How are you celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day?
This fall's big hunting and fishing event in the Granite State is the National Hunting and Fishing Day Expo and New Hampshire Tour on Sept. 26. Admission is free to this statewide celebration, which includes an outdoor sporting show at the Fish and Game Headquarters in Concord, archery, muzzleloader and shotgun shooting at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness and events and retail specials at fish and game clubs and outfitters around the state. Check out the expo exhibitors and events at wildnh.com/expotour.
In Concord, the outdoor expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in tents and outdoor exhibits at the Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, with exhibits of products and services - everything related to hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. More than 50 sporting organizations and hunting and fishing product manufacturers will be on hand with demos and gear. Just for coming, you'll be entered into a free raffle for prizes, including a Triumph Bone Collector .50 cal. muzzleloader donated by Thompson Center Arms, a handheld GPS unit from DeLorme and fishing maps and guidebooks from Fishing Guides of New England.
At the expo, test your archery skills at the Stateline Guns Ammo and Archery course. Grey's Outfitting will hold hunting dog demonstrations, both pointing dogs and retriever/flush demos. Check out the new ice fishing tip-ups at the Max-Traps display. Try deer and turkey calls from Quaker Boy and Buck Gardener Calls. Be amazed by taxidermy exhibits, a sport fishing simulator and big fish in the hatchery truck. See realistic decoys from the Granite State Chapter of Delta Waterfowl, plus their newest duck boat and goose trailer. Canoes, kayaks, boats, guns, fishing gear, tackle and more - it will all be there!
As part of the expo, Fish and Game's Owl Brook Hunter Education Center (387 Perch Pond Road) in Holderness, will host an open house on Sept. 26, with interactive activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Try your hand at shotgunning, archery, and muzzleloader shooting courtesy of Thompson/Center Arms. Get a lesson on treestand safety. Have a look around Owl Brook, the only facility of its kind in northern New England, with ranges, hunter education exhibits and a replica of an old-time trapper cabin.
Get geared up for outdoor recreation this fall at this fun, free event in celebration of the outdoor traditions that help make New Hampshire a wild place to live and visit.
For more information about the Fish and Game Department, call 271-3211 or visit wildnh.com.