Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Canadian Geese - how to get rid of ?

After enduring Canadian Geese in my 1/2 acre pond every spring and summer for 10 years, I am finally exhausted cleaning up the driveway, stepping in the poop on the lawn - to say nothing of what must be going into the pond. So what kind of advice do you have for discouraging them from hanging around (usually 6-8 full timers - with occasional crowd of up to 15). Seen ads in our magazine for lights that interrupt their sleep, stuff you put on the grass to make it unpleasant to eat, etc. Shooting them would land me on the couch - so let's not go there.

love to hear some proven remedies

thanks!!

If they are roosting on the pond at night, and can see the away with geese light from where they are roosting, then it'll work. The stuff that you spray on the lawn works too because they are grazers and it upsets their stomach. While we can't see it, they can see it (the spray).

Also, the same thing that works for GBH works for geese. Put stakes around the perimiter of the pond, or in the areas where they walk out of the pond to the grass, and string mono between the stakes. A couple of strings, one low so they can't duck under the high one, and a higher one so they can't step over the low one.

A young dog (Preferably mid sized or larger) is the best and most hilarious way to get rid of unwanted geese. They usually run them ragged and geese usually get tired of puppies with more energy then sense.

Geese can run a dog to death pretty dang quick on a 4 acre pond. The dogs gave up pretty quick at my house.. best thing I've found is lead..

They are not easy to get rid of that is for sure. I've a couple of pair that come in from time to time. The challenge I have this year as I have a pair of mallards that have called our pond home and are around most of the time. So I don't want to scare off the ducks who are becoming used to us.

And my golden is useless.....plus they just sit in the middle of the pond.

While I can't help with geese, I can tell you how to get rid of blackbirds....My 410 judge pistol does a nice job. Just close enough to scare those dirty birds away and not enough to harm them. Like other things they crap everywhere.

Sorry I couldn't be more help!

I don't have any problems with them but then again they know they are not welcome as the dog and I run them off if they show up. I usually throw rocks at them and although I don't hit them they get the message by the splashes in the water right next to them.

I also have pier that goes across the middle of the pond all the way across so it's hard for them to just sit in the middle.

I've had great success with bottle rockets with ducks. Never had to use them on the geese.

I have a light and I don't think it works all that well. I tried lead but because of what is around me it is difficult. Our dog is not too bright so that isn't an option. I have found that relentlessly harassing them is the way to go. My wife and kids think I am crazy but as soon as I see geese I am out there throwing rocks at them or jumping in the canoe to chase them. If they are nesting that is not good. You can look up online about what to do about nests and eggs.

I thought about a remote control boat but without a light it would be hard to see when it's dark. A drone would be great since I could launch it from my front porch but I think a decent one would cost too much.

RobA,

A drone might not be as expensive as you think.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p...0&_from=R40

Wow, prices are coming down for decent drones. The last review I saw for what I thought would be a good one was $750 to $1,000.

I use an Away With Geese light. That stops the roosting at night and that is a good part of the battle. Harassing them during the day takes care of the rest. If they can't roost and have no peace, they will go elsewhere.

We have a number of small bodies of water in our area as well as the slow moving Rock River so they have other options. If you have a lonesome pond then the battle will be tougher.

Do you have the ability to set up a shelter/den to attract a fox? We have a pile of brush nearby the pond left over from clearing, and clearly a fox had goose for Easter. Poor goose didn't even make it one night.

It could have been a coyote too, but I have seen the fox a lot on my game cam.

As soon as they show up I scare them off. In my area there are 2 types of geese, city geese and country geese. The city geese have never been shot at and do not respond to loud gunshots...you have to run on them to scare them off. The country geese leave as soon as you shoot. Normally the geese show up in the spring and the fall, if I scare them off at those times then I do not have a problem during the summer or the winter. Disrupt them they will find somebody else's pond.

seantOH

Tried a good paintball gun?