I can't speak for other parts of the country, but if you live in the upper Midwest and near water, you WILL get a visit from your Canadian neighbors of the loud honking variety.
The original Range was on a large retaining lake. How beautiful I thought, Dad will love this, the home purchased at the time he was going to live with me, at least for a while, post stroke.
The yard was fenced so Barkley couldn't get into the water unless I opened the gate, but I so enjoyed sitting out on the deck in the evenings looking at the water.
Until my neighbors showed up that first morning there, honk honk honk honk honk honk at the crack of dawn. It was like living next to the LA Expressway.
The Canada Geese had arrived.
(1) noise that just increases every year as the population swells
(2) goose poop, lots of goose poop (up to a 1 1/2 pounds a day per goose). It's not just, well, icky, there's always the risk of zoonotic disease that could be vectored to humans.
Migratory Geese are easier to shoo away, but geese that have claimed your area as their residence, returning year after year to raise their young, will aggressively protect that nest.
Before you do anything: Assess the situation. If you're seeing the geese just in the spring or fall, they're likely only using your spot for a rest stop during migration. If you’re seeing geese in the winter, you’re likely providing habitat for a migratory population. According to the Audubon folks, don’t try to evict each and every goose, but rather strike a balance. (I learned a long time ago that if one takes nature completely out of the equation you are going to come out on the short end of that particular stick.)
Selecting Grass: Geese like young shoots to nibble on. If you choose a mature tall fescue and allow the grass to grow a bit more(about 3 inches) they may look for tastier fare across the street. Removing chunks of your turf lawn and replacing with taller native plants and bushes is also a great geese control tactic. Avoid Kentucky Bluegrass, it's like waving a large prime rib at your local carnivore.
If you have a pond or small retaining lake on the property, avoid mowing to the water’s edge. Instead, plant native vegetation that does well in moist environments. Canada geese avoid using areas where plants obstruct their view of the surrounding area.
If you do an online search for goose deterrents, there are also chemical repellents that have been used such as Methyl anthranilate or Anthraquinone. But for most homeowners, especially this one, the chemical approach is not an option.
Some of these are of the noisy, pyrotechnic type. If you have close neighbors though, these devices will be as annoying to them as the geese and they might not be legal where you live (so you might think twice about that propane cannon going off every 10 minutes).
Some recommend helium balloons, with large "eye spots" tethered to be about 10 feet above the "goose free area". Like this one, THIS one would scare the heck out of me.
There are some things others recognize as "go away - danger", geese are no different.
Frankly, for lack of anything else, running repeatedly and vigorously out the back door in your Wonder Woman pajamas with red hair streaming, waving a broom and yelling like a banshee is quite effective (though you won't get invited to any more block parties).
Barrier Fences: this would work best on a breezy sunny day, and isn't easy to install but might be worth a try if everything else fails. Using half-inch Mylar tape (or silver and red bird scare tape which is available in some stores) you stretch the twisted tape, 1 to 3 feet high, using stakes around the area you’re protecting. For every 100 feet, the tape should be twisted four or five times. When the wind blows across the tape, it rattles while flashing from the reflected sunshine. The flashing and the rattling frightens the geese but if they've already flown into the yard, forget it. You also need to make the fence long enough so the geese just don't walk around it, into your yard.
What about a doggie deterrent? A dog who is on a fixed length chain or zip line, or within a fenced yard is no deterrent. The geese soon realize he's not going to be able to get at them. A dog running loose will deter birds but it's not necessarily safe for the dog who can get in harm's way if allowed to roam free (not to mention getting you a fine in some more suburban areas).
However, the occasional swim in the pond can do wonders.
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Finally - Don't feed them. Sure they're all cute and all but it's like public assistance, give some people a free handout and they'll never leave and get a job.
