. “He bought me my first bb gun when I was three years old, and he let me shoot cans and everything else, while Mama watched! It was a bonding experience for us.”
It seemed that she was a natural when it came to hitting not only cans but also targets, especially the bullseye. (Incidentally, she was hitting the bull’s eye with that bb gun and was a sure shot even then.) She first became interested in trained target shooting when she joined 4-H under the tutorship of her instructors Matt and Tracy Wilkerson. She credits shooting sports and her instructors with teaching her discipline and giving her the opportunity to meet new people.
“The Wilkersons and their daughter Erin inspired me to do shoots,” she said confidently. “They taught me a lot of valuable lessons and that’s one of the reasons I’m so good!”
Unlike most target shooters whose choice of weapons is shotguns, Hannah shoots a 22 rifle in all the competitions she enters. That’s what you’ll find her using for practice in her backyard shooting range built by her dad. There she can hone her skills whenever she wants. She practices target shooting while sitting, kneeling and standing as those are the positions she must shoot from while competing. She is also required to shoot in rapid fire from each of those positions.
A junior at Jena High School, she is the only girl on campus who competes in target shoots. Her shooting skills have earned her a first, second or third place in all competitions she has entered except for one – and that ‘one’ just happened to be the very first target competition she entered at the age of nine. She’s also nabbed third place in a past Louisiana Junior Olympics shoot competition.
“I also own two pistols,” she offered – that’s in addition to her gun collection that numbers around fifteen.
She has other hobbies as well. She loves to draw, and she has over 2,000 hours of voluntary public service which has earned her five US Presidential Volunteer Awards. She is very active in JHS clubs including the Anchor Club, FBLA, Beta, 4-H, the Christian Athletic Club, FTA and is the Captain of the JHS Color Guard.
Hannah also enjoys deer hunting but admits she has never killed a doe – only bucks. “I shot an eight point buck a couple of years ago,” she shared. “Then I shot another eight point within a few days of the first!” That is not the only time she’s gotten two bucks in two days!
Another one of Hannah’s pastimes is participating in pageant competitions. When she tells the judges she’s a gun sports competitor, they are somewhat taken back.
“When I tell them I do shooting sports, they are surprised because girls don’t usually do shooting… and I’m really good!” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “And girls are usually the best shooters (when it comes to competing).”
For now, Hannah has several regional and Louisiana State shooting awards under her belt, but she’s nowhere near finished making her mark. Her expert marksmanship and drive to achieve will continue to bring her success in whatever target she sets her mind and efforts on. She will continue to perfect her aim when it comes to shooting sports and other life opportunities that she seeks and which seek her.
