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…