Geese Control

2024 GEESE CONTROL

In 2024, LJPOA hired Goose Busters to perform Egg and Nest destruction. Due to the Avian Flu, goose removal was not an option.

2023 GEESE CONTROL

In 2023, LJPOA hired Goose Busters to perform Egg and Nest destruction. Due to the Avian Flu, goose removal was not an option.

2021 GEESE CONTROL

May 25, 2021

In 2021, the LJPOA signed a contract for a humane goose removal program (Goose Busters).

Update: June 28, 2021

Goose Busters was on our lake for a second time and removed another 82 geese (for a total of over 150) and all were put into cages and moved to the Upper Peninsula as directed by the DNR.

Please note: It is not possible to remove every goose on Lake James. Unfortunately, a percentage of the geese that were removed may find their way back to the lake over time.

HOW TO CONTROL GEESE

Preventing Conflicts with Geese at Home

• Make your yard less attractive to geese by allowing the grass to grow long. Don’t fertilize or water it. 

• Use scare tactics to frighten geese away.

• Scare tactics could include: Shell crackers, bird alarms or bird bangers, distress cries, screamers, electronic noise systems, motion detector accessories, bird scare balloons, mylar scare tape, and plastic flags.

• Repellents may help in the short-term to deter geese from feeding on the grass. Repellents made from grape extract may repel birds from turf areas.

• In June and July, Canada geese are molting and unable to fly. Construct a temporary barrier between your yard and the water to keep flightless geese out.

• Do not feed Canada geese. Artificial feeding can habituate them and harm their digestive system. Bread products are not beneficial to waterfowl survival.

• Be aware of your surroundings when visiting parks and areas near water. Canada geese are protective of their nests and hatchlings. Do not disturb them or get too close.

Geese Control techniques

By Brian MacGowan is an Extension Wildlife Specialist with the Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University (W. Lafayette, Ind.) and is a Certified Associate Wildlife Biologist.

Many techniques are available to minimize conflicts between geese and people. Some of these techniques require specialized training or licenses. Always seek the advice of a professional. Contact your state natural resources agency or USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services offices for more information. In most cases, these agencies will not solve your problem for you, but they can provide you with the most current information available or supply you with a list of licensed wildlife-control operators that provide services for a fee.

Below is a list of common practices used in an integrated wildlife-damage management plan. They are listed in order of the simplest to the most complex. Again, almost all situations require a combination of several of these techniques.

• Do not feed geese. You will likely have to work with your patrons and neighbors in your community. Many problems began with people innocently feeding a few birds. Feeding concentrates geese in areas and may also reduce the effectiveness of other measures you take to minimize goose damage.

• Reduce fertilizer use. Geese prefer fertilized grass to unfertilized grass.

• Reduce lawn size. This minimizes foraging sites for geese. Some ground covers and grasses are less preferred than other plants (turf). However, be aware that geese will readily eat less palatable plants if there are no alternatives available.

• Reduce or eliminate mowing. Geese have more difficulty locating new shoots in taller grass (more than 6 inches). Allowing the grass or other vegetation to grow tall around water bodies  may also act as a vegetative barrier to geese or block their line of sight, which is their primary protection against predators.

• Vegetative barriers. Geese prefer to walk from land into water. Establishing any type of a barrier that prevents geese from doing so will make the area less attractive to geese. Plant shrubs, hedges or other taller plants around or in the water. Choose plants that will exceed 30 inches in height and establish them in areas at least 20 to 30 feet wide. These plants physically impede the geese from moving to and from the water, minimize the availability of new grass shoots to the geese and block their line of sight, making it more difficult for geese to see potential predators approaching. Some restoration nurseries sell pond- or lake-edge enhancement systems that can act as a vegetative barrier for geese while still beautifying the landscape.

• Barrier plantings will likely require protection from geese during establishment. Fencing or an overhead grid wire system (6-ft. spacing) can achieve this.

• Rock barriers. Large boulders (more than 2 feet in diameter) placed along the shoreline may discourage goose use and access to grazing sites by making it difficult for geese to walk in and out of the water. Their effectiveness is improved when used in conjunction with vegetative barriers.

• Fence barriers. Fences can prevent geese from walking into an area. Fences should be at least 30 inches tall and have openings no larger than 3 inches in diameter. Woven wire, chicken wire, picket fencing, plastic snow fencing and construction fencing are examples of effective materials. The effectiveness of fence barriers may be enhanced when used in conjunction with landscaping modifications (vegetative barriers, reducing lawn size, etc.). Landscaping adjacent to fences will also make it more aesthetically pleasing.

• Repellents. A few chemical taste repellents are registered for Canada geese (typically using the active ingredients methyl anthranilate or anthraquinone). Some brands are registered for turf and others for water. Foggers are available for ponds. Though effective, repellents usually need to be reapplied to turf over time to remain active: rain may dissolve them and mowing will remove much of the repellent from the turf (see “Vertebrate pest controls,” page 38, for a list of repellents). Therefore, many turf managers reserve repellents for smaller, more highly visible areas. Whether the cost of treating larger turf areas with repellents is acceptable is a judgment you’ll have to make for your particular site. Remember, repellents are designed to deter geese from feeding on turf, not to physically exclude them from an area. Be sure to read and follow the label of any repellent product you use. The chemicals noted above are not highly toxic to aquatic life but should only be applied in accordance with label directions to keep environmental effects minimal.

• Hazing. Noisemaking devices (cracker shells, propane cannons, whistles, etc.) or visual deterrents (Mylar tape, etc.) can help deter geese from an area when used in conjunction with the habitat modification techniques listed above. If you use hazing alone, the geese will become habituated to it. Effective visual deterrents such as Mylar tape have movement and are metallic in appearance. Many noisemaking devices require a permit or license, especially within city limits. Some of these devices are classified as firearms in many areas.

• Dogs. Border collies and other breeds can be effective in chasing geese. This is a culturally acceptable method to many, but requires a substantial monetary investment. These dogs require extensive training and must be kept active. The use of dogs has failed in the past when improperly trained dogs were used or a single dog was used for a small area. Sharing a dog among businesses can minimize the cost of training and boarding a dog. This also keeps the dog chasing geese more frequently. Check local regulations to see if leash laws might restrict the use of dogs.

• Egg destruction. It is illegal to harass geese while they have eggs in the nest. However, you can apply for a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to destroy the eggs of Canada geese. In some states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may have authorized the state natural resources agency to issue goose-egg destruction permits. The eggs are rendered infertile by puncturing a small hole in each of them, shaking them or lightly covering them in oil. The eggs will not hatch, but the geese will continue to incubate them. This is important because removing the eggs may prompt geese to lay another clutch.

• Bird removal. Geese, like all waterfowl, completely replace (or molt) their primary wing feathers at once and become flightless for about a month. The molting period typically begins in early June. You can “round-up” the geese at this time and relocate them. This is a costly and time- consuming process that you should use only when all other efforts have failed. Capturing and  relocating geese requires federal and state permits. Past success of this method has varied. In some cases, the geese return the next year; in others, they do not. You will still need to make the environment less attractive to geese using some of the techniques listed above.

It is best to use preventive techniques before geese become established. Once geese are established, it can become difficult and expensive to exclude them from a given area, particularly after nesting has begun. Also, you should think long-term. For example, it will likely take several years for your vegetation barrier to mature and become established. Before this time, the vegetation barrier will not be an effective deterrent to geese. In fact, you may have to physically exclude geese from the area because the young, nutritious plants and shoots will likely be an attractive food source for geese.

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ARCHIVED GEESE CONTROL