The next General Membership Meeting of Southtowns Walleye Association will be held on Thursday, February 19th, 2026 beginning at 7 p.m. There will be a vote starting at 12pm noon on the new Constitution and By-Laws plus the Officers and Board of Directors elections. Please bring your membership card with you to the meeting. If you have any questions regarding this, please leave a message on the club phone (716-649-8202) and we will call you back.
We are asking the membership and public if there is an interest in attending another US Coast Guard Safe Boater Course at the STWA Clubhouse in 2026? Please send an email to
Deadline to submit your comments is no later than December 9th.
Thank you,
The STWA Event Staff
Hunting is among the most popular forms of wildlife recreation in New York State. Nearly 700,000 New Yorkers and over 50,000 nonresidents hunt in the Empire State. New York offers many exciting opportunities to hunt a large variety of wildlife, including big game, small game, game birds and furbearers.
Find your next adventure using DECinfo Locator - an interactive map featuring wildlife management areas, WMU boundaries, parking areas, trail heads, and other information to help plan an excursion on state-managed lands.
Electronic Tagging
Hunters now have the choice to obtain a paper license and tags or use the HuntFishNY mobile app as electronic proof of licensure and possession of tags for deer, bear, or turkey.
Electronic Tagging
Hunters now have the choice to obtain a paper license and tags or use the HuntFishNY mobile app as electronic proof of licensure and possession of tags for deer, bear, or turkey.
Harvest Reporting
E-tag users must report immediately after harvesting a deer, bear, or turkey through the HuntFishNY mobile app. Paper tag users must report their harvest within 48 hours (no longer 7 days) through DEC’s website, the HuntFishNY mobile app, or calling 1-866-426-3778.
Crossbow
Crossbows may be used wherever and whenever bowhunting occurs. To hunt deer and bear with a crossbow during the bowhunting seasons, a hunter must have a hunting license and bowhunting privilege. To be eligible to purchase a bowhunting privilege, a hunter must have bowhunter education certification which is available through the online or in-person course.
Youth Hunt Bonus Tags
Youth hunters (ages 12-15) who successfully take and report a deer taken with their regular season tag during the Youth Big Game Hunt weekend and who do not possess other antlerless tags for the regular firearms season will be issued a bonus tag for the regular season. The bonus regular season tag will be valid for deer of the opposite sex as was harvested during the youth hunt. DEC will mail the bonus tag to the successful hunter, probably in early November.
Answers to commonly asked questions are available: 2025 Hunting Rule Changes Q & A (PDF)
Contact for this Page
DFW, Bureau of Wildlife
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
Phone: 518-402-8883
Mark your calendars for this year's free fishing days.
- June 28-29
- September 27 (National Hunting and Fishing Day)
- November 11 (Veterans Day)
On these days anyone can freshwater fish in New York without a fishing license, so it's the perfect opportunity to introduce fishing to a friend or family member.
There are also Free Fishing Clinics throughout the year. In addition to casting a rod and catching fish, participants can learn about fish identification, fishing equipment and techniques, fisheries management, angling ethics, aquatic ecology, and more!
Article and Photo Credit the New York State DEC Weekly Digest Bulletin
Big fish, big cash winnings for lucky anglers
The post-contest celebration for the 40th annual Southtowns Walleye Association Lake Erie Derby was held last Sunday at the SWA clubhouse on Southwestern Boulevard in Hamburg.
The nasty weather during the first three days of the nine-day derby held early anglers in port, but in the end, 320 fish were weighed in for the Adult Walleye Division and 24 fish in the Youth Division.
Photo courtesy of Southtowns Walleye Association Kelsey Mann caught a nice walleye fishing out of Dunkirk in the Southtowns Walleye Youth Division.
The largest fish in the youth group was caught by Adam Goodberry, a 9.50-pound walleye that won the youngster a new rod and reel and the $250 Dave Goodberry Memorial Prize. Ten places were awarded to the youth anglers, and the smallest fish in 10th place was 6.05 pounds, which was caught by Cole Hanlin, who received a new rod and reel rig.
Read full article here at the Dunkirk Observer
FORREST FISHER
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