Syracuse.com - Sportsmen's Days at Carpenter's Brook/Salmon River hatchery open house set for this weekend

[HuntingNY-News]

Both events are being held to commemorate National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday.

Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day.

That resonates in Central New York, where there are more hunting and fishing licenses per capita than in any other area of the state. The Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, for example, represents 40 groups with a total of more than 5,000 members.

This weekend there are two local events being held to commemorate National Hunting and Fishing Day.

- Sportsmen’s Days . The family oriented Sportsmen’s Days,first held in 1980, always draws a big crowd.

The event, jointly sponsored this year by Honeywell and the Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, is set for 11 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the grounds of the county-run Carpenter’s Brook Hatchery on Route 321 in Elbridge.

This weekend’s schedule includes a variety of exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities. Admission is $5 per car.

Activities include skeet shooting (shotgun), turkey and goose calling, waterfowl identification, archery, BB gun shooting, fly fishing, jig tying, canoeing, muzzle loading, trout fishing in the hatchery pond, wild game/cooking demonstrations, fire starting and survival, a birds of prey demonstration, retriever dog demonstrations and much more. There will be free prize drawings every hour, including a grand prize of a fishing charter for four on Lake Ontario.

I’ll be there sitting at a table from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Stop by and say hello. Don’t worry, I won’t bite.

For more see www.federationofsportsmen.com, or call the hatchery at 689-9367.

- Hatchery open house. This is the Salmon River hatchery’s 17th annual open house. The state Department of Environmental Conservation complex is located at 2133 County Route 22, Altmar. Admission is free.

Visitors can tour the hatchery, learn about fishing for Pacific salmon and learn about rare and endangered fish. Volunteers will teach how to cast with a fishing rod, tie flies and fly cast.

There are several activities for children, including fish identification, discovery of creatures of Beaverdam Brook, the popular “Backyard Bass” and “Hook and Ladders” fishing games, and the Oswego County Cooperative Extension 4-H laser shooting range.

Guests can also visit the nearby Salmon River Falls, a DEC Unique Area located four miles from the hatchery. The 110-foot waterfall offers trails and viewing areas with spectacular scenery.

For more information contact the Salmon River Hatchery at 298-7605.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog