The Decoy Effect: How Just a Few Geese Can Become Hundreds During Migration

Geese are highly social birds, especially during migration. They depend on each other to keep an eye out for predators and to let each other know when danger has been spotted. This behavior is something that hunters have been exploiting for centuries by placing decoys in the hunting zone to draw migrating geese. Geese flying overhead see the decoys and register the area as safe to occupy.

While it may provide hunters with an advantage, this effect can be a challenge for goose management teams and the properties they serve. Even if your property only has a few geese on site, the sight of them safely enjoying your hospitality will draw in migrating flocks overhead. Geese have excellent eyesight. Even at high altitudes they can spot the areas their fellow travelers have chosen to occupy and in as little as a couple of hours, a small gathering can turn into a party of hundreds.

Migrating geese flying over will look for new friends…

…and join them for a party!

How Does WGC Counter the Decoy Effect During Migration?

It’s an intimidating prospect for property owners. But at WGC, our team of biologist-led experts know how to make the Decoy Effect work as well for bird management as it does for hunters. Just as geese can see a safe place where their buddies are congregating, they are also quick to notice a site other geese are avoiding. A goose-free property significantly reduces your chance of being bombarded by migrating flocks because geese will steer clear – recognizing that it may be uninhabited for a good reason. That’s why the WGC team works hard to ensure that our deterrent efforts leave no goose behind to attract the thousands migrating overhead.

Starting your goose deterrent service before migration begins allows us to make sure that resident geese will stay away and won’t be there to entice the enormous flocks looking for a stopover on their way south.

Of course, even an empty property can draw migrating geese if it contains the right combination of food, shade, open water and other goose amenities. It is important to stay vigilant throughout migration season to make sure that flocks keep moving on.

To learn how we can work to keep your property goose free during migration season and beyond, give us a call or click on the link below to ask about our array of cost-effective services to prevent the damage and risk that geese can inflict.

Contact us to learn more about geese management

We wont let THIS…

Turn into THIS…

Because THIS is what we do!