WATERFOWL LOTTERY IN STATE PARKS ANNOUNCED

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announces that lottery drawings for the first half of the Waterfowl Hunting Season will be held for blinds in Beaver Island, Fort Niagara, Joseph Davis, Wilson-Tuscarora, and Golden Hill State Parks.

The drawings for the Beaver Island blinds, which are located along West River Parkway and Motor and Strawberry Islands, will take place in the Grand Island Community Center, located within the Nike Base Park at 3278 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY.

Lottery drawings will be every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting on Friday, October 24^th and the last one on Friday, December 5^th.   There will not be a draw on Monday, November 3^rd.  The doors will open at 6:00pm and the draws start at 6:30pm SHARP!  Call-ins will NOT be accepted.

            To participate in the lottery drawings, hunters must be present and show a valid NYS Small Game Hunting license with a signed duck stamp, proof of completion of a Waterfowl ID course and proof of registration in the Harvest Information Program (HIP).

            You may contact the Beaver Island Park Office at (716)773-3271 on weekdays between 8:30am and 4:00pm for more information about the drawings.

For Fort Niagara, Joseph Davis, Wilson-Tuscarora, and Golden Hill State Parks drawings will be held at the Fort Niagara State Park Maintenance Building from 6:00 TO 7:00 P.M. on the following dates:

October:  23,27,30

November:  3,6,10,13,17,20,24,26

December:  1,4,26,29

January:  2,5,9

To be eligible to participate in the lottery drawing, hunters must have a current New York State Small Game license, a Federal Migratory Bird Stamp, a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, and must have successfully completed the New York State Waterfowl Identification Course.  A dog or boat for retrievals is also required.

For additional information on these drawings, please call the Ft. Niagara Park Office at (716) 745-7273.