3 Sounds That Scare Geese Away (And Why They Work)

Canadian Geese Taking Off

As you probably know by now, geese are pushy creatures. That’s where the term “Being Goosed” comes from. With this, we can often find ourselves wanting to scare geese away from certain areas!

As brazen as they may be, geese hate loud sounds or those that disrupt their usually quiet environment. To repel them, train your dog to bark and chase away geese. You can also mimic geese predator noises such as hawks and coyotes to frighten geese from the area.

Read on to learn more about why geese may be attracted to your area, and specific methods using sound to scare geese away!

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Why Do You Need To Keep Geese Away?

We love to watch geese in flight, they’re incredibly beautiful birds. However, we need to be able to coexist with some of their habits when they settle down nearby. 

Geese can be pushy, messy creatures. Some of the things they umm…. Produce isn’t pleasant.

There are many reasons why someone may want to get rid of geese, and in many situations, there is more than one at play! With this, what are some of the main reasons you may want to get rid of geese?

Geese Leave Behind A Mess

If you know the goose… you understand that we can’t put it any other way.

Why should they consider us in their daily toileting needs? They’re wild animals. So, with that, you will certainly find some unwanted and unattractive decorations on your property and even your house.

I’ve stepped in my fare share growing up with our 1-acre bass pond. Unfortunately I have plenty of experience here.

If you have a pond, I recommend taking a peak at our piece on the 3 simple tricks to keep geese away from your pond for good!

Geese Can Get Territorial And Aggressive

The old-school term ‘Getting Goosed’–meaning getting pinched from a gooses peck is quite accurate if you get close enough. They can be quite aggressive, especially males.

They’re doing their job of protecting the hatchlings, mates, and overall territories. 

Geese Can Eat Your Lawn

Yeah, most birds hunt up a juicy worm or a snake. Great pest control, however, these guys get down to eating the grass. They will certainly be a nuisance in any well-groomed garden. 

They will eat grass non-stop. Unlike other birds who need other things, they can survive with this diet entirely. 

The next downside is they poop while they eat. It’s a talent we guess. And that means your yard is now a trash heap. It can happen in a day. 

3 Sounds That Scare Geese Away

A Canadian Goose glides into it's roosting site at a wetland reserve in early evening sunlight.

OK – now onto the good stuff.

Here are 3 ways to deter geese that are much easier than constructing some of the deterrents we’ve seen out there.

I like the sound of that!

Please note that these are suggestions born from our own research, but we always suggest professional help if you have an ongoing issue!

Fun Fact About Geese Anatomy: Their little ears are tucked behind their eyes on the head. The feathers that come across the face toward the cheek cover the opening. This lowers the decibels going into the ear while they fly; like from wind. These openings are called auriculars!

Scare Geese Away With Fake Predator Warnings

Like any bird, they have enemies that are predators. Geese have amazing hearing and if they hear their counterparts calling to warn them of a predator in the area, they’ll run. 

The sound is a bird deterrent should be natural. Ultrasonics and electronic bird deterrents rarely work because birds have the same range in hearing as humans.

Yes, it may be of great quality but the same. 

To replicate the more natural calls of the birds you can record and replicate them into an electronic bird caller and play them back. 

Dog Barking Scares Geese Away

dog looking over pond with vegetation

It’s important to know that herding dogs that are trained for this type of issue are the most effective. If you use a device that mimics the message the dog is conveying, sooner or later the gig is up and the geese won’t be fooled much longer. 

They must see a dog in the area. If you do use a device because you don’t have a dog then use one with flashing LED lights. It may or may not be effective. 

According to the humane societya goose herding dog is a great option to scare geese away. In the highlighted article, this is the way to convince the geese they aren’t safe from predators and they will vacate the area entirely.

Use A Distress Call To Scare Geese Away

When all else fails and you have to reach for an electronic device then a Geese distress call is the way to go. Maybe you don’t have such a deep issue with geese, you just wanna get a jump on something that happens seasonally. 

Most electronic bird deterrent machines will have this distress call attached along with other types of animal repellents. 

One great option for a distress call is this Icotec GEN2 Electronic Predator Call!

Main Predators Of Geese

You can also use fake statues or noises of the following from these predators:

  • Snakes: They love goose eggs. 
  • Foxes: They love goose eggs and goslings.
  • Turtles: Snapping turtles to be exact and we guess they’re paying back some karma by, for once, eating someone else’s egg! 
  • Large cats: They eat both eggs and goslings and sometimes an adult if it’s a big enough cat. Bobcats are the usual culprits. 
  • Hawks: They do much the same hunting style as chicken hawks with the geese. 
  • Coyotes: They’ll eat anything or anyone small enough. 
  • Raccoons: These little garbage mongers eat it all but seem to prefer sunny side up. 

So, this should tell you something. Read over the list and pick out the predators that make a sound. Only a couple. The rest of the predators to the eggs, which would be the biggest deterrent are silent ninjas.

However, you can get a few fake snakes for instance and place them where geese keep landing. Make sure to change their positioning every few days so the geese are less apt to loose sensitivity to the deterrent.

Scaring Geese Away At Dusk

Scare them at night using lights or any of the ways listed in the first three suggestions. This means that once they’re gone for the night, they will start the next day somewhere else. 

This is a way for you to use time strategically. When they get annoyed they’ll move. However, it may not be a permanent affair.

The Bottom Line On Scaring Geese Away

The bottom line here, as far as what you have available to you, there isn’t much other than the things that work.

The geese herding dogs that are trained correctly by a handler and the warning cry of an enemy nearby are the best bets. 

And, of course, you want to rid your property of geese as humanly as possible, but if you are inundated by geese that are destroying your living space then get professional help. 

