The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will host National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) events on Sept. 24 in Haughton, Woodworth and West Monroe. This year’s event in Baton Rouge, however, has been cancelled.
The Baton Rouge NHFD event was set for the Waddill Outdoor Education Center. But the facility and surrounding businesses sustained damage earlier this month during the historic flood that decimated parts of southern Louisiana.
“In addition to the flood damage, LDWF relies heavily on the generosity of volunteers from our agency and the community to host these NHFD events,’’ said Charlie Melancon, Secretary of LDWF. “We believe those volunteer efforts would be better focused on the recovery tasks occurring in the Baton Rouge area.’’
The department encourages the public to attend one of the three other NHFD events that it will host across the state, including:
Bodcau Wildlife Management Area
1700 Bodcau Dam Rd.
Haughton, Louisiana 71037
(318) 371-3050
Woodworth
LDWF Outdoor Education Center
661 Robinson Bridge Road
Woodworth, Louisiana 71485
(318) 484-2276
OPSP Public Shooting Range
357 Sheriff Fewell Road
West Monroe, Louisiana 71291
(318) 343-4044
NHFD is a national event celebrated in all 50 states on the fourth Saturday in September. It was created in 1972 when Congress passed two bills establishing a specific day to celebrate the conservation contributions of the nation’s hunters and anglers.
LDWF introduced its first NHFD event in 1982 at the Monroe district office. In the following years, three more locations were added in Baton Rouge, Minden and Woodworth. Today, more than 10,000 people statewide attend the celebrations, making NHFD the biggest public event for the department.
NHFD events are free to the public. The number and types of exhibits vary at each location but all include exhibits on LDWF management programs, shooting and fishing demonstrations, exhibits from local chapters of Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club and supporting businesses from the local communities.
Attendees have the chance to try their skills at the shooting ranges, fishing ponds and boating activities, as well as learn about wildlife with live animals.
For more information about the event, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/nhfd2016.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov. To receive recreational or commercial fishing email and text alerts, signup at www.wlf.la.gov/signup.