How to Get Rid of Geese: Goose Control Products

HOW TO GET RID OF GEESE

GOOSE CONTROL  PRODUCTS REVIEW 

      Many people research how to keep geese out of their yards and off of their properties.  Most of our customers tell us that they get their information and products from internet.  This is all well and good but if you do not know how to use the information and products properly you will lose your hard earned money and still have geese in your yard.

   Canada geese are beautiful birds. Their honking high in the sky signals signs of spring and fall migration.  In many cases these beautiful geese become a territorial nuisance and unwelcome guests to our properties. So exactly how do you resolve this nuisance geese issue by yourself? 

    There are several products that can be purchased as 'deterrents'. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.  There are coyote effigies in many forms, lawn spray on deterrents from different companies, noise makers, streamers, bird bangers, motion detecting sprinkler and bottle rockets.  We have seen alligator heads and fake swans used also.  There are blinking lights that turn on at night and various types of string grids and borders to stop geese from landing or walking on your property.  There are many product to deter geese from eating your grass, pooping on it and when nesting, attacking people.

    There are several lawn treatments that claim to repel geese.  Flight Control Plus is what we use if our client prefers not to use dogs for one reason or another.  This liquid is effective against repelling geese because it uses a visual deterrent and a physical deterrent.  When Flight Control Plus is applied to lawns it makes the grass look different to the geese than untreated grass.  The physical deterrent is when the geese eat the treated grass it upsets their stomach.  The Canada geese put two and two together and decide not to eat this funny looking grass anymore because they get stomach distress.  The geese, then, ultimately decide to find someone else's lawn to feed on.  Flight Control Plus does not wash off with rain or snow.  It will also lasts for a few lawn cuttings.  This is beneficial because it does not have to be applied as much as other spray on goose juices.

    Coyote or dog effigies can be effective for a while and in some instances work depending on the size of the area.  Effigies are not a maintenance free tool however.  In order to give them a chance to work they must be moved frequently. If they are placed at the center of a soccer field for instance it may stop geese from landing initially. Geese will land as a far away as possible from it after a while. They will then move closer and closer to it until they realize it is not real or a moving threat.  However, if the decoy is moved throughout the day it may fool the geese into thinking it is real.  We have seen them work better in smaller areas where geese do not have an alternate landing area.  There is also a dead goose decoy that is sold. We have never seen one employed.  The reviews on them are not very good.  

    Plastic swans in your pond or lake usually do not work well at getting rid of geese unless you had a live aggressive pair of swans nesting there before.  Again if you place a plastic swan in the middle of a 15 acre lake a flock of geese will just land far enough away from it to feel safe.  Once they realize Mr. Swan is always in the same spot, Canada geese will continue to come.   If you have two, 1 acre ponds and one pond has a live pair of geese in it and the other a fake, the set up will probably work.  The live swans are giving the fake swans some credibility.

    There are large propane noise canons that can be purchased that blast off on timers.  These work if you are in a large unpopulated area. Otherwise your neighbors will hate you and call the police. These are somewhat appropriate for farmlands and out of the way golf courses. But like the other tools the direction and location of the canon is critical and needs to rotated on a frequent basis.  The time of day would also be critical as you would not want a noise canon going off while people are golfing.

    There are solar yellow blinking lights that turn on when it gets dark to deter geese from roosting in your pond our lake. On small ponds these can be effective as geese cannot get far enough away from them.  If one blinking yellow light is placed on a 20 acre lake geese will just stay far enough away from it for their comfort.  These lights are relatively expensive so purchasing many could be cost prohibitive.  These lights also do not work during the day.  Used in the correct manner for night roosting geese they can be effective.

    Setting up a grid system with string  or wire on a pond is considered inhumane as geese may not see the grid and get tangled up in it. This could lead to broken legs, wings or death if the goose gets snagged in an awkward position and drowns.  I have seen some grids set up on flat roofs to deter geese but they also become a nuisance to HVAC guys who service air conditioners.  One simple thing we have seen work quite well is a rope used to separate a pond from a lawn.  If geese are wading out of a pond and onto your lawn, a 1/4" rope strung about 8" off the ground will deter geese from crossing over it.  Geese are  somewhat lazy and do not like having to fly over it for some reason. It is a real simple set up depending on how far you need to stretch the rope to keep geese away.  We use 18" flat wooden stakes  (Menards,Walmart ) and drill a hole at the top of it each one. We place the stakes 6'-8' apart and tie knots at each end.  Due to weathering, the rope will sag so leave room to pull the stakes further apart from each end.  I am truly amazed at how simple this is and how well it works. If the rope stretches and falls to the grass however, the geese will cross over it. So keep it raised up to be effective. 

