Canada Geese are Wild Animals

Canada geese were almost eradicated by hunting, egg gathering and the draining of wetlands in the early 1900s. However, since the 1960s they have made a huge comeback. Their preference for short, highly fertilized grass and ponds of golf courses and parks attract geese to these environments. Once they arrive on these pampered lawns, their numbers will quickly swell to a huge problem.

Canada geese are creatures whose lives are dominated by learned traditions and instinctive annual patterns of behavior. In migratory populations, goslings learn their migration and stopping points by flying the route with their parents. This means that the odds are great that the same geese will return year after year to your property. It is instinct to go back to where they hatched; nested; brooded young, or where they have successfully molted their feathers in past years. Such geese become more difficult to remove and keep away because you must break them of old traditions and help them establish new ones.

What is the number one nuisance of geese? Unfortunately, with geese come geese droppings. One goose produces 1-2 pounds of droppings a day. These droppings can be a health risk and can carry Salmonella spp,. E. coli, and Listeria spp. And large groups of geese can alter the ecology of your pond and create algae problems.

The difference between resident geese and migratory geese is that resident geese have chosen to live here year-round. The migratory geese pass through central North America during the fall and spring. Resident geese are not fazed by humans and can be aggressive. During nesting season a belligerent goose can easily knock down a small child. Find out more information on resident geese from our blog.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act states that it is illegal to hunt, kill, sell, purchase, or possess migratory birds or their parts (feathers, nests, eggs, etc.) except as permitted by regulations adopted by the Secretary of the Interior, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Additional links on goose facts can be found on our Regulatory page.

Ohio Geese Control’s staffs are experts in goose behavior and the regulations around their management programs. Our staff is specialized in migratory birds and dog handling skills, because you can’t understand how to manage a population, until you truly know their behaviors. Interested in a free site visit and demonstration? Contact us at 1-877-91GEESE.