Goose News And A History Lesson

We all know how wonderful it is to live here in Fawn Lake.  Unfortunately, geese find it very appealing as well.  With all the ponds, the big lake, and acres of open space we are an absolute perfect place for water fowl.  Geese, in particular, are a real challenge for us and we've tried just about every method possible to manage them.  It's unreasonable to think that we can eliminate all geese, but it's not beyond belief to think that we could manage them to be less of an issue.  

A goose poops 2 pounds per day.  They devour areas of the course and leave behind a disgusting mess.  Many of the geese we have this time of year are just passing through, but many of them are looking for a place to settle down.  If they choose Fawn Lake, chances are great that they will start a family.  Geese that are born here will stay here.  This is the time of year when we work hard to discourage geese from settling down on or around the course.  We can't persuade all of them which means we must manage those that stick around.  

Dogs are the best method of control.  Specifically a well trained border collie that the geese perceive as a threat.  A dog that simply chases geese is a good nuisance to them, but likely won't  strike enough fear to get them to relocate.  Outside of dogs there are a number of tricks, gimmicks, repellents, etc... that may or may not be somewhat effective at harassing geese.  

 

Here is a summary of the things we've tried:

1. 20 years ago we had a border collie mix on staff.  Not a trained pro, but very helpful at keeping things under control.  Sadly, she was "fired" when residents complained that she violated the leash rule.  😠!!  Not surprisingly geese quickly become a huge issue.   
2. Wire was strung along stakes at the shoreline of several popular goose hangouts.  No noticeable change occurred.
3. Fox urine tablets were placed along shorelines.  No noticeable change occurred.
4. A floating alligator head was placed in a popular goose hangout.  The geese loved it.  They used it like a raft. 😲
5. Sprayable goose repellents have been applied to turf near ponds.  The geese ate that turf like it was sprayed with chocolate syrup.  
6. Crushed pepper sold in 5 gallon buckets specifically as a goose repellent was applied behind 18 green.  It came with 100% money back guarantee.  I sent pictures of the area to the vendor within minutes of applying it.  Got my money back.  Apparently geese love their turf seasoned with cayenne pepper.  😮
7. A "bird banger" noise making gun was used for a few years with limited success.  The geese either got used to it or went deaf and couldn't hear it anymore.  😕  It would basically shoot firecrackers through the air.  One was like a shotgun blast and the other was like a loud siren.  Not ideal in our nice quiet neighborhood so probably wouldn't have lasted even if it worked.
8. A high powered laser was purchased when the gun fizzled out.  It was good at first as long as the sun wasn't out.  
9. In 2014, when NTS no longer owned the course, we brought dogs back.  We had had success with a dog previously and the geese had taken over for the 14 years since she was fired.  Thankfully more level headed people saw past the leash excuse.  This time we used professionally trained and handled dogs from a local business called Eye Dog.  The one month trial was a huge success.  I went from begging the board to let me use a dog to the board demanding that we do it.  It wasn't cheap, but we were finally poop free and I no longer had to schedule "poop patrol" as a daily task. 
10. 2020 COVID related budget crunches forced us to make some difficult decisions and thus the 6 year run with Eye Dog came to a close.  Not surprisingly we are seeing geese again.  Side note: we opened the new grill behind 18 and now everyone sees the geese in action.  Things aren't really any different in terms of the population, but they are more noticeable now that we are hanging out with them.  The old "19th hole" was on the other side of the club.    
11. The laser is back in use as is my dog, Bean.  She isn't a pro, but she's fast and loves to chase them.  The border collies were a perceived threat to the geese and thus were very successful. Bean is just a nuisance to them, but is better than all the other non-dog methods we've tried.  I now have Lucy as well, who I hope can help Bean keep the problem under control. 

Geese are starting to mate and will soon be building nests and laying eggs.  We will be hunting for nesting activity and using our annual permit from the USDA to oil any eggs we find.  This is our best method of control outside of getting the geese to relocate.  Please let us know if you see any nesting activity anywhere in Fawn Lake as this is a problem far beyond just the golf course.  The battle will continue forever, but hopefully we can manage our way to a reasonably clean course this year.  

Gus and Lou (professionals)

Bean and Lucy (amateurs)