Canada Goose Control, Removal, Trapping

Waterfowl are often welcome guests, but there are times that they can overstay their welcome. Canadian Geese can be a problem when they land “en masse” and take over a wetland area. If there are too many, they can be noisy, messy, and can ravage fields and gardens. If you find yourself a victim, do not despair- there are things you can do to save your pond and yard! The most important thing to remember when trying to win in any waterfowl problem is to understand their habits and treat them humanely. Handling The Canadian goose requires the same diligence. You must learn to recognize when geese are searching for appropriate nesting grounds, what they view as the perfect feeding areas, when the eggs will actually hatch, and how long they will be “earthbound” with their young. When you have this information, you can then find just the right time to begin your eviction regimen, and the right way to humanely go about it. Following this plan will increase your overall effectiveness in making the Geese want to move on.

Canada Geese usually hit their -wintering grounds and begin looking for suitable mates In January -February. Late February they begin their migrations back to their chosen nesting grounds. March and April are spent looking for the perfect nesting area. Often they return to a favorite nesting spot. Often this is where they themselves were born. They return to their familiar nest is as part of a natural process called “imprinting,” These behaviors make March the perfect time to start evicting the Canadian Goose from your lands, especially if you have had problems with them previously. You will want to immediately discourage any attempts at nesting, or at long summer stays. May - June are months when the new goslings are most likely to make an appearance. Because the Adult goose lines its nest with it’s down, also known as flight feathers, neither the parents nor the goslings are physically capable of flight during this time. They must wait until all their sets of feathers have grown back (around July) before they can leave. Rarely, a mated pair of Geese will begin a second nest in late summer. This allows them to raise a second family that extends to early fall.

Products to use and Strategies required: The main strategy involved in getting rid of Canadian Geese is to make the environment feel unwelcoming to them. Disruption of the peace and quiet, or bothering their nests both work towards making them dislike your area without causing any harm. Letting your pets, especially dogs loose is also a deterrent. You can also play a radio loudly. If you don’t live in an area private enough to do this, here are some other ideas. Sonic emitter that put out an unpleasant high pitched sound that repels the geese is on method that is effective and treats them with respect. Although the high pitched noise does drive the geese away, it can also irritate other birds and animals so limit usage.

The simplest Canadian Geese deterrents are plastic replicas, often motion activated. These are known as “prop predators”. The styles can include everything from plastic raptors, to snakes, alligators, and even plastic howling coyotes. These goose deterrents normally work for just a few weeks some feel it is waste of money and resources, others say that is just enough time to keep the Geese from nesting. Other Effective controls include Simple goose fences, or anything that forms a sight barrier. Most supplies needed to erect this kind of fencing can be picked up at any hardware store.

You can also try managing your goose problem with other animals. Parks have had great success in controlling geese by introducing a more territorial and aggressive bird to the pond such as Mute Swans or the American native, Trumpeter Swans. Trumpeter Swans are more interactive than their mute cousins, but these birds equally large and as beautiful. Trumpeter Swans will also provide patrols round the clock. The Canadian goose population has exploded in recent decades. This has resulted in government sanctioned methods for egg reduction procedures as a viable goose control method. This program has rigid guidelines and requires registration paperwork either completed for you by a registered, licensed goose control expert or the home or business owner. If the home owner wants to obtain a license, they must first complete a licensing/registration procedure mandated by the local governing body. The licensing procedure is no more rigorous than acquiring a hunting or fishing license. It’s simply in place to accurately monitor the number of eggs removed from each nest.  We don't recommend going this route, but want to inform our readers of all solutions.

Many areas have resorted to goose control through the use of specially trained goose herding dogs. These dogs, which are usually border collies, can be hired on through several different companies. You can also find these specialty dogs for sale! These amazing animals are put through rigorous training allowing them to follow precise commands.

Canada geese can be rather tricky birds to get rid of, because Federal law deems it illegal to harm the birds themselves, their nests, or their eggs. You can make a nuisance of yourself and scare the large birds away as much as you want... providing you don't cause adult or young Canada geese any harm. 

There are three main treatments for Canada geese. These are: 1) the modification of habitat, 2) creating an unsuitable Canada geese site, and 3) slowing down the reproductive cycle of the bird.

Geese need large, open spaces to land, so by taking that away from your property as a start, you can remove potential landing sites. This isn't always possible, but if you have a problem with these birds in your backyard, putting actual, physical obstacles in their paths can sometimes do the trick quite nicely. You could even just 'forget' to mow your lawn for a while. 

Dummies and decoys can sometimes be used as bird deterrents, but these tend to have less of an effect on the bigger-bodied Canada goose. You should definitely look at removing or reducing as many food sources as possible. This will assist your fight against not just Canada geese, but also other pest animals. 

Any kind of disturbance will irritate these birds, who much prefer calm and silence. Playing music or predator calls, using scarecrows or other moving objects, using calls of distress from the species, or even looking at fog-based repellents (administered by professionals) are four simple steps you can try.