We’ve had serious goose problems in our yard. Are there any techniques or tricks I can use to keep my yard from becoming overrun by geese?

Consider the three H’s: harassment, hunting and habitat modification.

Geese love turf grass, so removing turf and putting in tall grasses and wildflowers can deter them from eating in your yard. Changing mulch to lava rock or large stones can also be effective. Consider making barriers between ponds and yards as well as increasing the slopes around bodies of water. Strips of thick vegetation around water can also work.
Use trees and shrubs to help break up sight lines so geese can’t see if there are any predators around. This makes them feel uneasy and they will often move to a more open site.

Chemicals are available that people can spray on the grass to repel geese, but that is a much more expensive option.
Harassment of the geese, especially before they nest, can cause the geese to move to another area. Spraying them with a garden hose, chasing them with a leaf blower or remote-controlled boats, dogs or bird bangers can work if done repetitively.

Hunting should be encouraged everywhere that it can be done safely and legally. It is the most cost effective method to reduce the number of geese in an area. Trapping the geese during the molting season is also another possibility.
Landowners can also register online with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete nest destruction. This helps reduce the number of offspring and encourages geese to migrate before molting.

Lately I’ve been seeing reports of coyotes moving into urban areas on the news. Do coyotes pose a threat to humans or pets? What can I do to dissuade coyotes from living around my home and yard area? Should I be worried about coyotes?

Like an assortment of other wildlife species, coyotes have adapted well to human-dominated landscapes. Homeowners can take several steps to minimize the attractiveness of their property to coyotes.

First of all, remove artificial food supplies. Pet food, compost piles and garbage attract coyotes. Bird feeders attract not only birds but also small rodents, which are the coyote’s primary prey base in both rural and urban environments. Removing brush piles in addition to regular mowing disrupts habitats that shelter small rodents, keeping their numbers to a minimum.

Coyotes average between 30 to 35 pounds, so they are capable of catching cats and small dogs. Food studies in urban areas have shown that cats and small dogs make up a small portion (about 1 percent) of a coyote’s diet.

Free-roaming pets are vulnerable to aggression from other domestic animals, collisions with vehicles and an assortment of other negative situations, not just predation by coyotes. The best way for owners to protect their pets from all of these threats is to keep them within the bounds of supervision. If coyotes are known to be in the area, do not allow pets, especially cats, to roam freely and keep dogs on leashes. Most importantly, do not befriend coyotes. Coyotes that are intentionally fed by humans (by hand or feeding stations) become habituated to or lose their fear of humans.

If you encounter a coyote on your property, make it feel uncomfortable. Shout or throw something in its direction. Use a broom or similar object to make yourself appear big to the animal. Within reason, be aggressive but never corner a coyote or it will be forced to return the aggression.

Clarification: In the May/June edition of Ask A Conservation Officer, we referred to mockingbirds as migratory. Even though they are covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, many mockingbirds are resident in Indiana year-round.

To submit a question to Ask a CO, write to Outdoor Indiana, Ask a Conservation Officer, 402 W. Washington St., Suite W255B, Indianapolis, IN 46204.