Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources Geese Control

Like many pond managers, I have a problem with Canadian Geese. Thery are all over my lawn and everyone else's. There are plenty of commercial products available but can anyone tell me what works and what doesn't?

Thanks

We call them sky carp around here. One of the resorts I go to
uses a simple method to keep them off their beach and grass. They don't like to cross "things" so the resort owner goes out in
the evening and puts a small two rope fence at the water's edge. Keeps the geese out at night, and the activity at the resort keeps them away during the day. The fence has a one line about a foot over the surface and one about 6 inches over the surface.
If you have a spot they walk in from maybe this will help.
the stick

I've used bottle rockets, stones, RC boat, dog, screaming, yelling and waving my arms frantically.

The best method so far is to let the dog loose. He learned real quick to chase the geese. If they go into the pond, I break out the radio controlled boat. I found I had to be diligent and they have learned not to try and rest or nest on my ponds.

The dog even runs to the door now when he hears them honking.

Chuck

I found a way to keep them away by accident.I put a pier all the way across the pond this winter (most of it was given to me). This spring the dog would chase them into the water. Problem was they couldn't really escape by swimming to the other side of the pond as the pier blocked them. They head in the direction of the pier and the dog or I get up on the pier. They head to the other bank and we are at the other bank. Afte a couple of fly ins by these flying toilets (Bill cody term) and our subsequent harrassment they aren't coming back.

The Ohio DNR recommends Bear Bangers AKA shell crackers.
http://www.macecanada.com/canada/wilderness1/cartridges/12_gauge_bearbangers.htm

Bearbangers? I NEED SOME OF THOSE!!

I don't mind the geese, I harvest quite a few during the season and geese are habitual. What I get are snowmobilers in the winter that like to ride across the pond (after passing numerous signs). They tear up the banks if the graound isn't frozen through and run when they see me coming out of the house.

If I could launch a few of these in their midst from the far side of the house might make them think about coming back!!

We call them flying Labradors. I have heard of a product called "Invisible Fence" or something like that. My understanding is that it is a natural, non-toxic liquid made mostly of grape seed oil. You spray this liquid on your grass or wherever they are grazing. Supposedly the grape seed oil makes their mouths/bills numb which irritates them. Eventually they get sick of it and fly away. As headhunter mentioned, geese are habitual so if they come back and experience the same thing they will not come back again. I don't know how effective it is or how much it costs but it may be something to look into.

Last night I was re-reading the May/June Pond Boss magazine for fun and profit. I noticed on page 82 a product named "Away with Geese" (website is http://www.awaywithgeese.com). It sounds interesting. It's a little pricy ($335) but might be worth it in the long run. I don't have one so I have no idea if they work. The basic premise is that it flashes a light that disrupts the geese's sleeping patterns.

Anyone use one of these?

The only probem that I see is that if your bedroom is near the pond it might disrupt your sleeping pattern also. Might also mess with other animal's sleeping patterns as well (I don't know).

Two years ago when a herd of geese discovered my pond I developed the habit of chasing them everyday with the Polarus. They took the hint and left. Didn't come back last year or this year (so far anyhoo).

Jeffhasapond -- they donated one of the goose deterrent systems for the silent auction at the Pond Boss Conference next week, so we'll get to take a look at it.

Sunil is busy lining up sleepy geese to test it on.

Thanks for taking care of that little assignment for us, Theo.

Theo you left Sunil in charge of the Geese?????

Jeez, my guess is now we're gonna have a flock of hung over geese.

I use a 12ga and some lite load shells.
I tried bottle rockets and M80s, you could toss it right beside them and they wouldn't even flinch. I think they even laughed. They don't laugh about the Remington. Usually only takes one shot.
Funny story (to me anyway, I'm a city boy) one morning I went out to "encourage" the crappers to pick another pond bank and after a shot or two, they bailed. I'm standing there admiring my now empty pond bank and I hear a crashing sound in the woods behind me... two labs bust out of the woods from the nieghborhood next door and start working the bank and wimpering, one and then finally the other dive into the pond and start swimming circles... it took ten minutes to convince them it was a "false alarm", I finally had to go up to the house and get biscuits to coax them out of the water.

Jeff-

Here is another recent Geese thread.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=11814&Number=132756#Post132756

I like the Mr. Willy reported control method from http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=61576&fpart=1

mr willy
Member


Registered: February 09, 2003
Posts: 102
Loc: IOWA
(216.203.126.220) This doesn't have much in common with the thread but is a funny story just the same. About fifteen years ago there was a guy who used to feed the Canadian geese at a lake in Rochester Minnesota. The city for the most part hated the birds, lots of crapping, getting in the way of cars etc.. A large flock living year round in this partially heated lake. Some people would park their cars by the lake and feed the birds bread, So after a spell the birds became very tame. A mother and her daughter were feeding the geese one day, when the little girl noticed that a goose that had gone under one of the parked trucks and did not come back out. She told her mother about the bird and the two of them watched a second goose disappear the same way. They explained this to a cop who was driving through the parking lot. When the officer went to investigate the four wheel drive truck, he noticed while talking to the driver, that a large hole had been cut out of the trucks passenger floor board and broken pieces of bread in the seat above. This guy was waving the bread through the hole, and when the poor goose would poke his head up into the truck, the enterprising hunter would grab the neck of the bird, spin it around a few times and throw them behind the seat. They found out later on that this old guy had been doing this for years. Maybe we could find this fella and send him ML's way. :p
_________________________

Ohio DNR recommendation

The Shell crackers look like fun

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/goose%20conflicts/gooseconflict-9.pdf

Jeff:
Great story!

