National Hunting and Fishing Day to be held Sept. 23

Louisiana’s National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, at four locations across the state, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced.

Waddill Wildlife Refuge in Baton Rouge, Woodworth Shooting Range in Woodworth,  the Tom Merrill Recreation Area at Bodcau Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Haughton and Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe will host this year’s event, sponsored by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation.

NHFD has become a tradition since its establishment in the early 1970s. Since then, every fourth Saturday in September is dedicated to Louisiana’s popular outdoor pastimes. LDWF introduced its first NHFD event in 1982 at the Monroe District Office, and in the following years, additional locations were added to its roster.

Each location’s event varies but all include exhibits on LDWF’s research and conservation efforts, shooting and fishing demonstrations, and exhibits from local chapters of Ducks Unlimited, the Safari Club and the Coastal Conservation Association, as well as local businesses.

Attendees can try their skills at the shooting ranges, fishing ponds and boating activities and learn about wildlife with live animal demonstrations.

Event details are as follows:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

480 Richmond Place Drive

Monroe, LA

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

318-343-4044

Waddill Wildlife Refuge

4142 North Flannery Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70814

8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

225-765-2927

Woodworth Shooting Range

661 Robinson Bridge Road

Woodworth, LA 71485

8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

318-484-2276

Bodcau WMA

Tom Merrill Recreation Area

171 Ben Durden Road

Haughton, LA 71037

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

318-371-3050

For more information, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/nhfd.