How do I keep Canada Geese off my property?
 

We are new to this site and new property owners on the lake. We have a lot of green grass in the yard and found ourselves constantly picking up goose poop last year. Our routine when going up to the house last summer was #1) Water the Flowers #2) Pick up goose poop #3) Cut the grass...how do we eliminate #2??

Are there any words of wisdom from you long timers out there related to Canada Geese and keeping them off your property? I've seen plenty of gimmicks and gadgets on-line but we want to know what works.

Impede their access to the water. I did this with a low garden edge fence along the shore. When we want to use the beach we just fold it up and put it back out when we are done. Roman candles fired over their heads works when they are on the property, but they are smart, will wait for you to leave, and come back.

There are other methods too, most have been discussed here, use the forum search function to find them.

You can use a scarecrow. It can be anything from a brightly colored balloon to a replica of a predator that the Canadian goose can see from the sky before it ever comes close to landing in your property. If you get a replica of a coyote for example that the goose can see from the sky, it will discourage a landing. I have even heard of using an owl to keep ducks away from your dock, but I am not sure if that will work on geese.

I agree with ITD
The only way the goslings can get to my lawn is by walking up the sand through my beach access. I have found putting a net across the beach keeps them off my lawn. The net has two poles which sink into sand or grass easily. When we have company I simply roll the net up.

......cheez-it, here they come!
 

No doubt a flock of canada geese can be a problem, but just two canada geese, male and female, tending the nest in April and May, can be welcome neighbors. Basically, the female sits on the nest for maybe 6-weeks, while the male hangs around the area keeping his ears and eyes open, and tends to half sleep away the day, off in a nearby spot like a warm, sunny dock. The result can be maybe a total of seven little yellow baby canada geese, also called goslings.

Supposedly, the canada geese couple maintains their relationship for many years, or throughout their lives, or something!?

Canada geese will readily eat www.cheezit.com, original style, for about $3.95 in the large box. Cheez-its will float, and can be thrown just like a frisbee.

Canada geese also will eat cracked corn, available at a hardware store or pet store, which does not float, and requires some type of a feeding bowl set out on a dock or something.

With cheez-its, you just toss them out on the water, and they float.....easy-peasy!

Horse Island, maybe 1/10-acre in size, and close to the south end of Bear Island, has been home in April and May to the same pair of canada geese for the last four years now, and these two just flew in from somewhere on Thursday, two days ago. How do I know these are the same two geese? Well, the larger one has an aluminum band on its' left left with a multi digit number starting with a number 3.

Horse Island is also a stop and look, tree top spot for 2-3 different bald eagles.

Nothing beats a good dog.

We tried everything , and eventually do what was mentioned by PBfirefighter and a few others. A line 16 inches off the ground connected by sticks/stakes. When we are outside we take it down. It takes 60 seconds, works awesome!

Betcha a basset hound does not swim very good with those short legs!

Anytime there are a lot of remedies proposed, it means that there is no simple answer and nothing works all the time.

Basically, if you have waterfront, you want them to go elsewhere and you want to restrict access to your property. I have an advantage that during the season, I am almost always home so I can be viigilant.

First answer is strings of flags such as you see at car dealers ( I got on Amazon). String them up and the Geese will not want to cross the line. They will eventually. I do yell at them and throw stones near but not at them to reinforce the no welcome sign.

A more permanent solution is that I allow all the weeds and blueberry bushes and anything that grows to form a barrier at the water line. For the past 4 years this has worked. I don't have a beach and I have only a narrow dock access. They love my neighbors beach just off of his beautiful lawn.

They tend to go where it is easy for them and you want to make your property a No Fly and, particularly, a No Walk Zone.

How do I keep Canada Geese
 

I agree with ICG 56. Many years ago we had a female Yorkie who took great pride in scaring all the geese and ducks off docks, lawns and even parks!! She was quite a dog and on several occasions I had to retrieve her by boat!

My black lab loves to swim, and also sits on the beach waiting for them.... great sport. Hasn't caught one yet :)

Geese
 

Low speed "warning" bb's work well. Bear in mind this suggestion in no way advocates killing, hunting or causing permanent damage in any way to these precious poop machines.

Bassett is a great swimmer. She grew up with Newf's and did not know she was not suppose to swim. Can't shake herself dry (towel will do) but loves the water slide on a hot day. The Newfs also help with geese/duck patrol.

Hello, inflatable air dancer!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...A240_QL65_.jpg

The best idea I have seen was a golf course style water jet head set up to spray a direct hit on the area the birds hang out. It was set up with a seeing eye so when the birds broke the plane of sight of the eye the water jet would turn on and cycle to cover the area in question for 30 seconds and turn itself off. The only other solution involves mashed potatoes and some greens !

Last season our neighbor spent some good money on 2 of the fake coyotes .
He even followed instruction and moved them every couple days. The birds are smarter then they look and within a few weeks the birds and the coyotes were fast friends ! I think the birds thought the coyote was protecting their young or something.
The also jump the little fences and don't fear the colored metal stuff.

