If you’ve ever wanted to learn archery, New Hampshire is making it easy for you.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Hunter Education Program is now offering a new Archery Outreach Program for small groups.
Instructors trained by Fish and Game will travel to your New Hampshire location, where they will provide both classroom and outdoor instruction in a range environment. These free sessions are approximately three to four hours long, and all equipment will be provided. A group size of five to 15 people is recommended, and participants must be age 10 or older.
“Archery is a lifelong skill that is fun, safe, and rewarding,” said Fish and Game’s Archery Outreach Coordinator Eric Geib. “This program is ideal for schools, community recreation leaders, camps, scouting organizations, and even homeschool groups. Fish and Game’s Archery Outreach Program will furnish an assortment of archery equipment and provide proper shooting techniques in an exciting and engaging way. An initial site visit is required, however, to determine if a group’s location is suitable for setting up a temporary shooting range for the class.”
Programs are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Schedule your group’s session today by visiting Learn to Shoot Archery: Archery Outreach Program.
The Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness also offers opportunities for archers through its 4-lane practice area with fixed distances at 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards. There is also a 3-D Woodland Archery Course, which features 14 animal targets placed in a variety of positions that simulate actual hunting situations and includes a wheelchair-accessible target.
The entire practice range is ADA compliant with signed parking nearby. Both ranges are free to use and open daily from dawn to dusk, late May through November, unless otherwise posted. Broadheads are not allowed for safety and maintenance reasons.
The free archery ranges at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown are also managed by New Hampshire Fish and Game. The Bear Brook woodland archery range features 15 targets and a 4-target practice range that is universally accessible. For more information on day use at Bear Brook State Park, visit www.nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/bear-brook-state-park.
New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Archery Outreach Program is an extension of the Department’s Hunter Education Program, which is funded by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, a user-pay, user-benefit program supported by an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Learn more at www.wildnh.com/funding/wsfr.html.