Geese are destroying my yard! What to do?

[river rat]

Call Winter/Green Landscapers in White Plains, Md.

They have a eco-friendly repellant, I have seen it work first hand. It works. But, I'd be inclined to allow them to hang, fertilize and move on.

 

[Geek]

There is a pond a half a block away and I am innundated with these stinky obnoxious animals. They're the type with brown bodies and black heads.
I called animal control and the DNR and they both said there's nothing they can do. (If I shot them all there'd be something they would do I'll bet). They said I should scare them away by making noises, squirting them with a hose or shooing them away with a broom. They have crapped all over my yard and driveway and it is nasty. The hose wastes water and noise only scares them for a while. An hour later they're back.
I really don't care if some of you So Md folks want to come here and trap them all because it won't be long before I pull out the BB gun. (This is Md so I'll probably go to jail for shooting them in MY OWN YARD!) Any ideas that work? Thanks!

Looks like that geese trainer I hired was worth every penny.

 

[CalvertNewbie]

Unfortunately, they are there by instinct. It's part of their migratory path for generations. Before your house was ever built, there must have been fields with grasses and grains for them to eat.

We had the same problem in NY at the place I worked. We could do nothing as they were protected. Droppings everywhere.

Did we work at the same place in NY?

When I worked for the schools up there those canadian geese were everywhere, crapping all over the playgrounds and the ball fields. It was so bad that the poor kids couldn't even go outside for gym class or recess. Because these geese are protected, we couldn't "harm" them in any way in order to get them to leave.

The school district got & trained a couple of dogs and they would chase the birds off the property. Pretty soon the fields were clean and the birds found someplace else to crap.

 

[Dukesdad]

Hope it wasn't these

the geese that brought down the jet in the Hudson
<a href="http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z144/dpotter58/?action=view&current=geese.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z144/dpotter58/geese.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[aps45819]

Did we work at the same place in NY?

When I worked for the schools up there those canadian geese were everywhere, crapping all over the playgrounds and the ball fields. .

Canada geese, not canadian

 

[GWguy]

Did we work at the same place in NY?

When I worked for the schools up there those canadian geese were everywhere, crapping all over the playgrounds and the ball fields. It was so bad that the poor kids couldn't even go outside for gym class or recess. Because these geese are protected, we couldn't "harm" them in any way in order to get them to leave.

The school district got & trained a couple of dogs and they would chase the birds off the property. Pretty soon the fields were clean and the birds found someplace else to crap.

I actually worked in Calverton, but had frequent trips to our Grumman Bethpage office. The birds were just obnoxious in Bethpage. Still are.

 

[BlissfulJumper]

Where do you live? And how close to other houses? A few friends and I can take care of them

 

[ItalianScallion]

You could call US Air...

Ask USAirways to do a flyover.

Guys that is really funny! _ _ _ _ minds think alike??
But then what would I do with the airplane in my front yard???

Pest Ducks & Geese
See if this link works.

Thanks Bob. I like their items but their prices, WOW!

tie out the tin pie plates to the trees. tie plastic grocery bags to the tree branches. They hate those things. They hate them worse if you paint them orange.

I have no trees in my front yard unfortunately but thanks for the idea.
My 2 car driveway is covered with their "food from yesterday".

I had a similar problem with ducks in a swimming pool. DNR gave me a roll of mylar tape (the shiny metallic stuff used in ballons) about 1/4" wide. One side was red and the other silver. You put the tape about body (theirs) height with a few twists in it around the perimiter of the area you want to protect. Any slight breeze will cause the tape to move and the twists make it look like red flashes are running up and down the tape. It worked
I had tried BB guns, snowballs, M80, bottle rockets and any other pyrotechnic I could get my hands on.

I can do that. Thanks!

Call Winter/Green Landscapers in White Plains, Md.
They have a eco-friendly repellant, I have seen it work first hand. It works. But, I'd be inclined to allow them to hang, fertilize and move on.

I'll check their store out, Thanks. Apparently the geese don't stay long? I wonder how long they do stay? Xaquin said the same thing so maybe they'll leave soon...

Looks like that geese trainer I hired was worth every penny.

You I can tolerate but what they leave behind I can't. Looks like a thousand small tootsie rolls...EEWWW!

the geese that brought down the jet in the Hudson

That is too funny!

 

[ItalianScallion]

Where do you live? And how close to other houses? A few friends and I can take care of them

Waldorf and in a neighborhood. The houses are 30 feet apart so guns wouldn't be a good idea. There are about 60 of them that show up at one time. Were you thinking of traps or something else? Thanks.

 

[Larry Gude]

If he throws out grass seed, they ingest and poop it out, will it grow? HMMM Send them to my yard if so!

Well, you know what they say; If a goose ####s in the yard...

 

[KBaxter]

Hunting season isn't over yet. Ends March 10th. that would take care of them. I think the hunters have to be 250 yards away from any house or building. So do they land within that space? Is that too far ? lol

 

[Pete]

12 pack and a paintball gun. Tons of fun.

 

[ItalianScallion]

Hunting season isn't over yet. Ends March 10th. that would take care of them. I think the hunters have to be 250 yards away from any house or building. So do they land within that space? Is that too far ? lol

No. All the homes are within 20-40 feet of each other.

