Coyote Decoys Act as Scarecrows for Canada Geese – Knox County VillageSoup

ROCKLAND— The Canada goose has distinct characteristics.

A black head and neck. White cheeks. Brown body. Often found near fresh water and known to be territorial in nature.

Certainly none have been known to have a particularly strong golf handicap.

Despite this latest fact, dozens of people have visited Rockland Golf Course over the past few years and wreaked havoc on the course – and the enjoyment of patrons – at the beautiful, well-maintained 18-hole public course on Old County. Road.

“Usually they disappear in the winter,” said RGC PGA professional Keenan Flanagan. “Well, now they stayed. They weren’t here the winter before, but they were here last winter. And as the summer went on, it got worse and worse.

And with so many geese and their penchant for stalking for food – from wild or human sources – well, that’s understandable.

“So the removal of Canada geese, or whatever you want to call it, gets smeared into the turf by our mowers and that kills the grass,” Flanagan said. “The mowers were messy and it looks like there’s grease all over the golf course. And of course the customers and people who played golf didn’t really like to walk around all day.

There were goose feathers and bird shit on most fairways and many greens. It became difficult to navigate the mess and, the geese themselves, as the birds simply moved away a short distance when the golfers approached.

Now Flanagan has called in reinforcements. Big dogs, if you will.

“I got the idea from a friend of mine to put some coyote decoys there. If you look them up on the internet, there are probably 50 different types of them. So I placed an order.”

Flanagan said he had two coyote decoys on the front and back nine holes of the course. The location of the decoys will constantly change to direct the geese away from the course as a whole and not just specific areas.

After five days, Flanagan said, “it seems to be taking effect.”

“Whether it lasts or not, it’s trial and error,” he said. “I am not at all a goose specialist. But the decoys seem to help.

Of course, the problem is not strictly an RGC problem, but a general golf course problem. Other courses compete for geese and their mess.

At the RGC, at least, the geese now appear to be hovering, but not landing, so the problem-solving idea of ​​bringing in coyote decoys seems to have worked – for now.

Of course, that doesn’t hurt, there are also a few living coyotes in the area who found the food menu in and around the course appetizing.

For now, the false coyotes are the most visible deterrent, as Flanagan – and golfers – hope it allows the geese to keep moving while the birds search for suitable landing and living spots – far away. from the Rockland Golf Course.

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