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Ontario Shifted Seven Days of Goose Hunting to February to Increase Harvest of Temperate-Breeding Canada Geese

Close-up of a Canada goose head with water droplets on its feathers
Conservation · Management

Rules published on 1 July 2026 shift part of the goose hunting season in southern Ontario from autumn to late winter. In selected Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), the new seven-day winter season covers Canada goose (Branta canadensis), cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii), snow goose (Anser caerulescens) and Ross’s goose (Anser rossii). Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says the Canada goose component is intended to increase harvest of temperate-breeding Canada geese that are relatively abundant in southern Ontario during winter and are associated with human–goose conflicts. “Temperate-breeding” refers to Canada geese that breed in the temperate parts of southern Canada rather than in subarctic and Arctic breeding areas farther north.

Seven days were shifted rather than simply added

The winter season applies in WMUs 69A, 70–73, 77–81 and 86–93. It begins on the fourth Saturday in February and runs through the following Friday. For the 2026–2027 season, that means 27 February to 5 March 2027.

The additional winter opportunity is paired with a later start to the regular autumn season in the same units. Canada and cackling geese now begin their regular season on the Saturday following the fourth Saturday in September rather than one week earlier. Snow and Ross’s geese are also shifted to the later autumn start in these units and are included in the same seven-day winter window. The early September Canada and cackling goose season remains unchanged.

ECCC also removed references to municipal Sunday-hunting restrictions from these provisions. The department says the change simplifies the rules and makes it clearer where and when the late-winter season applies.

The management aim centres on temperate-breeding Canada geese

The management rationale is not the same for all four goose species. ECCC specifically expects the late-winter season to increase harvest of Canada geese from the temperate-breeding population in southern Ontario. These geese remain relatively abundant in parts of the region during winter, and the department identifies the new season as an additional tool for reducing conflicts between people and geese.

Most consultation comments supported the new late-winter opportunity. Hunting and agricultural organisations cited high goose numbers, agricultural damage and clearer rules. Most opposition came from individual hunters who objected to losing a week in September, when goose hunting overlaps with duck seasons and can be more accessible. Other comments argued that February hunting may be impractical in some units because of severe winter conditions or a lack of geese at that time of year.

A separate change restored the five-goose limit in WMU 65

Another Ontario amendment applies to WMU 65. A temporary restriction introduced for the 2020–2021 season had reduced the combined daily bag limit for Canada and cackling geese from five birds to three during part of the autumn. That restriction has now been removed, restoring a five-goose combined daily limit for the regular season. Season length and possession limits are unchanged.

This separate decision is tied to the updated Atlantic Population Canada Goose Harvest Strategy. The strategy now incorporates a prediction of breeding-pair numbers for the following year, and its recommendation for Canada in the 2026–2027 season was the liberal regulatory package—the option allowing greater hunting opportunity under the strategy. The winter-season change and the WMU 65 bag-limit change therefore address different parts of goose management, even though both affect Canada geese.

The adopted regulations apply to the 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 hunting seasons. They preserve the seven-day transfer from autumn to late winter in the selected southern Ontario units rather than simply lengthening the Canada goose season.

Sources and image credit

  1. Migratory Birds Regulations in Canada: 2026Primary federal regulatory summary and consultation response. For Ontario, it documents the seven-day late-winter season for Canada and cackling geese, the corresponding seven-day shift of the regular season, the inclusion of snow and Ross’s geese in the affected winter and autumn dates, the management rationale for temperate-breeding Canada geese, and restoration of the five-goose daily limit in WMU 65.
  2. Hunting regulations summary for migratory birds: OntarioOfficial Ontario season summary confirming the 2026–2027 dates and bag limits, including the 27 February–5 March winter season in the selected WMUs.

Image: Gedalya Lubman — Canada goose in Prospect Park, New York, USA, 17 April 2023; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative image, not a bird from the Ontario regulation decision. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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