Humane Way to Get Rid of Geese

Geese, while beautiful and majestic creatures, are also a source of great frustration for many people. Geese routinely destroy lawns, ruin golf courses, and create havoc at airports. Fortunately, there are simple and humane ways to get rid of geese, without having to resort to killing them.

  1. Dogs

    • Dogs are an excellent geese deterrent, and are used at airports, golf courses and other locations where geese tend to congregate. Some types of dogs are specially trained to chase off geese. The dogs patrol a certain area, both to prevent geese from landing, and to chase them away if they do happen to land nearby. This solution, while extremely effective, requires a trained dog, which can be expensive and may not be suitable for everyone.

    Decoys

    • Dog, coyote and swan decoys can also be extremely effective in scaring geese away, but only when used in a correct manner. Decoys must be constantly moved, so that the geese do not get used to the sight of the decoy and figure out it is a fake. Additionally, decoys may not fool all geese, so the effectiveness is slightly less than that of a live animal deterrent. However, decoys can be purchased for a cheap price, and if moved often, can provide excellent protection against geese.

    Changing the Land

    • Many geese tend to congregate around land that is near a body of water, such as a lake, pond or stream. Geese also like to congregate in areas with short, tender grass they can feed upon. By making it harder for geese to obtain water and grass, you can drive them to other areas. Building fences around water will make it difficult for the geese to gain access. Since they feel safer in the water rather than on land, they will be unlikely to stick around for long. Similarly, they dislike tall, reedy grasses, so letting it grow without cutting will also help discourage geese from landing.