ST. PAUL (AP) — Wildlife managers say duck hunting is expected to be good when Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens Saturday morning.

Waterfowl specialist Steve Cordts of the Department of Natural Resources says biologists continue to see favorable counts of breeding ducks in Minnesota and other parts of North America.

This past spring, biologists estimated the total breeding duck population in Minnesota at 14 percent above the long-term average and nearly identical to last year’s estimate of 693,000 ducks. The estimated number of wetlands was 19 percent higher than last year and 23 percent above the long-term average, reflecting the wet year.

The spring estimate for Canada geese was down 32 percent from last year, but reproduction this spring and summer were good, so there are still plenty of geese around for hunters.