Indiana DNR: Canada geese are protected, but you have options
By Cody Melin
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LAFAYETTE, Indiana (WLFI) — (WLFI) – Canada geese are out in large numbers this time of year, but the bird was once on the brink of extinction.
Jessica Merkling with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the species made a strong comeback. “They found these remnant populations where they reintroduced them throughout the Midwest, so now we have Canada geese again, but they’re very, very successful breeders,” Merkling said.
Not everyone is a fan of the sometimes-sassy bird. “Due to a lot of landscape things that we, as people, do, they tend to accumulate where maybe we don’t always want them, and that can create some conflict,” she said.
Canada geese start looking for nesting sites in mid to late February and early March. “Canada geese like mown turf grass next to water. Turf grass is a good food, easy access to the water, and then clear line of sight, so that they know there’s no predators,” Merkling said.
If you want to avoid the geese, you’ll want to act around those months. “If you are looking to use something like fencing, put that fence in ahead of time. It doesn’t help with adult geese that can fly, but the goose parents are kind of smart. They know that they have to be able to walk their goslings to and from water,” she said.
You’ll want to make sure the fence is at least three feet tall, and gaps are three inches or less.
Mid-June to mid-July is peak timing for goslings to hatch.
Merkling says there are some things you need to keep in mind before you think about harming the geese or their eggs. “So, like all native migratory birds, Canada geese are both state and federally protected,” Merkling said. “So, protected doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t do anything to like alleviate any potential issues you may or may not be having. It just means that there’s a formal process, right?.”
One option for people is hunting season. Proper hunting permits would allow you a legal way to remove the birds.
There are also non-lethal options like nest and egg destruction permits. “The permitting team will review it, and if everything’s in order, they will then issue you the permit,” she said. “On that permit, it will tell you what you can and cannot do, how to report your numbers back, keeping track of those geese that have bands on their legs, those types of things.”
If your yard or neighborhood becomes a new home for Canada geese, Merkling says give the birds a little space while they raise their babies. “I kind of think of it this way, like I personally have kids, so if a random stranger came up to your kids and just started handling them, how would you possibly feel?” Merkling said.
Giving space is a good idea because those geese can get pretty defensive. “Canada geese have both the female and the male that will defend the nest, which makes it so, like, for a one nest, you have two adult geese that are pretty muscular that would defend their nest,” she said.
Merkling says while you might think it’s doing good, feeding them crosses a line. “For example, if you just stop putting out food one day, they could potentially get bolder and approaching people to ask for food again, which can lead to some things,” she said.
Merkling adds feeding waterfowl unhealthy foods also puts their health at risk, even causing their wings to deform. “You’re also artificially inflating the numbers in that area,” Merkling said. “So if there is a disease on the landscape or an illness on the landscape, that can more easily spread to more wildlife.”
Merkling says it’s best to give the birds space and enjoy them from afar.
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