What To Do If You Have Problems With Geese

Geese are attracted to areas with open water and large expanses of grass such as golf courses, parks and large apartment complexes. The problem is most noticeable during winter when large numbers of migrating geese join year-round residents.

Human conflicts with geese sometimes arise because the changes that humans have made to a plot of land have attracted more geese than would naturally congregate there. In these cases, we can reduce human conflicts with geese simply by returning some of the natural features to the landscape.

Modifying a landscape to minimize human conflicts with geese means more than simply adjusting its existing features. To reduce the number of geese using a site you must replace the features that are attracting the geese with features that are less appealing to them.

If you've got more geese than you want or in places where you don't want them, there are a few recommended methods to discourage geese from hanging around. People who are experienced with Canada geese behavior recommend responding quickly to the presence of geese, staying persistent and using more than one method at a time.

> DO NOT FEED GEESE. Feeding compounds the overpopulation problem and invites disease. Efforts to frighten geese away can be thwarted if neighbors are feeding the geese next door or across the lake. If geese are being fed in the area, you might as well give up trying to scare them away.

> Some people are successful by placing physical barriers, such as fences and boulders to prevent geese from entering an area. The fence should be at least 2 feet high and have openings no larger than 3 by 3 inches. Chain link, chicken wire, construction fence and wood can be used. Where appropriate, electrical fencing can provide a harmless, but effective shock to discourage geese from entering an area; check with local authorities to see if there are safety restrictions on electrical fencing.

> Eliminate some of the large expanses of lawn by planting shrubs and other visual barriers. Geese dislike visual barriers between ponds and feeding areas. Planting trees, thick bushes, or a dense hedge between grassy areas and water may make your property less attractive to geese. While the living barrier is growing thick enough to be useful, you may need to use other methods, such as temporary fencing or repellents to keep the geese from establishing in the area. Geese prefer mowed grasses; so leaving a buffer area of tall grass and wildflowers can create a visual and physical barrier to resident geese.

> A permit is not required to scare, repel or herd geese to protect your property; as long as the birds are not killed or harmed. This can involve vigorously chasing geese with a broom or water hose. Repeated scaring can cause geese to relocate, but you must begin again if geese return. Scaring the geese is most effective when they first arrive at a location.

> As a short-term tactic, often used with other methods, geese can sometimes be scared away using various shapes and movements (scarecrows, balloons, scare tape, etc.). Scare tape is thin, shiny ribbon, often silver on one side and red on the other. Place the reflective tape where it is visible to the geese and make a low fence across the area where you don't want geese to cross. Tie short lengths of the shiny ribbon on the cross tape; the flashing and rattling of the tape can frighten geese. People, pets and wind can break the tape, so it needs to be inspected and repaired daily to be useful.

> During the fall and winter, noise-making tactics may discourage these birds from staying on your property. Check with local authorities before starting noise-making, but loud and surprising noises can be a deterrent to resident geese. Where allowed, 12-gauge "cracker shells" and other sharp percussive sounds can prompt geese to move to another, more peaceful location. Be sure to let neighbors know in advance of noise-making plans.

> Remove old nests during the winter to stop geese from returning in the spring.

> There are several commercial repellents advertised to repel geese from lawns. These products must be applied according to label directions to be effective; they may need to be reapplied after rain, or twice weekly in dry conditions. Approved repellents are made from biodegradable, food-grade ingredients and are not toxic to birds, dogs, cats or humans.

> The Division of Wildlife helps control the population by rounding up molting geese in the summer and transporting them to states that hope to increase their goose population. In residential areas, homeowners' associations must request trapping. Contact the Division of Wildlife to have geese removed.

> In non-urban areas where firearm discharge is allowed, hunting of Canada geese remains a cost-effective way to manage goose populations. Hunters who purchase state licenses and federal waterfowl stamps bear the costs associated with hunting waterfowl and help reduce overpopulation of Canada geese.

