Ways To Discourage Geese from Living at Your Home
John Joe kept his empty shot gun handy to chase away the Canadian geese. He had built a retention pond on his back lot to help with his water problems. However, by eliminating the water problem in that way, he created another problem: Canadian geese.
Over time John Joe’s goose population expanded, creating huge areas of droppings and a hazardous walking path. And the geese were vicious when people came near their nests or goslings. Once chased by a twelve-pound goose, a person learns caution around the creatures.
People have seen messy parks and other public areas due to the Canadian geese. Their droppings can contaminate waters with fecal coliform (bacteria) levels. Communities throughout the U.S. have tried various ways to inhibit the Canadian goose population from chemicals to natural vegetation.
Some privately owned grounds have hired dogs to chase the Canadian geese. That takes consistency. The dogs work round-the-clock because geese are creatures of habit.
Others have tried fireworks, a noise akin to John Joe’s empty shot gun. Again, unless this is done repeatedly whenever the Canadian geese appear, the effect will not take.
You can purchase an audible alarm system to cover large areas such as golf courses and parks. These amplify a Canadian goose alarm call to scare the geese and make them think the area is unsafe.
Swan decoys are a danger to incoming geese because geese know the larger swans defend their nests and cygnets (babies) as fearlessly as they do. You need only display the decoy during the migratory season, when the geese honk in the sky and clouds. Decoys with mirrored eyes can trick the geese to think they are watching predators. Ones that move with the wind or water appear as a stronger threat.
Lawn chemicals are costly and wash away with rain. Some goose repellants advertise they are rainfast and non-toxic, but these must be reapplied every few mowings or months.
A visual aid to keep geese away is Mylar tape. Tie strips on posts or fences, moving them occasionally to keep the geese alert and unused to their presence. The Mylar tape is reflective and makes some noise when the wind blows against it.
Some public areas have brought in swans. A Chicago-area company sells swans for the purpose of keeping away Canadian geese. The company has been in business nearly twenty years, offering to ship swans nationwide. They also offer a swan-and-border-collie package.
A natural way to deter geese is to make the area less attractive with tall grasses. The plants and grasses must be at least 18 inches tall and in a ten-foot-wide band around the shoreline. Why do these work? Geese like to survey the land while they amble and eat. Predators could hide in tall grasses. If they don’t have an adequate visual field for their safety, they won’t nest there and are less likely to walk about.
You can restrict geese’s access to water at your pond or beach by building a dock high enough so geese cannot climb onto it and that lines the water’s edge. Otherwise, you could set bird netting near the water’s edge to prevent their access. When chased, geese’s initial instinct is run to water. If you prevent water access, they will probably find another place to inhabit.
The final, deadly way of eliminating Canadian geese from your property is to shoot them. However, if you’re like John Joe and live in Illinois, you must get a permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to kill geese or to destroy their nests and/or eggs. Every state has different laws about geese hunting.
Geese have few natural predators any more, such as the coyote and raccoon. People are the geese’s worst enemy because people feed them, and, in turn, the geese defecate about half of their daily intake. It’s a problem-making circle.
Therefore, don’t feed the geese and administer the best goose deterrent for your area.
Carol M. Hegberg, a professional freelance editor/writer, can be reached at http://editing-writing.com/bios/carol-hegberg/index.shtml She’s author to a novel, Pen Pals, and two non-fiction books published, Rochelle and Living with MVPS/D: One Woman’s Story.
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