What We Got Wrong About Snow Geese

Despite the predictions that overpopulated snow geese would destroy the tundra (and thus themselves), it seems snows aren't actually eating themselves into extinction. They've adapted to find different wintering grounds. They migrate around the most pressured hunting areas, and they are even cropping up in new nesting areas where they've never been seen before.

It turns out, there was plenty that hunters, researchers, and wildlife managers didn't know about greater snow geese, lesser snows, and Ross's geese—and still don't. In fact, we're just starting to ask the right questions, like: Why are snow geese expanding their range? Is the continued growth going to hurt other waterfowl species? Is the conservation season failing? And what does the future hold for snows and snow goose hunting? Here’s Associate Editor Joe Genzel on what we know so far. Read his full story here.

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson.

Reporting by Associate Editor Joe Genzel.

Special thanks to Tony Vandemore and Habitat Flats.

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