Waterfowl hunters in Carson country get their full season this weekend. New Mexico's regular goose seasons open Saturday, October 17, in the Central Flyway, joining a duck season that is already under way in the North Zone. For hunters from Taos and Questa to Eagle Nest and Angel Fire, it is the start of the long fall window for geese over high-country lakes, river corridors and valley fields.
The headline dates come from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish 2026-27 Migratory Game Bird supplement. Dark geese — Canada and white-fronted geese — are open October 17 through January 31, 2027, with a daily bag of five and a possession limit of 15. Light geese — snow and Ross's geese — run the same October 17 to January 31 dates, with a generous daily bag of 50 and no possession limit. Those Central Flyway dates apply in both the North and South zones, so the same calendar covers the Enchanted Circle and the rest of northern New Mexico.
Duck hunters are already a week in. Ducks and American coot opened October 10 in the Central Flyway North Zone and run through January 13, 2027, while snipe season in the Central Flyway also opened October 10 and continues through January 24. Hunters heading south should note one wrinkle in the supplement: the Middle Rio Grande Valley, covering Valencia, Socorro and Sierra counties, is closed to dark goose hunting during the regular season and has its own later, limited season, so a trip downriver plays by different rules.
Before Saturday, check the paperwork. In the field, migratory bird hunters must carry a Game Hunting or Game Hunting and Fishing license, a Habitat Management and Access Validation, and a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. A Habitat Stamp is also required when hunting on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management lands — directly relevant for anyone setting up on Carson National Forest ground. Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older need a federal Duck Stamp as well, and anyone hunting private land must have written permission from the landowner in hand.
October is a fine time to be out at first light in the Moreno Valley and along the Rio Grande, watching for birds moving between roost water and feeding fields as the aspens turn. Wherever the morning starts, take a few minutes to confirm the current supplement before loading up — zone boundaries, bag limits and species rules are the details that matter, and the Department of Game and Fish, not habit or last year's memory, is the source that counts.