The Light Goose Conservation Order has been paused and will not be offered in 2027 after agreement within the Atlantic Flyway from the eight participating hunt states, Quebec, and Ontario.

The greater snow goose population has been declining since the 2010's, and was at or below the lower population objective range of 500,000 - 700,000 during 2025 and 2026. The intent of the Conservation Order is to reduce the population of light geese (which includes lesser snow geese and Ross' geese in addition to greater snow geese), and that is currently not necessary in the Atlantic Flyway.  We have paused the Conservation Order, rather than terminated it, because the population may surpass the upper population objective in the future and the Conservation Order is a unique and useful tool for managing the light goose population.

To account for the suspension of the 2027 Light Goose Conservation Order, we have adjusted our regular light goose hunting season dates to open and close later for the 2026-2027 hunting season in North Carolina. The season is open November 7, 2026, through March 10, 2027, with a daily bag limit of 25 light geese and no possession limit. After the closure of all other waterfowl seasons on February 6th, 2027, some expanded hunting methods including unplugged shotguns and electronic calls are permitted. There is no need to obtain a Conservation Order permit for the 2026-2027 season.

Find more information regarding the status of light geese and the Conservation Order in the Atlantic Flyway. Please refer to the 2026-2027 Regulations Digest for information on all waterfowl hunting season dates, bag limits, and regulations in North Carolina.