New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866
Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007
karl.moffatt@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JULY 12, 2017:

Special hunter education camp offered at Camp Wehinahpay near Sacramento

SACRAMENTO – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is offering a special hunter education camp where youths can receive hands-on training and earn their hunter education certification free of charge.

The camp is open to youths ages 11 to 18 who are accompanied by a responsible adult. It will be conducted the weekend of Aug. 11-13 at Camp Wehinahpay Boy Scout Camp in the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo. Participants are responsible for bringing their own camping gear. Meals will be provided Friday dinner through Sunday lunch. Registration for this camp is now being accepted. Those interested in attending must complete and return the registration form available at www.wildlife.state.nm.us/education/hunter-education/ by 5 p.m. July 21 to be eligible. Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The department is hosting the camp in partnership with the Safari Club International Foundation.

Participants will learn safe and responsible firearms handling, ethical hunting behaviors, conservation, wildlife identification and basic survival skills. They will get a chance to test their marksmanship skills with .22 rifles and archery on a range under the supervision of certified hunter education instructors and department staff. Participants also will learn and practice fishing skills, no license required.

To qualify for the camp, youths must have an online account with the department, register with an adult and complete the required homework before attending. To hunt legally in New Mexico, youth under 18 years of age must first successfully complete a hunter education course or be registered in the department’s Mentored-Youth Hunting Program.

For more information, please contact the Hunter Education Program at (505) 222-4731 or go online to www.wildlife.state.nm.us/education/hunter-education/.

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