Resources

 

Humane Techniques for Goose Removal

 

I want to start off by saying that it is illegal to intentionally hurt or kill a Canada goose, gosling and their eggs. Hunting is legal with the proper permits. See fact #143.

Canada geese are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918. See fact #142. 

In addition to being protected under federal law, it is important to treat the geese with respect as living creatures and part of God’s creation. They do not do anything that is outside of their nature.

 

Non-lethal methods of goose control

 

  • Professionally trained herd dogs (Companies: Geese Chasers-See Fact #114, Goose Masters-See Fact #454)
  • Sonic Repellents (Company: Bird-X GooseBuster Pro Sonic Goose Deterrent System- See Fact #524, High-frequency wave speakers at airports- See fact #824)
  • Riparian buffers (See Fact #665)

Vegetation grown around the water’s edge discourages the geese from inhabiting the area. The geese will feel unsafe in this area because they cannot see predators through the vegetation. Geese are not risk takers.

In addition, geese will not establish nesting territories in areas where they cannot easily walk in and out of a local pond. Erecting a 30-36 inch poultry-wire fence around the pond at the water's edge will work too.

  • Sugar-Free grape Kool-Aid  (See Fact #565)

Chemicals in the grape Kool-Aid are harmless to geese, but disturbs their sleep patterns and causes them to not return after a while. Mix 5 packets with 1 gallon of water and spray on the lawn.

  • Decoys such as fake coyotes or owls (See Fact #381)
  • Lawn Sprays (Products such as Liquid Fence Goose Repellent in Fact #137, Avian Migrate in Fact #335, Flight Control Max in Fact #601, Flock Free in fact #725)
  • Natural Scent Repellents (See Fact #662)

Geese do not like the smell of garlic, cinnamon, peppermint, vinegar, tea tree and eucalyptus. Mixing these scents with a few cups of water and spraying around the lawn can be a good and natural goose deterrent spray.

  • Light repellents (Company: Away With Geese. See Fact #373)
  • OvoControl (Birth control for birds. Non lethal. See Fact #469)
  • FlightTurf (Artificial grass that does not taste good. See Fact #538)
  • Visual Repellents (See Fact #666)

Makes the geese unsure of the safety of the area. Includes scarecrows, decoys, balloons/flags waving in the wind. Visual repellents should be reinforced with sonic repellents.

If using a scarecrow, the arms and legs should be floppy so they can wave in the wind. Research shows that scarecrows with large eyes are much more effective than scarecrows with small eyes.

  • Planting Fescue Grass (See Fact #668)

Geese don't like the taste of fescue grass. Planting tall fescue grass can discourage geese from grazing in areas, including golf courses and residential areas.


 

Killing Geese is not the Answer
 

Killing entire flocks of geese, including goslings, just because they are annoying and inconvenient is not the answer! Many times this is done by the government in something called “goose roundups” (see fact #169) which is when members of the Anti-Goose Media gather and kill (usually in gas chambers) the flocks when they are at their most vulnerable, during their flightless molting phase (see fact #6). This is also usually tax-payer funded.

The dead geese cannot even be eaten at this time because their meat is now toxic from the gas. Homeless shelters will not accept these geese and the bodies end up in landfills. What a waste for everyone. Nothing good comes out of it. 

The geese suffer for up to 45 minutes while being gassed. This is NOT a humane treatment.
 

This just leaves room for a new flock of geese to inhabit the area. It does not get rid of the goose problem; more geese will eventually come. The best way is to deter geese from inhabiting the area in the first place!!

 

The same goes for nest destruction- the geese will build a new nest and return next year. Deterring the geese from being there in the first place is more effective long-term, and less expensive!

 

Contrary to popular belief, geese are NOT the cause of water contamination. See facts #461 and 713.