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Ceremony Honors Archery as Missouri’s State Sport

August 9, 2022 9:40AM CDT
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Ceremony Honors Archery as Missouri’s State Sport
Missouri Department of Conservation Director Sara Parker Pauley (far left), state Rep. Tim Taylor (center), Conservation Federation of Missouri Executive Director Tyler Schwartze (second from right), and state Rep. Bruce Sassmann (far right) joined students participating in the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program and other officials. (Missouri Department of Conservation Photo)

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Archery has been officially recognized as the state sport of Missouri. On Monday, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, and the Archery Trade Association held a ceremony at the Archery Hall of Fame Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.

Missouri has a significant connection to bowhunting and the archery industry, including Holless Wilbur Allen, Jr. of Kansas City who added pulleys and extra cables to the limbs of the bow, creating the compound bow that revolutionized the industry.

A partnership known as MoNASP through the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri and participating schools promotes archery for students in 4th through the 12th grades.

Archery hunting also has a long, rich history in the state. Today, there are more than 202,000 archers participating in the fall tradition of bowhunting; harvesting nearly 60,000 deer annually.