
University of Waterloo created a goose-tracking map, because geese are bullies - Tomte
http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/21/13677516/goose-watch-geese-tracking-app-university-of-waterloo
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AdamSC1
There was a door on campus that was locked, had signs up and was unusable for
a good few years due to a goose that kept nesting right out side of it.

They are incredibly aggressive and I most people don't realize how much damage
they can actually inflict.

Worst part is they are a protected species and hurting them even in self-
defense could land you a hefty fine.

This and your Tim Horton's coffee getting cold instantly because its -40* are
the key Canadian problems.

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theluketaylor
There is a hunting season for Canada Geese so it's perfectly legal to shoot
them. I've had goose with the bird shot still in it; not very tasty.

[https://www.ec.gc.ca/rcom-
mbhr/default.asp?lang=En&n=99FDEC5...](https://www.ec.gc.ca/rcom-
mbhr/default.asp?lang=En&n=99FDEC59-1#_4)

~~~
wmil
But only in certain areas. It's never legal to kill a goose on campus or even
inside city limits.

Geese are smart enough to understand this and avoid lakes in areas where
hunting is allowed.

Obviously you don't want people discharging firearms on campus. But I think if
you had a couple of weeks out of the year where bow / spear hunting was legal
in city parks then the geese would be much less aggressive.

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derefr
> It's never legal to kill a goose ... inside city limits.

Well, that sounds like a problem that can be solved with a net and a truck.

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theluketaylor
I can confirm canadian geese are jerks; especially while nesting they bite.
Really hard.

When I was at UW we wanted to start a kill the geese club, but the student
union doesn't allow clubs focused on violence.

Turns out there is something worse than ornery birds on the way to class. With
just some notebooks you can just run away. I golf a lot and having to turn
your back on some geese a few meters away to take a shot is terrifying. I was
bitten by a goose as a kid and don't want to go through it again.

~~~
AdamSC1
A lot of UW's international students also don't realize that Canada Geese are
protected species here. It's a crime to harm them in any fashion.

I'm sure as a UW student you saw the days when cars would stop on Columbia (a
major road) because Geese were crossing by the dozens.

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theluketaylor
There's an open hunting season for Canada Geese. In southern ontario it's most
days between September 8 through Dec 28 except for Sundays, so it's not always
a crime to harm them.

Not an international student and the club idea was more a joke than anything
(though once we were told we weren't allowed it became more of a passion)

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mikeash
I assume using projectile weapons in the city would be frowned upon, but would
it be legal to capture/kill them by other means during that period?

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wavefunction
North American hunting laws generally frown on snaring or trapping unless you
specifically are licensed for that. Too much opportunity for cruelty, even if
inadvertent.

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Wildgoose
Geese are superb guard animals who historically raised the alarm and began the
initial defence of Rome against a sneak night attack.

No surprise that they guard their nests just as efficiently.

Leave my feathered cousins alone! :-)

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Yhippa
Having lived in central Virginia most of my life (near the James River where
they have taken up residence [0]), I will say that I'm surprised how effective
geese are at stopping traffic and getting the other geese across a street.
These things can be a nuisance sometimes and get "snippy" when protecting
their young but I'm incredibly fascinated at how good they are at getting
humans to do their bidding.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_goose#Distribution_and_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_goose#Distribution_and_habitat)

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shortoncash
Geese aren't bullies at all. I ride my bike on paths that pass ponds and
fields where there are a lot of geese. Geese will politely move out of the way
almost every time I encounter them. You can't get this sort of behavior out of
joggers, dogs, or children. Bells and horns won't work. Geese just know what
to do.

I have not encountered more civilized and well-mannered birds than Canadian
geese. Their manners more than make up for their pooping everywhere.

~~~
masmullin
> I have not encountered more civilized and well-mannered birds than Canadian
> geese.

What Waaaaattt???

Canada geese are extremely vicious creatures, especially when one goes
anywhere near their young.

Your experience with Canada Geese is 180deg opposite from the experience I and
everyone I have ever known has had with them.

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nkoren
This is really dissonant to read. White geese, yes: territorial and ill-
tempered. But the Canada geese I've known have been polite almost to a fault.
Protective of their young -- but in a very civilised fashion. When I was a
kid, I got to know one family of Canada geese particularly well, and after a
while they were politely waiting their turn to literally eat out of my hand.
Really lovely creatures.

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norea-armozel
Seriously, geese and swans are the meanest birds I've dealt with, they make
Blue Jays look like amateurs. I remember during Spring where I lived (which
was by a public park) the geese would nest and they had no qualms with even
trying to pick fights with cars driving by. You'd think their brain would
process that it's not a water buffalo and it will trample them to death after
enough encounters.

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zeveb
… tasty, tasty bullies.

If they're a nuisance, and they taste good, why not just let folks catch and
eat them?

~~~
douche
Canadian geese are pretty tough to bring down. My dad has been hunting them on
the St. Lawrence for the last 25 years. Since they outlawed lead shot, there
are a lot more geese that get shot and limp off, rather than come down. The
various new bismuth and other heavy shot types work a little better than
steel, but are very expensive.

Goose is also kind of an acquired taste. Some people don't like it, as it is
kind of gamey, and if you don't know what you're doing it is pretty easy to
over-cook it and turn it into shoe-leather.

~~~
dajohnson89
Seems like goose jerky would be a good idea.

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jlj
When I lived in N.E. Florida they were everywhere too. I looked into this
franchise that uses trained herding dogs to get the geese to move on. The
geese learn not to come back. I learned that each state has its own laws about
geese, and during nesting periods it may be illegal to harass them. In other
periods it may be allowed. Interesting business idea, but I never moved on it.

[https://www.geesepoliceinc.com](https://www.geesepoliceinc.com)

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Cuuugi
I'm from the area. Golfing is annoying here, i've had to "assert dominance" to
get my ball back more than once.

~~~
Endy
Um. Aim for them?

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ourmandave
"People bitten, knocked down, or chased by geese" was a staple on Funniest
Home Videos.

The ones with toddlers never ended well...

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coldcode
I first read that as goose-stepping tracking map. But I can agree geese can be
nasty. Swans too.

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omouse
can confirm, was forced off the sidewalk thanks to geese and the sidewalk was
double-wide. they're real mean :/

