NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife - 4th Annual Wildlife Heritage Festival

4th Annual Wildlife Heritage Festival

Join us at the fourth annual Wildlife Heritage Festival on Sunday, September 25 from 10:00 - 4:00 as we celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center.

Bring your family and friends to the Pequest Trout Hatchery for a day of family fun marking National Hunting and Fishing Day. 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.

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 for the first time this year.

The auditorium will be packed with wildlife artists and taxidermists who will be on hand selling their art and services. New for this year is the Sportsmen's Flea Market, 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, including performances by Diana Dove, 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 at 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.

Pequest Wildlife Heritage Festival Information
Pequest Wildlife Heritage Festival Poster (pdf, 150kb)