What do I do if geese act aggressively towards me?

Geese have a bad reputation for being extremely aggressive birds who make a lot of noise. The Romans would use geese instead of guard dogs while they slept because not only are they overly aggressive but mainly because of the loud alarming squawks they would make at any approaching movement. This would wake the soldiers up ready to defend the camps.

Geese will always be aggressive if they believe you are a threat to their eggs or goslings. You may have no idea that there are any eggs or young nearby but if you see geese reacting you may be approaching their nest.

This is especially true in spring with Canadian geese who are some of the most aggressive of the geese family.

What type of injuries can you get?
Well typically if you get pecked, bit, or hit by a wing of a goose it will more often than not end with minor injuries. But don’t be fooled into thinking that serious damage cannot take place when dealing with geese. There have been serious injuries from broken bones and head trauma inflicted by aggressive geese. So please bear this in mind when you come into contact with these birds. The majority of the time geese manage to get people when they turn their back and are unaware of the attack, causing the person to trip and fall when trying to flee the approaching goose.

Feeding wild geese
Some people make the mistake of feeding wild geese. By feeding wild geese they will lose their fear of humans and actually build their nests close to the people who feed them. Now that the geese are close to you when they lay their eggs, they will start to act aggressively and attack the same people because you are so close to their nest. 

The best advice we can give is to not feed wild geese so they still fear humans and will keep their nest further from your home or environment.

The gander is the male goose and their job is to protect the eggs, they will give you a warning call before approaching and attacking so heed the warning before approaching the gander more. During the incubation period, the female will stay with the eggs while the gander patrols.

What should I do when geese start to react?
It is imperative to keep eye contact, keep your body facing toward the geese, and make yourself as big as possible. Geese have incredible eyesight and they watch your eyes and body language very closely. If you drop eye contact or turn your back, they will more likely attack you.

Do not close your eyes or even squint your eyes. Keep your eyes wide and try not to blink too much.

How should I flee?
By maintaining eye contact and keeping your body big, strong, and facing the geese, slowly start to step backward but do not do this quickly or turn your head or body. Make sure you keep looking at their eyes.

When you have created enough distance between you and the geese and their body language has relaxed somewhat along with their calls of aggression, it should be safe to slowly turn and start to walk away. 

Only do this is you are a safe distance from the aggressive geese.

Do not act hostile 
One of the biggest mistakes people make when in confrontation with aggressive geese is to act hostile and pretend to kick, punch, and scream at the geese. The best thing anyone can do is to keep a calm and confident demeanor. If you act hostile, it will increase the chances that the female or other geese come to help protect, and just cause more problems.

What if they fly towards me?
In the event geese fly towards you, make sure you duck and move at a 90-degree angle of the approaching goose. Cover your face, eyes, and head just in case they manage to get contact on the attack.

Different Personalities
Just like humans, the differences between the personality of these beautiful birds is rather quite striking. Not all of them are aggressive, angry, loud birds.

Some will be curious, calm, and explorative. Sometimes they will copy the personality of the leader of the flock.

And sometimes they will create bonds with certain humans if they get comfortable with you.

How do you stop geese attacks?

1. Fence off the area where the geese are protecting their preserved territory. This will warn the public and keep geese and people safe from potential attacks and injuries.
2. Some areas of the world, especially Canada, create techniques in February to stop geese laying eggs nearby by having a management program to influence the geese to go to a quiet place away from humans.
3. Don’t let them feel happy, safe, and comfortable on your property because the pair that feel comfortable today will be a gaggle of geese in no time at all. This will cause problems for you, your family, and visitors in the future, and it will be very hard to get rid of them.
   
   

Enjoy these birds
Now that we understand geese, we can be less fearful of them and respect them from a distance. Geese are beautiful birds and deserve to have their space to raise and protect their family in peace. So try to respect their space and keep them away from your property so problems and issues are avoided.

Enjoy this magnificent, special, and smart bird from a distance and follow the tips we have given you if you are ever in trouble with a gaggle of geese.