Posted on 01/07/2006 7:03:52 AM PST by blau993
I need some advice, and this group may be able to help. A flock of geese (Canada) has landed on the water next to our house and has apparently decided that water and my lawn are where they would like to winter over. We had this happen a few years ago, and they tore the daylights out of my lawn and left enough "fertilizer" to last a lifetime. My two labs are pretty good at dispersing them (the younger is nicknamed "Goosechaser"), but this bunch is persistent and keeps coming back. I am thinking of taking it to the next level. It is out of season, and I live within the Annapolis city limits, so firearms are not an option. However, I am thinking "air rifle." I don't know that much about them, but I was thinking kind of low velocity and steel BBs rather than pellets (need to be eco-friendly and all that). I am thinking that a few pellets to the rump ought to cause a goose no lasting harm but, combined with the dogs, might encourage them to move on. Thoughts?
get some dirt bikes and ride around them or right at them. keep it up everyday or call geese police. sometimes the health dept will come out and determine its a health problem and take over matters but personally i wouldnt go that way. ive heard of staking out netting a few feet above the ground too. the cds work too or there is goose*be*gone super sonic which costs around $250 but does work too. good luck
We use shotgun shells with the shot removed (blank cartridges) to keep our runway clear of migratory ducks and geese.
You have to get them as they get there because once they've settled (2-3 days) they will be hell to get rid of. What you're trying to do is make the next big pound look peaceful.
I don't know how close your neighbors are but maybe you could explain what you're doing and assure them that you are shooting blank cartridges. Maybe that way the cops will leave you alone.
Try firecrackers if a shotgun is not available.
Yep. Dogs are very effective. Anything that keeps the geese from settling will do the trick.
But way before I'd shoot them I'd try goose repellant
http://www2.yardiac.com/long.asp?tgs=16825270:4338654&cart_id=&item_id=664
Have you tried playing a recording of hawks or eagles screeching? Many people with flock problems swear by it.
Let me know if you might need some sound effects -- I might have some I could send in mp3 format.
Go to your local zoo -- ask for tiger droppings. It works on some animals - might work on geese.
The fence idea does work - a friend from work had the same problem and he and his wife put up a fabric fence (landscaping fabric, I believe) between the water and the yard and it worked. The geese want easy access to the water for safety too (see something bad? go out in the water and it can't follow you) and if there isn't easy access they'll move on.
The only problem they had was they had to make the fence HIGH ENOUGH so that the geese couldn't SEE the water when they were on the ground - even if they never went IN the water, the sight of it would make them think it was a safe area. Their yard was fairly level, so it wasn't too hard to raise the fence a little bit.
It's so easy and fun to drive them off that I envy your problem. Buy a decent remote control boat (a loud gas engine is the best) and chase them off with it whenever you have the time (but not it the spring when there are gray goslings). It's fairly cheap, doesn't hurt them, and you will find that it is more fun than you can now imagine. Before you know it, you'll be wishing some would come back for you to chase!
After Action Report will follow -- pictures unfortunately may get censored (like that has never happened before).
Niece had a similar problem with geese on the lake next to her yard a few years back - I know she put up a fence along the lakeshore and haven't heard any more about the problem lately - a fence might at least discourage the geese from coming on to the lawn once on the lake.....
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