The sport of hunting has been a rich tradition in Manitoba and Provincial Hunting Day is coming up quickly in September. To prepare for that day, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation is hosting their annual 'Prepare for Provincial Hunting Day' celebration this weekend.

In 2009 it was proclaimed by the Manitoba Government to establish the 4th Saturday in September every year as Provincial Hunting Day, 'to celebrate the role hunting plays in wildlife management and conservation', according to the official proclamation.

The up-coming Saturday event will take place at the Brokenhead River Game and Fish Gun Range from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The event is open to the public, especially those with no experience in hunting and wish to learn more.

Kathleen Melnychuk is the Angling and Events Coordinator for the MWF. She explains what Saturday looks like for those interested in getting into the sport of hunting.

"Prepare for Provincial Hunting Day is a full day of activities to get people in the field and get them behind a couple of firearms, giving them some shotgun training and rifle training, and to give them information on how to get what they need, like giving advice on how to get certification, and the regulations around it."

"It just opens it up for people who have never tried it," explains Melnychuk. "Maybe they were interested but have never tried it, or had a barrier of some kind that prevented them from doing the activity itself."

There will be wildlife cooking and calling demonstrations, as well as information given as to what kind of gear they would need to get into the sport, as well as what kind of species they're able to hunt in each specific hunting season and region.

"Visitors can look forward to a variety of fun and exciting demonstrations," says MWF Program Manager, Carly Deacon. "The event will also provide free rifle, shotgun and archery one-on-one instruction from the most qualified mentors in the province."

"We want to introduce non-hunters and youth to all aspects of hunting - everything from wildlife stewardship and outdoor skills to marksmanship and equipment care," explains Deacon.

Melnychuk says they typically see some 500 people attend the event if the weather cooperates, but they will continue come rain or shine this Saturday.

Attendees do not need to pre-register and can show up at any time between 10-4. Shotgun training will take place for the first 100 people.

The MWF is seeing the number of hunters slightly decline over the past few years. "I find that a number of people are a little intimidated by the activity but we're very interested in hunter-recruitment and retention initiatives to get them into the field, get them hunting, and get them together with mentors," Melnychuk says. "We have an excellent mentorship program for hunting turkey, deer and pheasants, and just to try and get people into the field to get those numbers up."

Melnychuk says the best advocates for the sport of hunting and wildlife are the ones who are in the field and are intimately connected with the landscape and the resources. They're the ones who are seeing it firsthand and they're on the landscape. They will notice if numbers of wildlife species are up or down."

"They're intimately connected because this is their passion. It's in their hearts. It is their lifestyle."

'Prepare for Provincial Hunting Day' will be held Saturday, August 24th from 10-4.

Provincial Hunting Day will be held Saturday, September 28th.