Ducks, decoys and a little lottery luck
Trending
There are few sounds that can get a waterfowler (duck hunter) out of a warm bed before sunrise faster than the distant quack of a passing flock.
For Western New York duck hunters, that sound will be especially welcome Oct. 10 and 11, when the Western Zone waterfowl season opens -- and a special permit lottery will determine who gets a coveted seat in the marsh at Tonawanda and Oak Orchard wildlife management areas. Feeling lucky?
The NYSDEC is accepting lottery entries through Sept. 15, 2026. Typically, DEC issues 100 permits per day for Tonawanda WMA and 50 per day for Oak Orchard WMA, although wetland conditions or other factors could reduce those numbers. The WMAs span portions of Orleans, Genesee, Erie and Niagara counties, with much of the acreage in Wildlife Management Unit 8G.
There is something wonderfully ridiculous about duck hunting. You spend weeks gathering decoys, calls, waders and warm clothing, then willingly crawl into a damp marsh before daylight to sit quietly and stare at the sky.
When the first flight appears over the decoys, none of that seems ridiculous anymore.
Bring the right firearms. For New York waterfowl hunting, a 10-gauge or smaller shotgun is legal, and the gun generally may hold no more than three shells unless properly plugged. In practical terms, that means our more familiar 12- or 20-gauge waterfowl shotguns, loaded with an approved nontoxic duck load, is the standard ticket to the show. Rifles and handguns are not legal for migratory waterfowl.
Note this: leave the old lead loads at home. Nontoxic shot is now required for ducks and other waterfowl. Legal choices include steel, bismuth/tin, tungsten-based loads and other shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hunters need a New York hunting license and HIP registration, and hunters 16 and older need a federal Duck Stamp. Shooting hours run from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. The regular Western Zone duck limit is six ducks, subject to species-specific restrictions.
Make every effort to retrieve the downed birds. Then comes the reward: a properly cleaned brace of mallards sizzling in a skillet, perhaps with bacon, onions and a side of potatoes. Yum! Suddenly that 4 a.m. alarm doesn’t seem quite so offensive.
Apply soon for the permit. Enter the Tonawanda/Oak Orchard permit lottery by Sept. 15. Hunters who cannot complete the online entry should contact the DEC Iroquois Wildlife Field Office at 585-948-5182 before the deadline.
Also, DEC asks hunters to use caution with ongoing utility work along National Grid transmission lines through the John White and Tonawanda WMAs. Stay out of posted work areas and use caution around active construction.
The ducks will be there. The marsh will be waiting. Now all you need is a little lottery luck -- and perhaps a duck dinner worth getting your waders muddy for.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
Aug. 26: 3D Archery, Evans Rod/Gun, 4 p.m. start, $10 fee, 15 targets, free instruction 4-6 p.m.; Info-call Jerry Gorski, 716-698-3008.
Aug. 27: 3D Archery & Spaghetti Dinner, 4-7 p.M., members $5, non-members $8, dinner $8; West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, New York; Info: (716) 652-4650.
Aug. 27: 3D Archery, 20 targets Bear Lake Rod and Gun, 4 p.m. start, $10 fee, open to public, 4391 Stockton-Cassadaga Road, Stockton; 716-397-9717.
Aug. 28-30: NYS Conservation Council, Fall Conference, Hancock House/Catskills Fly Fishing Museum, visit: www.nyscc.com.
Aug. 29: NYSDEC Hunter Ed Course, Springville Field & Stream, 8900 Chaise Road, Springville, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., event is full.