CANADA GEESE CONTROL

Any form of goose removal would have to be done under issued permits by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, unless it was done by licensed hunters in season. 

Roundups are a common form of goose removal once a permit has been issued. Roundups are typically done near the end of July once geese have hatched their young and are molting. During this timeframe, geese are flightless and can easily be corralled into a single pen and removed all at once. However, typically solutions such as this are not permitted unless goose harassment has been tried first.

There are multiple types of harassment. A more common one is the use of Flight Control. This is a chemical that makes geese view the grass as a different color, and once they have eaten it they become sick. After this, they view the grass they see in the different color as bad for them and stay clear of those areas. This chemical has to be reapplied periodically to maintain its effectiveness. Here at Blue Ridge Wildlife & Fisheries Management, LLC, we are a chemical-free company so this is not a service that we offer. However, if you believe this is the right service for you, we do know reputable companies that can perform it and we would be happy to get you in touch with them.

Trained dogs, drones, or goosinators are forms of goose control that can be highly effective. Anytime controls in this manner are being used, the dogs being used or the techs running the drones must be highly trained to avoid injuring geese. This is a service we offer, and it is quite labor intensive. In order for a harassment plan to work correctly, the goose harassment needs to take place on varying days and varying times throughout the year, and in some cases year round. Geese imprint where they learn to fly, so if a harassment plan is in place long enough, then it is possible to completely eliminate the problem over time.

Habitat modification is another way to reduce the presence of geese in certain areas. Reducing their walking paths or ingress/egress to water sources is an excellent way to deter geese away from certain areas.

Addling eggs is the final option. This can be done during the early stages of nesting, in which case eggs are oiled to prevent them from progressing further. This leads to no new generation for that given year. If addling is chosen, understand that it will take multiple years before any real results are seen.

If geese have become an issue for your property or home, please feel free to call us at 844.WILDPRO if you live in or near Staunton, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, Lexington, Covington, Roanoke, Salem, Smith Mountain Lake, Charlottesville, Ruckersville, Lovingston or Richmond.