There is nothing more majestic than watching a skein of geese in the sky, but the minute they land they turn in to a real nuisance.
Geese are renowned for fouling everywhere, intimidating other wildlife and being a threat to public welfare. Therefore, it is important that we keep Geese off our property and scare them away by using the best goose repellents, sprays and decoys around.
It’s not unusual to play in the park, enjoy a picnic or take a stroll by a lake without stepping or sitting in goose droppings. They literally litter it everywhere. And unlike most pest bird mess, goose poo contains chemicals that are not only harmful to aquatic life, but humans too.
Invading our urban spaces, geese and other nuisance birds can get aggressive whilst on the hunt for food or when protecting their nests. Plus, they are incredibly destructive, killing and trampling on crops, water plants and well-manicured lawns.
Therefore, in order to protect your property and keep all your fingers and toes peck free, it is important that you use humane methods such as goose repellents, sprays and decoys to keep geese away.
Last update on 2023-02-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
What is the best way to keep geese away?
Canada geese are one of the largest flying birds in the world and are capable of producing one and a half pounds of feces each day! Happy to wander side by side with people, they are fearless and difficult to deter. So, as you can tell, a gaggle of geese is no laughing matter, especially when they take a liking to your land.
Geese, like most pest animals, choose their location based on their primary needs (food, water and shelter). Take these away or restrict them, and they will lose interest and eventually waddle away. But whilst it is all well and good to remember not to scatter leftovers on your lawn, it is harder to remove ponds, pools or alter your landscape.
Creating barriers, using scare tactics or employing decoys all work well, but are often only short term solutions. Perhaps the most effective form of keeping geese off your property for good, is to use bird spray repellents. And when you use all of them together, you are guaranteed to be geese free.
What scares geese away?
Geese can be easily spooked so anything that looks suspicious, makes a noise or moves unexpectantly are great for scaring geese away. Airhorns, whistles and predatory bird sound deterrents, when placed around your property, can frighten the most forthcoming of geese.
Likewise, inflatable scarecrows and reflective tape are equally as good but have the added benefit of not causing any disruption to your neighbors. Predatory decoys are also good as they panic geese without harming them and if you can get them to move at the same time, they can be truly terrifying.
Best shaped decoys are imitation coyotes, dogs, wolves and foxes, which are natural predators for geese in the wild. Swans decoys also work well, as they are territorial animals that naturally compete with geese for nesting space and food sources.
Add a yappy, barking household dog to the equation, and providing the geese lay eyes on it regularly, they won’t be placing a foot (webbed or otherwise) back on your property.
One of the most preferred repellents, however, is of the natural, chemical kind. Humane, so not harmful to geese or other wildlife, goose repellent and other bird sprays have many pros and cons as detailed below.
How does bird repellent work?
Bird repellents are generally applied to areas where lots of geese congregate. By spraying the grass and land they walk on with compounds that have naturally occurring chemicals in, has the desired effect of affecting the geese’s sense of taste, smell and digestion. This drive them to seek food sources elsewhere.
The chemicals used are “Methyl Anthranilate” (that affects their taste of grass) and “Anthraquinone” (that targets digestion and causes stomach-ache). These two chemicals are durable and cannot be washed away in the rain, although regularly mowing the grass may cause them to lose their efficiency.
These repellents are appealing as they are non-toxic and biodegradable, although they do need to be applied in large quantities, consistently, in order for them to be effective.
How to apply goose repellent
You should always read the instructions of the goose repellent before applying, however, in general you should spray the area where geese roam every five days, making sure to re-apply after heavy rain.
The best time of year to use bird repellents is during the Spring, when the Geese start to arrive back in America to bore their young. This is when they will be looking for the best grassy areas to nest, such as parks, airports, golf courses and luscious back yards. By acting now, you can move the geese on before they lay their eggs.
Always apply geese repellent spray to dry grass but watch out for the odor, as until it settles and disintegrates, they often let off quite a disturbing whiff.
For ultimate, long term results, we would always recommend using a goose repellent spray in combination with other pest control methods.
What are the best goose repellents and decoys to buy?
