Identifying & Handling an Aggressive Goose
If you’re ever near an area with geese you should have a basic understanding of the behavior of aggressive geese and how to best handle a goose encounter. If you find yourself confronted by an angry goose you can apply some basic knowledge about these birds to avoid potential goose attacks.
Identifying an Aggressive Goose
Before you find yourself in the middle of an altercation with an aggressive goose, check for these signs to better understand the frame of mind the birds have leading up to an attack. The Canada Goose is known to be more aggressive than the Cackling Goose and is more likely to get into a physical attack using its bill as a weapon. Canada Geese tend to be larger in size and have a larger bill.
Geese will often show sporadic and aggressive head movements; generally any unusual aggression is a clear sign that the goose may soon attack. Geese will try to make themselves seem larger and more intimidated during any unsavory contact with a human by flapping its wings. Geese also are known to scream or hiss at humans nearby. These birds are not afraid to use their voice when they begin to get defensive and may start honking at you or your party. While these somewhat obvious behaviors may be indicators a goose is aggressive, geese can sometimes escalate the encounter quickly and without warning. Do not escalate a goose encounter with any sudden movements, threatening actions, and do your best to keep your voice quiet and calm if speaking is necessary. Never try to hit a goose to scare it away.
Vacating the Area
When dealing with a defensive goose you cannot calm them down and must be cautious to not escalate the encounter further. By vacating the area you are giving the birds space and removing yourself from a potentially dangerous situation. Avoiding contact with geese is the best possible outcome and knowing when to vacate an area can save you from a frustrating encounter.
Face the geese so they understand you’re not a threat. If you panic or run from a goose they may match your energy, becoming defensive, which in turn can be quite aggressive. Back up to avoid triggering their natural instincts to defend themselves. By maintaining a calm, collected, and quiet demeanor you are signaling to the geese that you are not a threat. If you decide to shout, wave your arms, or flee the goose may begin chasing you away from its nesting grounds. Turning away can also persuade the goose to chase you, so make sure you continue to face towards the geese as you calmly back out of a potential attack. In some cases aggressive physical contact will occur even after geese become aggressive, but it's still important to remain calm and remove yourself, other humans and any pets from the situation.
Understanding Geese Environments
If you are able to identify the potential for a goose encounter before even seeing any geese you can altogether avoid any dangerous attacks. Avoid geese altogether and avoid entering these situations when possible. Maintaining a sense of awareness when in environments where geese may be nesting keeps you safe and geese happy. Even in environments that you don’t expect to see geese you may notice them in the area and can respect their space by preemptively avoiding them.
Seeing Geese in Nature
When nesting geese will become defensive very quickly and will honk, hiss, flail their bodies, and even attack to protect their young. Geese egg nests are more likely to be seen in nature, national and state parks, and other areas with plantlife. Because nesting is more likely to occur in greener areas geese will be very territorial and contact can easily become dangerous. Remember to pay attention in these areas for geese and other possibly aggressive wildlife. Geese tend to begin nesting early in the spring around March and can continue for several months, and while they’re more likely to appear in areas with lots of greenery and bodies of water, geese can still be found in developed areas, especially by man made bodies of water such as retention ponds or park lakes. Geese can become confused by humans feeding them so it is generally better and safer to avoid approaching geese or providing food to wildlife.
Seeing Geese in Developed Areas
Remember that when you see a goose in a developed area in residential areas or even business districts it is still a wild animal and should be respected accordingly. While man made water features in developed areas may not seem the most suitable environment for geese, they often are drawn to these bodies of water as a natural environment. Large flocks of geese can migrate into developed, urban areas and in an attempt to find a natural place can end up clashing with the city, people, and urban environment. Humans will often feed geese without thinking of the ramifications. This can be especially bad in environments where other people will be nearby as the geese will become desensitized to the close proximity of humans and will start to approach uninterested people for food. Geese can even become aggressive when they expect humans will feed them. Geese can be found spending time in areas such as neighborhood yards, golf courses, city parks, recreational facilities, schools, assisted living communites, and other similar spaces that have grass and bodies of water.
Goose Masters Geese Control
Goose Masters is a team of highly trained geese control experts that utilizes trained Border Collies to control geese that are or may be causing issues on private and public properties. Wild geese can be terrible pests which leave lots of droppings, ruin yards, and can attack customers and homeowners. We believe in using humane methods to deter and control the birds that have nested in places that aren’t safe for them and the people around them. If you believe that geese removal is necessary please reach out to us to find out more information about the services that we offer. We would love to speak with you and find out how to best tailor our services to your situation.
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