GOOSE BUSTERS

CANADA GOOSE CONTROL

GOOSE BUSTERS

• 1997 Started Business– Goose removal only – 5 sites, 822 geese removed–avg. 164 per site

• 1998 Became sole proprietor

• 1999 Added Nest Destruction

• 2011 Added Dog Hazing

• 2013 – 138 GR sites - 4162 geese relocated avg. 30 per site, 134 ND sites – 803 nests and 3,784 eggs, 22 dog sites

CANADA GEESE

• Federally Protected Migratory Bird

• Must have permits to handle

• Must be licensed to handle

• Live 20-25 years

• Able to have babies for 15-17 years

• Come back to where they learn to fly

• Mate for “life”

HOW CAN WE CATCH THE GEESE?

• In June Canada Geese molt • Molting is where the geese lose their flight

feathers – rendering them flightless (most of them)

• The juvenile geese do not have their flight feathers yet

• In late June / early July, the adults re-grow their flight feathers and the juvenile geese grow their flight feathers

• Both the adults and juvenile then “learn” to fly together

SERVICES GOOSE BUSTERS OFFER

• Goose Removal

• Nest Destruction

• Dog Hazing

• Lawn Spraying (Flight Control Plus)

• Stringing Ponds

AREAS GOOSE BUSTERS SERVICE

WHAT IS GOOSE REMOVAL

• Goose Busters arrive onsite with 1-2 crews (4-5 people per crew)

• Goose Busters set up a “catch” pen

• Goose Busters herd (walk, kayak, run, etc…) the geese to catch pen

• Goose Busters pick the geese out by hand and put into trailers

• Goose Busters drive away with all your geese

WHAT IS NEST DESTRUCTION

• Nest Destruction is the process in which the State allows you to legally remove the goose eggs from the nest.

• Open to anyone in Oakland, Wayne, or Macomb counties

• Must “qualify” for program elsewhere

WHAT IS DOG HAZING

• Dog Hazing is the process of removing geese from sites with the assistance of trained dogs

• Geese think the dog is a predator – fly away

• No barking, wildly running around crazy dogs – specially trained dogs that “stalk” the geese

TIMEFRAME FOR SERVICES

• Dog Hazing – Year round if have resident geese, beginning of March – end of migration (end of November) for non-resident geese

• Nest Destruction – Middle to end of April, when the geese have been on nests over 10 days, up until they hatch (28 days of incubation) – DNR mandated dates

• Goose Roundup – Middle of June until late June – DNR mandated dates

DEADLINES FOR PERMITS

• Change from year to year

• 2014 :

• April 1 for nest destruction

• May 27 for goose roundup

CUSTOMERS WE SERVICE

• Lagoons • State Parks • County Parks • Lakes • Residential Communities • Businesses • Municipalities • Retirement homes • Apartment complexes • Zoos • Golf courses

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?

• Waste products add nutrients like BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), Ammonia, and Phosphorus.

• Nutrients cause Algal Bloom – which die and sink causing additional oxygen demand.

• Waste also adds to fecal coliform bacteria count – most lagoons don’t remove. – End up in rivers.

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?

• Nuisance

• Step in feces – slippery/dirty

• Nesting mothers attack employees

• Bring duck weed and other nuisance plants with them from other locations

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?

• Consume up to 4 pounds of grass a day – which is 3-4 pounds of fecal matter per goose per day.

• Feces is 76% Carbon, 4.4% Nitrogen, and 1.3% Phosphorus – which cause harmful algae blooms

• Attract predators

HOW CAN YOU CONTROL GEESE?

• Hire Goose Busters!

• We come out in mid June and remove all geese that are onsite and relocate throughout the State

• If you have relocation in 3 of 5 years with an average of 25 geese removed per year, you can then participate in the nest destruction program

DO THE GEESE RETURN?

• We relocate all geese onsite that can be caught

• The State of Michigan DNR states that…

• 0% of the goslings caught return – they return to where they learn to fly – we catch them before this stage

• The following year – 60-80 % of adults may return

• May get fall migration geese stopping in.

LAGOON EXPERIENCE

• YCUA – Ypsilanti, 1999 – 2005 Do own now.

• Sugar Springs – Butnam Township – 2008-present

• Genesee County – 2012

• Ann Arbor – 2012 Aggressive geese removal only

WHAT STEPS DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE?

• Request Goose Removal Permit from the USDA

• Contact local DNR for approval

• Pay $200 permit fee from State

• Hire Goose Busters!

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Goose Busters

• 800-521-8777

• www.goosebusters.net

• E-mail: Goose_Busters@yahoo.com

• Business cards at booth

QUESTIONS??