> Some golf courses have used highly trained border collies with skilled handlers to chase geese off fairways. This is not a method to be tried with a canine pet; dogs cannot be allowed to harm geese or other waterfowl. Leash laws in most cities and towns do not allow dogs to run free to chase geese. There are state regulations prohibiting use of dogs during certain times of the year (nesting season). However, where allowed, this method has proven successful, as border collies were bred to herd sheep and seem to instinctively adjust behavior to herding geese. Some locations have acquired swans with clipped wings (so they cannot fly) and released them on a pond or lake to frighten away geese. This method is not recommended where the swans will come in regular contact with people, as they can be aggressive to humans as well as geese. Check local laws to be sure swans are allowed in your area. Be aware that swans can also breed and care must be taken to ensure you don't create an over-population of swans instead.

Natural History

The Canada goose is one of the most visible and well-known waterfowl. In some parts of the United States they are sometimes considered a nuisance species because of large numbers of geese congregating in city parks and golf courses. They are highly adaptable to human presence. Their honking can be heard before they are seen flying in V-formation, confirming the change of seasons.

Physical Appearance

A gray body with a long black neck, black head and black bill characterize the Canada goose. They have white throat patches that extend to the cheeks with a while breast and belly. They also exhibit a white undertail. Males and females are similar in appearance.

Weights can range from 8 to 13 lbs. Length is 22 to 40 inches. Adult males are somewhat larger than adult females. They are the largest of the wild geese, but their size decreases in more northern populations.

Habitat And Range

Canada geese live throughout North America in lakes, bays, rivers and marshes. They are often seen feeding in open grasslands and fields. Some populations have become domesticated to local city parks and reservoirs. In urban areas, traditional landscaping for lawns and parks, with expansive areas of bluegrass lawn and numerous ponds and lakes, creates ideal conditions for resting, molting, brood rearing and foraging. While many geese have become year-round residents, Canada geese that do migrate through Colorado can fly as far north as Alaska and Canada in the summer and as far south as Texas, southern California and sometimes parts of Mexico in the winter.

Feeding Habits

In fields, their diet consists of fallen grain. In marshes, they feed on wild rice, sedges, other aquatic plants, insects, larvae, crustaceans and small mollusks. Their feeding habits are very regular and they are known to return day after day to the same location if they are not disturbed. Canada geese will feed on newly sprouted lawns and established grass in urban areas.

Breeding And Nesting

Breeding season begins in March, when the pair seeks out a spot for the hen to lay her eggs. The female builds the nest and adds down from her body when eggs are laid. It is usually built on the ground near water.

Birth To Maturity

Typically, five or six eggs are laid and incubation lasts from 24-30 days, with the goose incubating alone and the gander standing guard nearby. Both parents care for the goslings and the family remains together during migration and through the winter. Geese are often aggressive and protective of their young and may harass or scare people and pets that approach nesting areas.

Managing Populations Of Breeding Geese

To provide more options and allow landowners and managers more flexibility in dealing with nuisance or over-abundant geese, the State of Colorado has been issued a special statewide permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit allows Coloradoans who wish to reduce local goose populations to request permission to destroy eggs or nests on their property. Without a federal permit; these activities are illegal, as well as capturing, relocating, disturbing or harvesting Canada geese outside of established hunting seasons. (Several other states, including South Dakota and Minnesota, also have the federal permit). Since Canada geese lay only one clutch (a group of eggs) each spring, disrupting eggs would occur in the spring as nesting and hatching are completed by summer. Shaking or oiling eggs and replacing eggs in the nest is one method that can be allowed under federal guidelines with Division of Wildlife approval. Shaking and/or oiling can prevent the maturation of the egg, but the intact shell fools the adult geese into continuing to sit on the nest without laying additional eggs. (If eggs are broken or removed, geese will lay replacement eggs). The decision to interfere with eggs is the prerogative of the property owner or manager.

Written permission from the Colorado Division of Wildlife is required before any interference with eggs or nests can begin. Contact the Division of Wildlife for more information about applying for a federal permit.

- Information provided by the Colorado Division of Wildlife

- Information also provided by The Humane Society of the United States

Animal Control Home | Colorado Div. of Wildlife
Urban Wildlife Rescue | Table Mountain Animal Shelter