If you can afford to let the riparian grass to grow, I've had good luck with a tall buffer strip of grasses. They prefer to be able to move from food (mowed lawns) to water easily, plus i think they instinctively know predators can hide there. In my book a good 10' strip of wild plants is a win win situation because of its filtration capacity as well as the habitat provided for positive pond creatures (well, maybe not muskrats, but I'll take them over geese any day).

For rural folks like me I have "heard"....that if you use a 22 rimfire and body shoot them with short HP ammo they will make a minimal ruckus and bleed out without flying away. I have also "heard"........ that once recovered if hung by the feet the breast meat is easily filleted out of them using a spring clamp to hold the wings back, the rumor is you have to skin the chest area to remove all feathers but this I'm told is easy to do by hand. I also "hear".....that a very tasty jerky can be made from this meat. I can tell you these bird are protected by federal law so harvesting them is regulated, I don't really know how all this works or applies to anyone in an urban setting either. I don't have any geese on my pond.

PS: I will email the jerky recipe if anyone is interested.

A pair of Mute Swans...swans hate geese and are extremely territorial. They come in mated pairs and the wings are pinioned so they are flightless. They are also big birds, up to 48" tall with a 84" wings span. They will take care of a lot of wading bird problems as well.

and a border collie who also does frisbee tricks...

Motion detected sprinkler
Shake their eggs in the nest
Shoot them
Shoot at them
Film a hunting show
Paint Ball Gun Fun
Poison Corn
Coyote Decoy Moved Around
Propane Cannon Blaster
Camoflaged ScareCrow
Alligator Decoys with Solar Eyes

Use any combination of the above, some may or may not apply to your unique situation. Have FUN with them! Make it a challenge, then when you have successfully scared off all the geese you will have to find a new hobby.

My neighbor has a great method to keep the geese off of her property. She runs out of her house weilding a broom and screaming. It seems to work and I get a good laugh out of it. She reminds me of the crazy cat throwing lady on the Simpsons.

I had a friend in which one of his geese fell misfortune to a hunting accident and she let it lay in the water. They all left immidiatly for a considerable lenght of time.

...like this

Shoot.....my new pond is goose friendly. Geese roosting on your pond would be a great thing. All that slicker-than stuff in the water helps fertilize the aquatic vegetation and it provides food for the perch and bass. Helps them grow to be trophy size and helps flavor their flesh so they taste great!!!

-

Thanks but no thanks. They can go somewhere else.

I shot a couple off of my pond recently all legal like and dang if my jerky recipe wasn't still effective for making use of them, it's a good think as Martha I'm sure would agree.

Joe many do not realize they make great jerky. I do not liek to eat them but the jerky is wonderful.

yep, its even better than Eagle and Whooping Crane Jerky!!!

Tastes just like Spotted Owl Jerky.

My tint customer had a flock of 26 Tuesday. Ruining her pristine lawn, they show up in the Summer when food elsewhere runs out. Have to be fairly careful with federally protected migratory birds I think. I know I would be a hero to the customer, but osme peeping Tom neighbor might not be as thrilled and rat me out. Snitches abound in today's society, it is encouraged. So is filming events. In the old days I'd have goose dinner often. Those days are long gone. Not going fencing. Not going flashing lights or asking ladies to shoot off shellcrackers or bottle rockets in a firestorm of dry grass waiting to happen. I have probably limited myself to decoys, whethers swans or coyotes. Those coyotes decoys are awesome. They actually look real.

On a side note, grain, cracked corn and such are pretty dry. If you were to soak them in let's say Everclear 190 proof, and let the surface smell go away, would the geese be able to fly .30 blood alcohol? Would getting a goose drunk be against any law, or just a partying kind of guy thing to do. Enquiring minds want to know.

Think aligator decoy, it has work wonders here in IL

I love your latter solution. Its not illegal to soak grain in Everclear and then try to plant it. The geese found it on their own. Go for it and provide photos, please.

Grain alcohol back to grain. Environmentally safe. Geese staggering around unable to walk, let alone fly. A great photo op, let alone entertaining as well. Nothing to post on youtube though, paint a target on my forehead for PETA. I can hear the Frog commits Goose Abuse headlines now. Will suggest Coyote standing over two dead goose decoys for now, I think Everclear is banned in Cal. Might have to go Rum 151.

I suppose the grain would evaporate as you smoked the jerky...

Check out FLIGHT CONTROL Goose repellant. After their first exposure, it is supposed to make 'em never want to eat in treated areas again.

Come to think of it, I'm wondering if the mfgr somehow acquired my wife's recipe book that I threw away years ago.

i have 2 border collies and no geese, they catch frisbees also(and anyhting else i throw)

I have a border collie as well, trained him to chase geese away, but they stay right at the waters edge, & as soon as he starts to walk away they just walk back up. He runs back & they repeat the process. aggresive swan decoy is the way to go