Soldiers, retirees and family members visiting Fort Stewart’s post exchange Friday were greeted by a line of umbrella tents where members of the installation’s outdoor recreation facilities and organizations conducted an Outdoor Wilderness Fair.
Representatives from the post’s Conservation Law Enforcement Branch, Fish and Wildlife Branch, Shooting Sports, and the Pass and Permit Office were on hand to answer questions about the variety of outdoor recreation available on Fort Stewart.
Andrew Gonzales and Leo Barrett answered questions about hunting and fishing on the base. Laughing, Barrett said he’d had to tell several people that the boat, motor and trailer they brought with them was not being raffled off.
They brought the boat as an example of the kind of equipment available to them to enforce hunting and fishing laws, he said.
“You can’t use a .22-caliber rim-fire rifle to hunt big game,” he said, responding to a specific questions. “You can use a .22-Hornet, though, because it has a center-fire shell.”
Wildlife biologists Rachel Allman and Larry Carlile said several people who came by their table recognized them from last Saturday’s family fishing event, where they ran the fish-cleaning station.
Providing the fish-cleaning station, however, is just one of many things the organization does to support soldiers and families, Allman and Carlile said.
Gifford explained that Fort Stewart Shooting Sports include skeet-and-trap shooting, pistol and long-range shooting and archery.
Sacha Coby, an outdoor recreation specialist, and Bill Cooney, outdoor recreation supervisor, were responsible for organizing the information fair.
“We just want people to be aware of the outdoor recreation opportunities available to them on Fort Stewart,” Coby said as he pointed out some of the special events planned for later this year.
Among those events is a Big Buck contest for installation deer hunters, Sept. 8 through Dec. 31; managed deer hunts for active-duty soldiers and retirees, Oct. 20 and Nov. 17; and a Wildlife Photo Contest, now through Nov. 9.
For more information about outdoor recreation on Fort Stewart, call 435-8061.