Oatka Fish and Game Club

The Oatka Fish and Game Club was founded in 1946 by ten local sportsmen—Manny Mancuso, John Kunego, Bud Dewey, Steve Gehring, Dutch Sherman, Emery McClelland, Don Lawrence, Harold Connelly, Ralph Sperry, and Corrin Schiller. The club incorporated in 1949 and has since become the centerpiece of recreational shooting and hunting in western New York.

Year-round fishing access to Oatka Creek and other regional streams. The club maintains access to a 33-foot-wide fishing easement along the south bank of Oatka Creek—anyone with a valid New York fishing license can fish that strip.

Range Facilities: - Trap range with clay pigeon shooting ($5 per round, open to public) - Rifle and pistol ranges with covered shooting benches - Archery range - Full clubhouse with kitchen, banquet hall, and restrooms

Hunting and Land Access: - 500+ acres of preserved land for hiking and hunting - 40-acre "Sumac" property on the west side of Circular Hill Road owned by the club - Antlerless deer hunting on Foundation property (club has enforced strict hunting rules since 1997) - Walking trails and firewood collection on managed preserve

To join: Download the application form and email it to [email protected]. If you need help finding sponsors, the club will assist.

To renew: Submit $100 by January 31 via: - Cash/check to the Treasurer at monthly meetings - Drop off in the club safe - Mail to: PO Box 275, LeRoy, NY 14482

• •General Meeting: Third Thursday of every month at 7 PM
• •Board Meeting: Second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM
• •Annual Sportsman Raffle: The club's largest fundraiser, funding facility improvements

The club's property sits on land with deep roots. It was originally owned by Donald Woodward of the Jell-O fortune and called "Northwoods." When Woodward died, his widow Edith donated the land to the Genesee Conservation League as a preserve.

In 1991, the club purchased 20 acres of land (where the buildings and ranges sit) for $36,000 through the Oatka Game Management Society Inc. Since then, members have built:

• •Expanded kitchen and clubhouse (1994)
• •Covered shooting benches for rifle/pistol ranges
• •Storage garage and covered pavilion at trap range
• •Enclosed trap range house
• •Equipment barn
• •Archery range

Most construction involved volunteer labor from club members, with funding from raffle profits.

The club maintains links to real-time stream data for:

• •Oatka Creek (Garbutt and Warsaw gauges)
• •Cohocton River (Avoca and Campbell areas)
• •Cattaraugus Creek
• •Genesee River
• •Salmon River
• •West Branch Delaware
• •Limestone Creek, Eighteen Mile Creek, Sandy Creek, and others

The club also publishes a WNY Hatch Chart and provides DEC maps for all major fishing waters in the region.

Club House: 8237 Wilcox Road, LeRoy, NY 14482 Mailing Address: PO Box 275, LeRoy, NY 14482 Email: [email protected]

"The OATKA Fish and Game Club's vision is to provide its members with facilities and programs that support conservation and sportsman activities."