Perrotte: Historic Delta Marsh Research Laboratory Serves Up Superb Waterfowl Hunting and Delectable Duck Dishes

A visit to Delta Waterfowl’s historic Kirchhoffer Lodge at the southern end of Lake Manitoba afforded an opportunity to experience hunting you rarely see in the United States, plus learn about the incredible legacy of waterfowl conservation and research that has taken place in the Delta Marsh for many generations. A bonus was meeting the lodge’s chef Amanda Szadkowski, a virtuoso when it comes to preparing waterfowl, a person who ensures even the fussiest “duck tastes like liver”diners leave the table exclaiming, “Wow! That was good.”

My early October visit was toward the tail end of the Manitoba season. Ordinarily, most teal have long since left the area for warmer climates. Canvasbacks would be beginning their migration, along with a host of puddle ducks and divers that breed in an around the region. “My goal is for each of you to get a canvasback,” our trip leader Paul Wait explained. Canvasbacks helped make Delta Marsh so famous. Wait is communications director for Delta Waterfowl.