12 pack and a paintball gun. Tons of fun.

I fired my BB gun without BB's in it and it only scared them once or twice. Then I actually hit a couple of them with BB's but they were the only ones that left. All the others remained. I can't fire 60 BB shots because the gun is loud and my nosey neighbors will call the cops.
I also tried the hose but most of them just flapped their wings like they enjoyed it (except when I sprayed directly into their face).
For now there's snow on the yard but tomorrow there won't be so I'll probably be at it again. Running towards them works but when I stop, they stop.

 

[huntr1]

No. All the homes are within 20-40 feet of each other.

I fired my BB gun without BB's in it and it only scared them once or twice. Then I actually hit a couple of them with BB's but they were the only ones that left. All the others remained. I can't fire 60 BB shots because the gun is loud and my nosey neighbors will call the cops.
I also tried the hose but most of them just flapped their wings like they enjoyed it (except when I sprayed directly into their face).
For now there's snow on the yard but tomorrow there won't be so I'll probably be at it again. Running towards them works but when I stop, they stop.

Get a dog. Let dog out when geese appear. Shortly geese will learn to avoid your yard.

You could also put sticks in the ground, put fishing line from stick to stick. Do it a couple feet off the ground. Don't have to cover the entire yard, just enough to screw up their landing pattern. If you put it 1' off the ground, that would screw with their walking into the yard too. Put some sort of flagging tape on it so you can see it. This is what they do at community ponds to keep geese away (check the pond at the corner of the road between Best Buy - Waldorf and the shopping center behind it).

 

[Pete]

No. All the homes are within 20-40 feet of each other.

I fired my BB gun without BB's in it and it only scared them once or twice. Then I actually hit a couple of them with BB's but they were the only ones that left. All the others remained. I can't fire 60 BB shots because the gun is loud and my nosey neighbors will call the cops.
I also tried the hose but most of them just flapped their wings like they enjoyed it (except when I sprayed directly into their face).
For now there's snow on the yard but tomorrow there won't be so I'll probably be at it again. Running towards them works but when I stop, they stop.

I am telling you a paintball gun, a hopper of cheap paintballs would be a hoot. They sting, not leathal and it would be fun as hell.

Let the neighbors call the cops. Unless it is late at night or early in the morning you are not disturbing the peace.

 

[Cowgirl]

Just be glad they're not snow geese. Those stupid geese are super persistant...much more so than the Canada ones.

 

[Kain99]

Ryan set of a couple of firecrackers and they never returned...

 

[Jeff]

Get a dog. Let dog out when geese appear. Shortly geese will learn to avoid your yard.

You could also put sticks in the ground, put fishing line from stick to stick. Do it a couple feet off the ground. Don't have to cover the entire yard, just enough to screw up their landing pattern. If you put it 1' off the ground, that would screw with their walking into the yard too. Put some sort of flagging tape on it so you can see it. This is what they do at community ponds to keep geese away (check the pond at the corner of the road between Best Buy - Waldorf and the shopping center behind it).

We used to drive a stick it the ground and hand a aluminum pie pan off of it by a string for crows to keep them out of the garden. Bangs around a bit in the wind and the sun reflecting off of it was supposed to help as well. Cured our crow problem. Dunno about geese.

 

[ItalianScallion]

Get a dog. Let dog out when geese appear. Shortly geese will learn to avoid your yard.
You could also put sticks in the ground, put fishing line from stick to stick. Do it a couple feet off the ground. Don't have to cover the entire yard, just enough to screw up their landing pattern. If you put it 1' off the ground, that would screw with their walking into the yard too. Put some sort of flagging tape on it so you can see it. This is what they do at community ponds to keep geese away (check the pond at the corner of the road between Best Buy - Waldorf and the shopping center behind it).

Yeah but a dog would die of neglect since I'm not home much. I have seen them chase geese away however. Works well.
They don't fly in actually, they walk over from the pond but I might try that. I have lots of old fishing line. Thanks.

Ryan set of a couple of firecrackers and they never returned...

Now that is a good idea. I think firecrackers are legal again in Md right? Or is it fireworks?

I am telling you a paintball gun, a hopper of cheap paintballs would be a hoot. They sting, not leathal and it would be fun as hell.
Let the neighbors call the cops. Unless it is late at night or early in the morning you are not disturbing the peace.

I'll check with one of my police friends tomorrow and see if I can use a paint gun in the hood. I know some people with one.

 

[huntr1]

Yeah but a dog would die of neglect since I'm not home much. I have seen them chase geese away however. Works well.
They don't fly in actually, they walk over from the pond but I might try that. I have lots of old fishing line. Thanks.

Now that is a good idea. I think firecrackers are legal again in Md right? Or is it fireworks?

I'll check with one of my police friends tomorrow and see if I can use a paint gun in the hood. I know some people with one.

Firecrackers are still illegal in MD.

Paintball gun would probably break bones in the geese. Broken bones in wild geese = dead geese. It would be more humane to use a regular pump pellet gun (which are silent) with a scope on it. Go for headshots. Lots of meat in the freezer by the time you're done. Easiest, cheapest and most legal method is the fishing line. Since you know they are walking in, I'd put 2 layers of line out. 1 @ 6" and 1 @ 12" above the grass. You'd only need the flags on the highest lines.