Here’s the issue. There are a million products, gadgets, and devices out there. Yet, none of them are 100% effective.

If you’d like to learn more about what actually works, take a look at our guide on the things that geese hate here.

What Attracts Geese To Your Property?

Another method of solution is to find out why geese gravitate towards your property. This way, you can take extra action to at least make it less attractive to our fine feathered friends. 

This covers Canadian Geese, but remember that you may be dealing with migrating geese so the habits will be the same. There isn’t much difference between the types anyway. 

If you are having specific issues with keeping geese away from your house, read up on this article of the Most Effective Ways To Keep Geese Off Of Your Roof!

Preferred Grazing & Nesting Areas Of Geese

  • Bulrush 
  • Grass
  • Pondweed 
  • Sedge 
  • Horsetail
  • Cattail 
  • Water and Marshes
  • Muskrat Lodges and Haystacks
  • By the Roots of Trees 
  • Abandoned Nests of other Birds

It is important to know that if they find an amicable nesting site they may return annually. 

Preferred Food Of Geese

  •  Corn 
  •  Millet 
  •  Rye 
  •  Wheat 
  • Oats 
  • Alfalfa
  • Barley 

If you’ve got at least a couple of elements on the lists around your house, you may be attracting geese!

Deterring Geese With Landscape Modification

Next up, we’ll cover a few ways to supplement the sounds that scare geese with physical deterrents!

Create Physical Barriers to Scare Away Geese

If areas of escape, like water and feeding, like grasses, are not convenient to get to several times a day without taking flight–they may leave. 

If you are specifically having trouble keeping geese away from a pond or water feature, check out our article on 3 Simple Tricks To Keep Geese Away From Your Pond For Good!

The object is to make a barrier, preferably hidden in tall grass. A short hidden fence would do the trick.

If it’s legal in your state, you can also place a small fence under the water up to 2-3 feet covered in vegetation.

Any rough terrain and bushes also work. They don’t want to work too hard to be able to flee in case of danger or to get to their food and nesting source. 

Tall trees and bushy plants will hide predators. 

Bottom Line On Landscape Modification

If they can’t feel safe that a predator is exposed to them in time to flee they won’t go near the property or the visit will be short-lived. 

Geeses Are Scared Of Grapes

The nerves in the eyes and throat of the geese are irritated when they come in contact with methyl anthranilate. That is what gives some foods a grape flavor. Hmm, makes it worrying as to what humans are eating. 

In any case, this chemical can be sprayed on the lawn to deter geese. They love a munchy lawn and as you well know from what you’ve read so far, they walk and eat and then, of course, poop. 

You can use Kool-Aid and grape juice mix as a solution too if you are worried about exposing the animal to a bad chemical. 

One great example of a chemical repellent to geese is this Flight Control Plus Humane Goose Repellent!

According to the Humane Society, you can also replace any Kentucky grass which they adore with fescue and keep your grass to 6 inches tall and avoid fertilizing in spring. 

Good Facts To Know About Geese 

Geese often mate for life. If they are widowed, they will find another mate before the breeding season is over or by the next one. 

The eggs hatch within 2-3 weeks and are laid in the springtime between March and May.  

The gander–the male that is–stands guard and will Goose anyone that comes too close! Mom is out feeding for a short time each day and dad continues the warming of the next till she returns. 

They live longer in urban areas because there’s a lot of food options and low predator levels. Pays to be a city goose! 

Geese generally live less than 20 years in the wild. In a zoo or any other mode of captivity where they are looked after – they can live up to 20 give or take. 

Their kids so to speak are called clutches and they raise one clutch per year. Another word phrase that came from geese other than ‘ Getting Goosed” is “Coffee Clutch”. It’s a social group centered around coffee and talking. 

Geese mate for life but their clutch stays with the family only about a year and will then become adults and fend for themselves. 

Wrapping Up!

Well, that’s a wrap. 

Remember that geese are highly attracted to areas where they can secure a nest and easily collect food for themselves and their goslings. They like to be able to spot predators so the high grasses, trees, and bushes keep them concealed, therefore it’s not attractive to geese. 

They will get used to lights and sounds so constantly moving reflectors and noisemakers would work with a lot more effort than you may want to expend. 

They don’t fall too hard for decoys either. Owls, foxes, etc… The plastic variety that doesn’t move won’t work either. At least not once the startle factor is gone. 

Understanding what you’ve learned in this article is the key to taking the more effective steps to get rid of your goose problem. 

Modification of habitat is always the best way to deal with the situation. 

Thank you for reading!

I hope this article helps you in keeping these flying critters away.

References

Feeding Preferences in Greylag Geese and the Effect of Activated Charcoal DIEDERIK W. VAN LIERE,NICK J. M. VAN EEKEREN,MAARTEN J. J. E. LOONEN. First published: 13 December 2010 https://doi.org/10.2193/2008-157Citations: 2

David R. Bradbeer, Camilla Rosenquist, Thomas Kjær Christensen, Anthony D. Fox, Crowded skies: Conflicts between expanding goose populations and aviation safety, Ambio, 10.1007/s13280-017-0901-2, 46, S2, (290-300), (2017).

Brian E. Washburn, Thomas W. Seamans, Foraging preferences of Canada geese among turfgrasses: Implications for reducing human–goose conflicts, The Journal of Wildlife Management, 10.1002/jwmg.293, 76, 3, (600-607), (2011).

Characteristics of Feeding Sites Used by Urban-Suburban Flocks of Canada Geese in Connecticut. Michael R. Conover and Gary S. Kania, Wildlife Society Bulletin (1973-2006). Vol. 19, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 36-38 (3 pages). Published By: Wiley

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