GET UP & GO!
The annual hunting and fishing show returns to Expo N.M. this weekend with plenty to entice outdoor enthusiasts
New Mexico’s annual hunting and fishing show is back to offer a winter’s taste of outdoor fun at the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque this weekend. “Our outdoor show continues to be the state’s most popular,” says Star Gonzales, marketing manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “It’s tremendous fun for the whole family and brings our great outdoors indoors for the weekend.”
There’s always plenty to see and do at the show, including fly-fishing and casting demonstrations, presentations by outfitters and guides, information booths manned by government and nonprofit agency staffers and the latest in outdoor gear, camping trailers and all-terrain vehicles.
The department will have its allterrain vehicle training simulator and staff on hand to teach folks the basics of riding, while others might want to try their hand at reeling in a big one on the department’s fishing simulator. Plenty of department staff will be on hand to talk about fishing, hunting and having fun in New Mexico’s outdoors.
Visitors will find Hunter Education Association volunteers manning an air rifle range where kids can learn the basics of firearm safety and use, and there will be a 3-D archery contest.
Of course, there will be plenty of hunting and fishing guides, outfitters and outdoor-oriented artists and vendors on site to help whet outdoor appetites.
Admission is free to all licensed anglers, hunters and trappers. Youths under age 18 also get in free, and admission is $3 for everyone else.
The show is Friday through Sunday in the Manuel Lujan Building at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque. Doors open to the public from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The show coincides with the department’s Governor’s Special Hunt Auction and Banquet, where over a dozen premier hunting and fishing packages will be auctioned to benefit the Game Protection Fund of New Mexico.
Premier hunts include elk, ibex, oryx, mule deer, Coues deer, pronghorn, turkey, upland game and a guided fishing trip with two nights’ lodging on the trophy-class trout waters of the San Juan River.
Many other items will be available by live and silent auction, raffles and games, including over 25 firearms, hunting, fishing and camping gear and outdoor-related art.
Steven Rinella, host of the hit TV show “MeatEater,” will be keynote speaker, and proceeds from the event also will benefit the New Mexico Youth Conservation Foundation’s First in the Field program.
The banquet will be conducted next door to the outdoor show Saturday evening. For tickets and more information, visit the department’s website, wildlife.state.nm.us.