The Michigan Department of Natural Resources  has secured a contract with the federal government to exercise lethal force on nuisance geese beginning in 2025, Michigan Outdoor News reported.

A new DNR policy that will become effective in 2025 will allow property owners to request the capture of Canada geese exclusively by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services once all other options have failed. Once captured by the USDAWS, geese may be euthanized or donated to charities for processing for food. The DNR’s current policy only allows for goose relocation.

The USDA program essentially eliminates private contractors who previously performed goose relocation services, and, according to some estimates, the federal program will cost residents 10 times more than nongovernment businesses.

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Canada geese, a common pest in Michigan, are co-managed by state and federal agencies because they are migratory birds that cross over many state lines each year. The number of geese in the state of Michigan has spiked to nearly 300,000–well over the DNR’s management goal of 175,000 to 200,000. It is currently legal to hunt them, and the state is allowed to kill nuisance birds. The population spike is due to the expanded areas where geese congregate where it is not legal to hunt them, such as golf courses, condominium developments, and public parks, and has increased incidents between geese and people.

A DNR memo last month recommended that the appropriate solution to out-of-control geese is to “capture, hold, and euthanize aggressive geese” that are on their private property by altering the “Wildlife Conservation Order,” an order that originally limited goose management to capturing and relocating aggressive geese.

“Nest and egg destruction permits allow landowners to request a free permit to destroy nests and eggs, which then encourages the geese to migrate north to molt,” the memo reads. “Applicants for this program must meet eligibility requirements and attend training. Applicants may also hire a contractor to perform this service. Nest and egg destruction permits have previously had geographic requirements for eligibility; however, the Department is eliminating these requirements beginning in 2025 to provide this tool statewide to help address local Canada goose conflicts.”

According to the DNR’s waterfowl and wetlands specialist Barb Avers, the old rule had to be changed in order to address the overpopulation problem, which had led to a concern over spreading avian flu.

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“The department has already decided on these programmatic changes,” Avers said. “Just the sheer number of birds that we’ve been relocating in the recent past, as well as disease concerns not having suitable places to put them, and also just this concern of moving a conflict from one area to another.”

Avers did add, however, that Michigan residents would first have to go through several processes before killing nuisance geese on their own property. Avers said that residents will be required to “try some of the nonlethal techniques” such as  Avers said “scare tactics,” or “landscape alterations.”

Michiganders will also have the option to apply for a Nest and Egg Destruction Permit in order to destroy goose eggs, thereby limiting the population.

“The idea is, right, get those eggs before they hatch, and that can help reduce some of those local populations,” Avers said.

This story has been edited for accuracy since its initial publication.