1. Avian Migrate Goose and Bird Repellent
Review
Avian Migrate Goose and Bird Repellent is a non-lethal liquid pest bird deterrent that is effective against all types of nuisance birds and is safe to use around humans, pets and other wildlife. Environmental Protection Agency registered (EPA), this repellent contains a special colorant that is only visible to birds and can influence their learnt behavior by signaling to them to stay away.
This repellent works by irritating the bird’s senses creating unpleasant feelings and smells. It does not damage the landscape it is sprayed or sprinkled onto and is not easily rinsed away by rain or sprinklers.
Pros
- Quick and easy to apply
- Humane. Will not harm geese, other animals or plants
- Suitable for many different types of birds
- Does not damage landscape
- Clear repellent that is not visible to humans
Cons
- Unable to be used on hard ground such as driveways
- Takes a while to work – birds must taste it first
- Not good for using on crops such as corn
2. Liquid Fence Goose Repellent
Review
This goose repellent is slightly more expensive than some of the others shown in this guide, however, it is able to cover areas of up to 4,000 square feet. This liquid can come either as a concentrate that you mix with water or a ready-made spray.
This repellent effectively protects your property from geese, ducks and turkeys by contaminating their food source so that it is undesirable. Easy to use, you simple spray it on the area where you are having wild fowl problems. The greatest thing about Liquid Fence Goose Repellent is that it works year round.
Pros
- Quick and easy to apply
- Humane. Will not harm geese, other animals or plants
- Suitable for many different types of birds
- Does not damage landscape
- Works all year round
Cons
- Slightly more expensive
- Takes a while to work – birds must taste it first
3. Watch Dog Goose Patrol Lone Dog Decoy
Review
This dog will terrify geese as well as keeping deer, seagulls, rabbits, racoons and other vermin at bay! What is so good about a decoy is that there is very little upkeep, other than moving it around your land, so that the geese who visit do not become accustomed to it. If you have a large area to cover then we would probably recommend purchasing more than one Watch Dog decoy.
As dogs are seen as a threat to most birds, this silhouette will prevent them stepping onto your property and the lifelike movement as it sways on steel springs in the breeze, will convince them that this dog can chase.
Pros
- Incredibly lifelike silhouette
- Moves in the wind
- Safe and humane
- Inexpensive
- Durable
Cons
- Not good in strong winds
- Needs to be constantly moved around
- Should be used in conjunction with other repellents such as sprays
4. Bird-X Coyote 3-D
Review
This life size Coyote decoy is fab, as it is 3D so allows for visibility from every angle and can scare off pest birds for over an acre of land. It also has a moving fur tail which adds to its lifelike appearance, so providing it is relocated regularly it will keep geese away.
Some people prefer to creatively enhance the appearance of the Coyote in order to make it appear even more frightening.
Pros
- Incredibly lifelike and life size
- Moves in the wind
- Safe and humane
- Inexpensive
- Durable
Cons
- Needs to be constantly moved around
- Should be used in conjunction with other repellents such as sprays
Getting rid of geese on golf courses
There is no one size fits all when it comes to getting rid of geese, and quite often a combination of methods is the most effective. This is often the case over large areas of land, such as gold courses, where Canada Geese are often rife, and multi deterrents are required.
As these birds are used to living alongside people, seeing them every day carrying large golfing bags is not enough to scare them away. Because of the lakes and ponds used aesthetically and naturally on golf courses, they are particularly appealing places to nest and these birds often return year after year without being put off by human interaction.
Spray repellents are great for protecting the grass and keeping them off, however, it may drive them to other areas of the golf course and continually spraying such large areas, can prove costly. Therefore, visual decoys, such as coyotes, dogs and even swans as listed above, are also great at keeping geese away by day.
When night falls, motion sensor water sprinklers give geese an unexpected fright and won’t impact on the effectiveness of the spray repellent.
How to make goose repellent
Although there are plenty of great goose repellents on the market, if you have the time and want to experiment then why not try and make your own?
For deterrents that make noises you can simply tie plastic bags or balloons around trees and let them blow in the breeze, or why not hang old CD’s so that they reflect in the sunlight. You could also try making masks and mount them on sticks and at night, flash torches in their direction.
For a homemade spray, why not cut or crush up a few dozen chilis, add them to water and let it ferment for a week in the sun. Add some white or red vinegar to the concoction and spray liberally over your lawn. The heat and intensity of the mixture may be enough to keep geese away?!
