Frequently Asked Questions

What are goose-human conflicts?

Goose-human conflict is when humans have complaints about geese. Most complaints are from residents and businesses frustrated with goose droppings, usually on specific sites, such as lawns, beaches, docks, sidewalks, and golf courses. Occassionally, geese nest in inappropriate sites, such as shrubbery near buildings or parking lots where they become aggressive toward people who enter the territory around the nest. Canada geese may also cause damage to agricultural crops through consumption or trampling.

A goose on our property is very aggressive; why is that?

Geese can demonstrate aggressive behavior toward people while defending their nesting territory. They perceive people as potential nest predators.

What can Goose Busters do if I have a human/goose conflict?

First, do not feed geese or other waterfowl. Feeding concentrates geese, causes aggression and loss of wild instincts, and can lead to nutritional imbalance. If permitted by law in your area, hunting geese is a very effective and economical tool to control goose populations. However, many of the southeast Michigan sites where geese are rounded up are in urban/suburban areas that have township ordinances in place that prohibit hunting.

Installing scare tactics: Scare devices can be a cost-effective way to repel geese when applied consistenly, as soon as geese arrive on your property prior to nesting. There are many commercial companies that sell scare devices such as shell crackers, screamers, bird alarms, motion detector accessories, electronic noise systems, bird bangers, rockets, and distress cries. There are also visual stimuli techniques used to scare geese such as bird scare balloons, plastic flags, and Mylar scare tape. Changing habitats by planting wildflowers, bushes, can also be helpful.

Stringing Water's Edges: Goose Busters offers stringing of pond/water's edge, which prevents geese from easily walking in and out of water. This is most effective when baby geese are present.

Trained Border Collie Patrols: Many golf courses and airports have reported success using dogs trained to chase geese off the property. Increasingly, lakefront property owners are reporting that their dogs are effective at deterring geese from their property.

Spraying of Deterrents: We spray a non-toxic chemical that alters the UV rays that geese see from the sky making them scared to land in the area. This chemical also has a taste deterrent that geese do not like. The disadvantage to using deterrents is that they are effective only over a short period. Rain or mowing reduces their effectiveness. Using a combination of several different control methods and changing tactics often to prevent geese from becoming conditioned to any one of them, often has the best results. In addition, studies show that geese exposed to hunting are more likely to respond to scare devices outside the goose hunting season. Contact us to inquire about the Goose Roundup Program.

Aggressive Goose Removal

If a goose is nested in an inappropriate place, Goose Busters can help you obtain a DNR permit to capture and remove both the nest and the bird(s).

Why is the number of human goose conflicts increasing?

There is a large population of Canada geese in Michigan. Michigan’s estimated spring population of resident Canada geese has increased from 9,000 in 1970 to 201,000 in 2009. The success of wildlife management programs and the adaptability of Canada geese have brought this species back from the brink of extinction. Canada geese nest in every Michigan county, but are most common in the southern third of the state where there are abundant lakes and ponds that are suitable for nesting areas. Canada geese are attracted to areas that provide food, water, and protection. Urban and suburban developments with manicured lawns, lakes, and ponds offer all the resources that geese need to survive. Hunting closures in many of these urban and suburban areas provide geese with a safe refuge. The large amount of agricultural crop production in Michigan also provides geese with high energy foods, allowing some geese to stay throughout the winter.