Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area
- Open for Recreation: Year-round
- Fee: Free
- Contact Information:
- DEC Region 9 Allegany Office (M-F, 8:00AM - 4:00PM), (716) 372-0645; region9@dec.ny.gov
- Search, rescue, wildfire, and enforcement matters: 911- or - 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264)
A local Forest Ranger is a valuable source of information for the state land you would like to visit.
- Location: Town of Arkwright, Chautauqua County
- Wildlife Management Unit: 9K
- Map: Canadaway Creek WMA Map (PDF) || Google Earth || DECinfo Locator
View the draft Access and Public Use Plan for Canadaway Creek WMA (PDF). Comments were accepted through March 2, 2022 .
The primary purposes of Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) are for wildlife management, wildlife habitat management, and wildlife-dependent recreation. This is a 2,180-acre broad and deeply dissected upland plateau, characteristic of the county. The landscape of steep slopes is covered primarily with deciduous forest mixed with conifer plantations. Canadaway Creek runs through the property.
The federal government became interested in the area in the mid-1930s. Under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture acquired the area by the late 1930s. The land remained under federal government control until 1961 when title to this property was deeded to the State of New York. By 1964, an additional 165 acres was acquired under the Park and Recreation Land Acquisition Act.
Featured Activities
Hunting & Trapping
General information on hunting and general information on trapping include how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules, and regulations.
Hunting and trapping are allowed within Canadaway Creek WMA. There are hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, bear, and turkey, or trapping for beaver, muskrat, mink, raccoon, or fox. Please be sure to abide by all game laws (view hunting seasons and trapping seasons).
Fishing
General information on fishing includes how-to and safety tips and links to seasons, rules, and regulations.
Fish for brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout in Canadaway Creek during the spring. The section of the creek within the WMA is stocked with 2,050 yearling brook trout and 50 two-year old brown trout each spring.
Wildlife
General information on animals includes links to information about birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects that inhabit or migrate through the state.
Deer, turkeys, black bears, squirrels, and a host of songbirds frequent the area. Use the Wildlife Management Area Vertebrate Checklist (PDF) and the Wildlife Management Area Bird Checklist (PDF) as wildlife viewing guides.
Directions
From Interstate 86 take Route 60 north to Cassadaga then head east on County Route 72 for approximately 5 miles.
- Center Road, unpaved parking lot (42.370087°N, 79.2306°W) - Get Google Map Driving Directions (leaves DEC website)
- Meadows Road, unpaved parking lot (42.385967°N, 79.228093°W) - Get Google Map Driving Directions (leaves DEC website)
All coordinates provided are in decimal degrees using NAD83/WGS84 datum.
Rules, Regulations & Outdoor Safety
Practice Leave No Trace Principles (leaves DEC website) when recreating on state land to enjoy the outdoors responsibly; minimize impact on the natural resources and avoid conflicts with other users.
All users of Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area must follow all State Land Use Regulations and should follow all Outdoor Safety Practices for the safety of the user and protection of the resource.
Activity Rules & Regulations
- Hunting Regulations
- Trapping Regulations
- Fishing Regulations
- Public Use of Wildlife Management Areas (PDF) - regulations updated in 2022
Meadow in Canadaway Creek WMA
The following activities are not permitted in Canadaway Creek WMA:
- Using motorized vehicles, including:
- all-terrain vehicles
- snowmobiles
- motorboats
- Swimming (no lifeguard on premises) or bathing
- Camping
- Using metal detectors, searching for or removing historic or cultural artifacts without a permit
- Damaging or removing gates, fences, signs, or other property
- Overnight storage of boats
- Cutting, removing or damaging living vegetation
- Construction of permanent blinds or other structures such as tree stands
- Littering
- Storage of personal property
Outdoor Safety Tips
NOTE: Ticks are active whenever temperatures are above freezing, but especially so in the late spring and early fall. Deer ticks can transmit Lyme and several other diseases. More information on deer ticks and Lyme disease can be obtained from the NYS Department of Health (leaves DEC website).
How We Manage Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area
Like most of the state's Wildlife Management Areas, Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area is managed by DEC's Division of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife conservation and wildlife-associated recreation (hunting, trapping, wildlife viewing, and photography). Funding to maintain and manage this site is provided by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration or "Pittman-Robertson" Act, which is acquired through excise taxes on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment.
From the early 1940s through the mid-1950s, numerous conifer plantations were established. Since then, some of these plantations have been cut and thinned. Other activities such as hardwood cutting and thinning; mowing abandoned pasture and cultivated fields; planting grain and legumes; planting food-producing shrubs and conifer seedlings for wildlife cover; development of marshes, potholes, and ponds; and construction of roads for management and public access has taken place.
Some of the principal management objectives and techniques for the Canadaway Creek WMA are to:
- maintain high quality habitat for ruffed grouse through a regulated timber management plan,
- provide wildlife related recreation use opportunities and to protect, and
- maintain special wildlife habitats that exist on the area.
View the Habitat Management Plan for Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area (PDF), approved in March 2017, which identifies the WMA-specific target species and habitat goals for the WMA.
Nearby State Lands, Facilities, Amenities & Other Information
Web links below can provide information about other recreation, attractions, and amenities in this area.
- Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau (leaves DEC website)
State Lands and Facilities
Numerous guide books and maps are available with information on the lands, waters, trails, and other recreational facilities in this area. These can be purchased at most outdoor equipment retailers, bookstores, and on-line booksellers.
Additional information, outdoor equipment, trip suggestions, and guided or self-guided tours may be obtained from outdoor guide and outfitting businesses. Check area chambers of commerce, telephone directories, or search the internet for listings.
Consider hiring an outdoor guide if you have little experience or woodland skills. See the NYS Outdoor Guides Association (leaves DEC website) for information on outdoor guides.
