Hunt Geese if That's Your Thing, but don't Kid Yourself

Just a little aside because I read a lot of user comments on articles about goose control strategy that advocate goose hunts. I also read articles about towns starting new goose hunting seasons in order to lower populations. I mean, if you enjoy hunting, just be honest about why you do it. It has nothing to do with lowering goose populations. Frankly, hunters are lucky if they take home one goose. Everyone knows that when you shoot toward a flock, the birds will scatter from the noise. This makes it pretty difficult to make a real difference on the population.

Think of this situation as a fire drill for geese. They're not leaving for good. They know there's a potential danger so they are sitting it out momentarily, waiting to return when it is safe. I wrote a little blurb earlier about why lethal methods don't work and all of that reasoning applies here. I just thought I'd add something about goose hunting in general because it is a common topic in the papers these days.

Why Killing Birds Doesn't Stop them From Infesting your Property

This seems kind of strange to most people. Killing a bird is the most permanent way to get rid of it, right? Well, only sort of. Using lethal methods will permanently keep that specific bird away but I think it's safe to assume that your issue is with birds in general rather than a personal vendetta. Think about this: your problem is that birds like the environment that you provide. The birds that you encounter are simply a symptom of that problem, not the problem itself. If you solve for the issue of the specific birds you see by killing them, you're just leaving prime real estate open for the next flock that comes along. To be sure, that void will be filled and you'll be trapped in an endless cycle.

The key here is to address the environment rather than the birds themselves. Make the environment unappealing (address the senses: visual, auditory, taste, smell) and use physical barriers (like netting or spikes) if necessary.

An important side note on this topic: a huge number of birds (like the Canada Goose) are protected by the Migratory Bird act of 1918 which makes it illegal to kill them or even tamper with their nests. So, even if your issue is with a species like pigeons you really do not want to leave poisoned seed out (or anything like that) because you could accidentally affect one of the protected species and get in BIG TROUBLE with governmental agencies and the nice people over at PETA. Luckily there are cruelty free, humane bird control methods available so you can get rid of even the most stubborn Canada Goose.