Canadian Geese Trouble..

[Jeff C.]

A friend has a pond that he mows all the way around and tries to keep nice. the bass fishing is great...

but the canadian geese are all over..

10 acre pond,, 3-4 families of geese  they make a huge mess

and will not go away.. we have tried scare tactics but they come back after a day or 2..

any ideas on how to get rid of them??

please help us !!!!!!

[MALTESE FALCON]

They've been a real pain in the butt in this area for years. It's bad enough I have to clean-up after my dog, I really hate to clean their mess too. If you find a solution let me know.

Falcon

[BoroBass]

A .22 ought to be good enough

[Speedy]

well first you wait untill hunting season. then you load the guns and say bi.

also i dont know if this is completely legal or right but i heard of the city of chicago organizing parties to go around and smash the eggs because they have an overpopulation.

[Guest muddy]

HERE THIS SHOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM

[Tin]

Click, click, BOOM!

O and yes, up here they do organize things to shake up the geese eggs.

[frogtog]

Have Gun Will Travel.

[Evan Pease]

I heard about someone putting a fake gator near a ramp for the same reason. They said even though there were no gators that the geese acted on their instinct and went away.

[Popeye]

Bow and arrow - efficient and quiet. Placing preditor decoys/replicas in the area, like the Gator thing Peasey92 mentioned, might work in a more humane way.

[Siebert Outdoors]

I'd contact the conservation department for suggestions.  They may have a really good way to get rid of them legally.  Smashing their eggs is probably illegal since its a federal bird.

[IneedAnewScreenName9886691]

I have heard that a pair of sterile swans will keep them out?  They are mean suckers.    

[dave]

FYI  Canada Geese

[MALTESE FALCON]

The DNR has tried supplemental seasons, and I believe more liberal amounts on limits, but so far, it hasn't helped.

Hey Hydrillagorilla2, the swans are just as bad, or worse. They make a big mess and they're mean as hell.LOL

Falcon

[farmpond1]

I have seen those simple little 6 inch high string fences that keep geese out of yards.  I'm not sure why they work but they seem to do a good job.  Don't know if one would keep a goose out of the water but that may be irrelevent.

[tyrius.]

Find a dog that will chase them.  The dog will have tons of fun and the geese won't ever really have time to nest and will move onto another place.

[Other.]

I heard that geese hate high grasses and also mesh nets. Only problem is not cutting the grass makes it look ugly and mesh nets are just as ugly.

[Jeff C.]

Thanks for all the ideas..

keep um coming ..

if any one else has

solved this problem let us know.

[Cujo]

Yes, cutting the grass all the way down to the ponds edge may "look nice" but it is a bad management practice.  I think you can see the ill effects of it already.  Not only do the geese love it, but every time it rains everything is easily flushed into the pond.  This will cause excessive nutrient loading with in the pond.  Excess nutrients cause algal blooms, increased vegetation growth, decrease clarity and just the overall water quality diminishes.  Try adding NATIVE plant species around the edge of the pond.  It's ok to leave some open areas for access.  Adding vegetation will act as a buffer zone for the incoming nutrients.  Thus providing better water quality to the pond.  This will also discourage the geese from using the area.  They love easy access to an open pond with a short grassy area next to it.  Plus the plantings give a nice appeal to the pond rather then adding and ugly fence.  The better water quality will be very beneficial to the entire aquatic ecosystem.