Just a reminder that Canada Geese are a federally protected bird. You cannot legally harm them, their nests or their young without a permit. (Hunting seasons are an exception). Fortunately, despite these restrictions there are a few things you can do to rid your property of geese without having to obtain a permit. As always, understand that these techniques are not guaranteed to work in every situation. The effectiveness of a harassment campaign depends on a number of factors including, the level of motivation on the part of the geese, the persistence of the harasser and the variety of harassment techniques used. You can increase the effectiveness of harassment when you combine more techniques together. You can also magnify the effectiveness by beginning your actions before the geese become attached to the area.
The harassment techniques I am about to describe are also known as hazing. Hazing is legal as long as you or your agent does not touch or contact the birds.
Noise makers are among the best forms of harassment. There are a variety of types available but they all make a loud bang that tends to scare the geese causing them to take flight. Types of noisemakers include, propane cannons, shell crackers and whistle bombs. Propane cannons are stationary devices that explode propane gas at various intervals. Shell crackers and whistle bombs are shells that are fired from a shotgun or special pistor respectively. When fired they either scream for a distance of 50 yards or explode. They work by spooking the geese. Before using any of these techniques be sure to notify your neighbors and the local police department. You want to warn them in advance as the explosions may make people think there is a gun battle going on.
Another type of noisemaker is the distress call. Distress calls, by mimicking the sound of an injured bird, make the geese believe that there is danger here. These tapes can be purchased at bird control dealers.
There is one type of noise maker that you should probably ignore, namely ultrasound. While one study found that a blast of high intensity 22-23 Khz sound made restrained geese catatonic, it is doubtful this technique would work in field conditions. Ultrasound simply doesn't maintain its intensity very well over distances. I should also point out that various field studies have found that ultrasound didn't work.
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