If warm weather is when you like to hunt, then don’t read on, because late December and early January in the land of the six-foot snow banks can be challenging. Western New York zone duck and goose hunters are offered late-season duck hunting, starting Dec. 31 and running until Jan. 15, 2017.

One of the major keys to cold-weather duck and/or goose hunting, especially during the late season here in Chautauqua County/Western Zone is, obviously staying warm.

During the 2015 campaign for the late-season duck hunters in Chautauqua County there was plenty of open water almost all the way through the season.

While there still may be open water, the weather can be totally different when the wind starts blowing out of the west and north.

One of the best pieces of equipment any time of year is a good pair of neoprene chest waders, but especially during the late season. Of course, layering definitely will keep the chill off of your upper body. I have also found a good wool cap works great. Keeping your extremities warm is important and had should be primary concern.

Regarding your hands and fingers, I generally have at least three pairs of gloves with me . The neoprene are primarily used to put decoys in and out of the water. With neoprene your hands will stay dry and warm.

Western New York’s late season offers hunters a different type of shooting opportunity. Unless the water temperature has kept lakes and ponds open, waterfowlers are going to be hunting rivers or Lake Ontario.

Some of the most exciting waterfowl action I get every year is a Niagara County version of cast and blast. I generally, take the week between Christmas and New Years and travel hunt with the big lake and river.

While it can be done hunting from shoreline, it’s best to use an experienced guide. Call Bill Hilts at Niagara County Tourism at 716-282-8992 to receive information about licensed charter captains who will get into ducks safely.

Sea ducks are some of the smallest and fastest ducks on the Atlantic Flyway. Sea ducks fly upwards of 60 mph. Trying to hit these fast-moving targets when you are hunting out of a 20-foot Lund, can be interesting.

Moving west along the Great Lakes, waterfowlers will find that Lake Erie offers some more traditional waterfowl action. When the Big Lake freezes over, Dunkirk Harbor offers some great late-season duck action. While the power plant is currently not operating in Dunkirk, the harbor offers access via boat to the breakwall which guards the harbor.

Hunting off the “wall” is a tradition for many Chautauqua County waterfowlers, hence getting there early the morning is important. Once off the “wall”, small-decoy spreads work best during the late season. Most of the birds that will coming into your spread will be local birds that have bumped off local streams and ponds.

Birds have been called to and shot at for the last two months and are very leery of anything out of the ordinary. Most “wall” hunters will put their spreads close to the wall, but I prefer to put out my spreads 20 yards. This will bring the birds between you and the decoys.

Years of experience have proven to me that late-season birds will not land in the spread but on the inside, if they set their wings at all. Many times they will not even set their wings but just fly over to check out the new kids in town. This is why I generally let my clients take passing shots, because this is often the only shot they are presented.

With Mother Nature giving Chautauqua County duck and geese hunters a welcome surprise — open water on Chautauqua Lake — hunting the lake can be a ton of fun. Along with the excitement comes hard work and cold weather. Keeping in mind that hunters can not just pull up in front of anybody’s home along the lake and start hunting, permission must be gained.

Keeping in mind that the ducks and geese we are hunting during the late season have been hunted hard since October, keep your decoy sets simple. One of the keys we have discovered is that motion in your spread is important to getting call-shy birds into range for pass shooting shots. Speaking of pass shooting, that is the type of hunting that we will be doing during the late season. Remember that these birds are very shy, so pass shooting is going to your best bet during the late season.

Moving inland, waterfowlers need to do their home before heading afield. Find out which bodies of water are still open and which ones are frozen.

A sure bet for late-season waterfowlers is floating the many rivers that generally don’t freeze over until mid-winter. Conawango Creek is a favorite late-season hotspot. Don’t let the name creek fool you. The Conawango is 20 to 30 yards across in spots and ranges in depth from eight to portage. Divers make their winter home along this free-flowing creek.

As with most float trips, decoys and calls are best left at home. Fast-paced action calls are for a good set of eyes. Checking the shoreline out as far as you can see will help get you ready for the upcoming action.

One of the joys of hunting the Conawango is you always see something different around each bend. Everything from whitetail, turkey, beaver and small game.

When dates and bag limits are discussed it’s important as sportsmen that we all double check the information with NYS official publications and/or websites.