Last week, we reported on some key takeaways from the 2026 Waterfowl Population Status Report, including the disheartening news that the mallard estimate hit a 33-year low. This week, though, let’s talk about some better news: it could be a heck of a year for goose hunting in many parts of the country.
According to experts from Delta Waterfowl, as well as estimates from the ’26 Waterfowl Survey, goose production conditions were good overall. In the Atlantic Flyway, the Canada goose population was estimated to jump 14% to equal the long-term average. Additionally, the greater snow goose estimate in that flyway jumped 20% year over year.
“It was an early spring, mostly because the Central Canadian Arctic did not have a ton of snow over winter, so conditions were pretty good when birds arrived,” said Delta Waterfowl scientific director Dr. Jay VonBank in a news release. “Last year and the year before, we had exceptional, bumper crops. So, we saw fewer broods this year, but age ratios looked pretty good a bit later in the season. That will make it an average-to-good year for production.”
Things are looking good for hunters in the Central and Pacific flyways, too, with positive breeding reports for mid-continent light geese and specks. “Light geese had a bumper year,” said Dr. VonBank. “The Canadian Wildlife Service crews went in for light goose banding the week after we left and told us they had some of the highest age ratios they’ve ever had, which means great production on snows in the central Canadian Arctic.”
The positive news for mid-continent light geese is particularly welcome as it bucks a longer-term decline that waterfowl scientists have raised alarms about. “Should hunters be worried about snow geese going extinct? I don’t think so,” DU Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation at the University of Saskatchewan Mitch Weegman told Split Reed last fall. “Should they be worried about dramatic population changes resulting in huge changes to the landscape in terms of how many geese they see in future hunting opportunities? Yes.”
This year’s good breeding conditions appear to assuage some of those concerns, at least for the moment. On a similar note, minima, or cackler, populations have been trending downward on the West Coast, where some of the best late-season goose hunts have historically been located. There, though, the cackler estimate jumped a whopping 38% to 171,000, marking one of the biggest year-over-year bumps in the entire survey. That said, the cackler estimate still remains 7% off the long-term average.
For more on this year’s goose season, check out the survey results for yourself. Keep in mind that the estimate methodology for light goose populations is on a 2-year delay because scientists use banding data to come up with accurate estimates. Additionally, while overall survey estimates are critical for setting season dates and bag limits, a large proportion of hunter harvest comes from birds of the year—which is why assessing spring breeding conditions is particularly important when trying to forecast the fall flight.