If you figure out a real cure for getting rid of these dirty pests you will be realy rich ! It will be huge ! Like Trump huge !

Fake Owl - - Fowl idea
 

Our neighbor on East Bear Island installed a fake owl on his swim raft to discourage ducks from visiting. Over a dozen mergansers often spend the night snoozing with their new fake friend.

Grape koolaid powder spread were they gather. It supposedly burns their feet.
Not sure how much that would attract ants though, and after any rain it's gone.

Is it legal to spray water on them? I'm sure someone could come up with a high power squirt gun with a servo controlled motor and an image recognition camera that could pick them off automatically.

You can also string a small line with "bird reflective tape"....get it in the hardware store. A strip about a foot long every foot of the tape and they do to come near the area. Have used this remedy for a while with good success.

Fight geese with geese
 

The company I work for has a small pond that sometimes attracts geese. To help counter that they rigged up a loudspeaker that broadcasts angry geese sounds. It works but it had me fooled for a while and I kept looking for the geese.

I too found that letting the brush(low blueberry plants) grow along the shore and putting a large size mulch (erosion control ) up to three feet from the shoreline has kept the geese and ducks away. They now frequent my neighbors who prefer to keep a nice manicured lawn. The result is we get to see and hear my neighbor constantly chasing them away! Endless battle. The geese return within minutes once he goes inside. When neighbors leave for the day or longer the geese seem to know and have large lawn gatherings!:liplick:

Went through Meredith today, and at the grassy area at Lago, where the waterfall-ed stream comes under Rt.3, into the lake, there were about a dozen Canada geese feeding ... along side the fake coyote put there!

Best answer...get rid of the grass! That is what is attracting them. I have no grass on my waterfront, and no geese problem.

This is NOT coming from an anti-grass guy. I was known to have one of the most anally-retentive lawns in our neighborhood when I lived in suburbia. But they are not natural for the Lakes Region, and when installed, they attract geese.

Loose the lawn, loose the geese. Blueberrybushes, other native plants, and they go away.

Heard recently of a way to eliminate Canadian geese permanently
Besides water front property Golf courses, baseball fields, soccer fields, etc. have the same problem were young kids are rolling around in there waste and getting sick. There are lasers that are strong enough that when placed in and around there eyes it irritates them enough to leave. Now different groups might find there way to your property and they will need another dose of the laser. There is usually a queen if you will that is the only one that needs to be lasered and she communicates to the others lets go. After a few treatments they know not to come back.......almost fun to irritate them enough to leave and not irritate you with there disgusting droppings......Good Luck

Remington 870...
 

Works every time...

Are they good eating?

I send the wife out with a broom to chase them for a couple hours. Works well and keeps the house quiet inside too.

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times. The only way to solve the problem is to reduce the population. Chasing them from one property to the next isn't a solution. The federal government needs to allow the reduction of the flock. Unfortunately, the current administration isn't capable of running a lemonade stand.

I would suggest a very stern talking to accompanied by vigorous finger wagging. If that does not work you might have to get a restraining order.

22 short
 

Much quieter.

Supposedly great eating, I think people have lost the taste for them though. I've heard a little more gamy and oily than chicken. There should be an open season on them.

How about an open season with the birds going to a state agency who could process them and then feed the homeless? The homeless typically aren't picky eaters. A bounty of say $7.50 a bird would encourage kids to hunt them making sure there would be a steady flow of birds for the homeless. After a couple of years the season could be closed when the population declined to a point where the birds weren't a nuisance to homeowners, golf courses, etc.

Excellent idea, scrap those EBT cards and substitute "free geese" !!!

A loony solution...
 

I may be all wet (Yes, it is a pun) but I have noticed that where there are loons there are no geese.

I maintain a loon habitat for the LPC and I can tall you that while loons look cool and sound cool they are big mean birds. They are very territorial and attack any other critter in their area.

So don't complain about the loon nests in the Lake. They are just outposts for the "geese patrol".

Misty Blue

NH has 3 seasons for hunting Canadian Geese. The daily bag limit is 3 with a possession limit of 9. The idea of a .22 short or a Remington 870 (as mentioned above) are both illegal to use when taking waterfowl.

CANADA GEESE
Sept. Season ALL ZONES: Sept. 1 through Sept. 25
Reg. Season NORTHERN ZONE: Oct. 2 through Dec. 10
INLAND & CT. RIVER ZONE*: Oct. 6 through Nov. 5; Nov. 15 through Dec. 23
COASTAL ZONE: Oct. 7 through Oct. 26; Nov. 15 through Jan. 3

You are right Misty BUT when our loons take a little swim, the geese move right in!!

Another "never miss an opportunity to blame Obama" nitwit. (Yawn). At least this one isn't illiterate.

I was referring to the current administration of the federal fish and wildlife division. However, I can understand how you assumed I was speaking of the president.

If Bernie gets elected.....everyone will have free geese,not just the homeless.

My method is to take two small stakes hammer them into the ground, take some old fishing line and wrap them around the stakes about a foot off the ground. The geese FREEK OUT!
No ugly nets or fake coyotes, and to gain access to you swimming area just step over the fishing line.