RALEIGH, N.C. (August 29, 2022) – National Hunting and Fishing Day in North Carolina is Saturday, Sept. 24. It is an annual celebration that promotes outdoor recreation and conservation. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the state’s agency mandated to conserve and sustain the state’s fish and wildlife resources, will host two family-friendly events that Saturday highlighting the region’s extraordinary hunting and fishing heritage. The John Lentz Hunter Education Complex will host the official National Hunting and Fishing Day event from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., and the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center will host a Wildlife Expo from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Lentz Center, located at 1017 Millstone Road in Ellerbe, is a recently renovated shooting sports complex that will host an array of outdoor activities for all ages on National Hunting and Fishing Day. This will be the first time the Lentz Center hosts the event and is the ideal location because of its expansive property and versatility.

Attendees can freely roam the campus to explore interactive, wildlife-related exhibits and demonstrations throughout the day, or participate in a scheduled program of events. Activities will include fishing, shooting ranges, archery, decoy carving, turkey calling, hunting and hunter safety demonstrations, skins and skulls demonstrations, Wildlife Enforcement Officer Q&A and cooking demonstrations. Registration is not required for this event.

The Wildlife Expo at the Pechmann Center, located at 7489 Raeford Road in Fayetteville, will offer approximately 20 hands-on activities and demonstrations including fishing, fly tying, lure making, kayaking, aquatic insect education, BB gun range, archery, boating safety, duck and goose calling, hunter education and safety, reptile handling, retriever demonstrations and field-work apparatus displays. Pre-registration is required due to limited space.

More information about both events is available on the Wildlife Commission’s website.

National Hunting and Fishing Day, formalized by Congress in 1971, was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to celebrate conservation successes of hunters and anglers. Hunting, fishing and related activities directly support upwards of 123,600 wildlife associated jobs in North Carolina according to the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2021.