NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife - 6th Annual Wildlife Heritage Festival

6th Annual Wildlife Heritage Festival

Join us at the sixth annual Wildlife Heritage Festival on
Sunday, September 30 from 10:00 - 4:00

Bring your family and friends to the Pequest Trout Hatchery for a day of family fun. Volunteers from Trout Unlimited and the Wildlife Conservation Corps will be on hand to teach kids between the ages of 8 and 16 the art of fishing as they try their luck in our Fishing Education Pond. Kids under 8 will be able to fish in our "kiddie fishing tank" which will be stocked with trout from the hatchery. New this year will be the "SIMUL-CAST SHOW" from the American Fly Fishing Schools and their Kids Fly Casting Competition.

There will be an archery range for beginners and for the advanced archer, we will have a free 3-D archery course set up through the woods. You will need to bring your own equipment for the 3-D course. There are 15 shooting stations where you will get a chance to shoot at deer, bear, turkey and coyotes under realistic hunting conditions. Test your shooting skills as you take aim at our steel deer! Instructors will teach you the basics of shooting a shotgun at our Introduction to Shotgun range which will be set up. A hunter education field session will also be conducted at the event.

The auditorium will be packed with wildlife artists and taxidermists who will be on hand selling their art and services. The Sportsmen's Flea Market is returning again this year, with vendors selling fishing and hunting related items.

There will even be guides and outfitters set up displaying their services. Conservation groups' representatives will be here to talk with visitors and several reenactors will be encamped at the hatchery to demonstrate primitive living skills from a bygone era. There will be kids' activities for children of all ages, so bring your whole family!

The Pequest Trout Hatchery is located on Route 46 nine miles west of Hackettstown in scenic Warren County. Come spend the day at the Wildlife Heritage Festival or visit the hatchery at any time during the year.

There will be food available for purchase on the day of the Festival. For more information about public or group visitation/programs call 908-637-4125 or see the on-line schedule of public programs. All of our events are free of charge.

Festival Event Schedule (pdf, 20kb)
Pequest Wildlife Heritage Festival Poster (pdf, 154kb)