     Canada geese are relentless once they find a place to their liking.  More than likely it will not be the same geese visiting your property every day as geese love to property and pond hop.  Your efforts must be as relentless as their willingness to stay. If one thing does not work, try another or try it in a different manner and location.  Remember you are dealing with nature and wildlife and both are pretty unpredictable.  Be inventive and consistent using your Canada goose deterrents and you will have a better chance at success.  Please always remember to be humane and considerate to your neighbors.


Rescue Me Goose Chasing
We Get Rid of Geese ... FAST!
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Goose Dogs vs. Goosinator

GOOSE CONTROL DOGS VERSUS THE GOOSINATOR

Cosmo, one of our goose dogs, looking over 20 acres of  goose free lake that he works.

    If you are in the market and have a need for goose control you are probably doing what many informed consumers do and that is search the internet for different methods and ideas.  You probably have come across many different goose control companies and many different gimmicks to control geese.  What we feel is the most long lasting and effective method is putting predatory pressure on geese with our professional goose dogs.  Geese feel unsafe, fear for their lives and leave.

    We have had customers ask us about a product called the goosinator.  It is a big orange airplane that runs on  the ground, water and ice to haze geese off of properties.  After asking the question and before we answer they usually say that it is very expensive vs. our service.  I have never seen one in person but I have looked at the product videos on it's webpage.

    It is on that webpage we found some misguiding information when comparing the goosinator to a goose dog.

    The first incorrect comparison is the price point the site presents. The website quotes a price range of $300 to $500 per week for goose dog services!  WOW! That is not realistic, average or even representative of typical costs. I am not sure if anyone is charging that much for their goose dog services, but if they are it would have to be for very very large areas and areas that require a lot of time to service. Not typical.  Perhaps that is the target consumer though. I could tell you that we charge as little as $35 per week for our service.

    One very important comparison that is left out is that the goosinator does not have the  predatory advantage a dog has.  It is big,it is loud and it is orange with a big grin on its effigy.  However, the geese see it as a nuisance and not a threat to their survival.  Much like mylar balloons, dog effigies and blinking yellow lights the goosinator is a nuisance.

    The second item that is left out is who is operating the remote control behind it in the early morning, in the blowing snow, in the cold, in the driving rain, at night and whenever geese are present.  Some one has to be out there in all types of weather when geese are around.  The facility managers I know are paying their staff good money to take care of more important things than the geese.  Who on the Facilities Staff is going to be charged with dropping what they are doing, getting the plane out of storage and walking it out to chase the geese?  How much is the company going to pay that facility guy on their payroll to do that?  We love spending time outdoors with our dogs.  Our dogs love spending time outdoors doing a job. We have a passion for what we do and it is another one of the reasons our service is so successful.  We are relentless. 

    It happens on occasion in the spring where we work in areas densely populated with geese, that  a family with goslings will wander onto a property from a neighbor's.  We use our highly trained dogs to gently herd the growing goose family back to where they came from.  We do not see being able to do this gentle work with this blaze orange device that has a motor and propeller on the end of it.  We can do this work efficiently and quietly in the morning without waking neighbors that are sleeping. Our dogs herd them slowly and gently, encouraging the goslings and parents to retreat to where they nested.

    The biggest advantage I see with the goosinator is that it can go on ice. The only issue with this is that migrating and resident geese look for open unfrozen water in the winter to roost on. They are not looking sit on ice. Maybe this is a bigger issue in Denver.  In any event, this is where we have used the predatory pressure of our dogs and a proprietary technique.  Geese if they are on the land will go to water/ice for safety.  The presence of a dog on the surrounding land is strong enough of a predatory influence to force the geese to look for somewhere else to go.

     In summary, Goose Control dog services, like RMGC, are relatively inexpensive.  Goose Dogs can and do go in water, on grass, on sand, on snow and ice. They also provide a real life predator on your property that threatens the safety of geese. Predatory pressure is something the blaze orange, goosinator airplanes cannot and do not replace. The goosinator does need a full time operator to haze geese.  What you will need to decide is if hiring a service is better, cheaper and more effective than spending thousands on the goosinator and hours of your own time or your employee's time in all kinds of weather operating the device until geese leave.

Rescue Me Goose Chasing.... We Get Rid of Geese Fast!

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