Below are excerpts from the Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine's article on "Making Peace with Geese."

Though people enjoy bringing cracked corn, stale bread and popcorn to feed the birds, this supplemental food encourages larger numbers of birds to remain in areas that might not otherwise hold them in winter and early spring when fresh grasses are not available. If denied sufficient food, geese will disperse. Further, as birds congregate to eat artificial foods they can more readily pass diseases if some birds are infected.

Geese thrive where water's edge meets an abundant supply of low grasses, so steps to install rock walls and increase the height of shoreline vegetation may create a permanent, effective barrier. Shoreline strips of rocky rubble make it more difficult for geese to come ashore from the water. Dense hedges or a 50- to 100-foot strip of stiff grasses or shrubs at least a yard high will dissuade use by geese. In upland areas and around crops, tall prairie grasses like switchgrass, cordgrass and bluestem provide dense cover and also remain standing after snowfall.

Shorelines that are allowed to grow over with tall grasses and shrubs are also less attractive to geese. Landscaping with trees, shrubs and hedges can also make lakeside properties less attractive to geese. Artificial barrier fencing like wooden snow fence or plastic fencing at least 30 inches high with a minimum 3 x 3-inch mesh will also dissuade geese, but check local zoning before erecting such barriers.

Scare techniques are mainly effective early in the spring as adult geese are seeking secure, secluded places to nest. Noisemakers like sirens and natural gas exploders can haze geese, but the loud sounds are equally displeasing to people. Moreover, goose flocks can eventually get used to loud noises that are not accompanied by a real threat.

Mylar helium balloons painted with eye spots can be tethered in fields. They scare geese because they look like large predators. Half-inch strips of flashing mylar tape or ribbon can also persuade geese to move onto other nearby mown grass. Both the rattling sound and the light flashes frighten geese. Such tape is available through garden centers, feed co-ops and mail-order catalogs.

Two-strand portable electric fencing is also effective and economical in small areas. The lower strand is set up eight inches off the ground and the upper strand at about 18 inches. Low impedance energizers powered by batteries or plug-in outlets deliver short electrical bursts once a second that geese learn to avoid.

Goose repellents will not poison geese (which is illegal) but the odor and taste lead the birds to seek greener pastures elsewhere if other nearby grazing areas are available. Only one repellent is registered for use on turf and lawns (ReJex-iT®) and it has to be carefully sprayed at a set concentration to avoid burning out the lawn.

Most of the above techniques are only practical and affordable in protecting a small parcel of land from goose depredation. When the method is used consistently. Moreover, their effectiveness varies and the best practice is to combine several methods to control geese.

Remember that most control techniques require permits and prior approval. Geese that can be dissuaded from nesting in one area may relocate elsewhere. On the other hand, goose families that already have established a firm territory will defend it and are much more difficult to haze from a site.