Wildlife roaming a golf course can be more than just a pet peeve when it causes damage. Sizing up the problem is key to finding a way to manage the animals.
At a recent daylong education event for golf course grounds managers, Eric Gerhartz, sales manager for the pro division of The Liquid Fence Co., said animals find features on a course appealing. During the event, hosted by North Coast Turf Supply at Golf Course Industry’s offices in Richfield, Ohio, Gerhartz touched on unwanted golf course guests of all sizes.
“As you put in your bentgrasses and ryes, that’s great food for geese,” he says. “As worms multiply, it’s a great food source moles.”
Gerhartz talked about the difficulty of controlling deer the most. Their rapid reproduction rate makes them more difficult to control.
“The babies you saw last year will have one fawn this year,” he says. “Next year they could have twins or triplets, and quads are becoming more frequent.”
The deer population grows exponentially within a few years, which can cause the infestation to progress quickly. Gerhartz presented an example of the population during a five-year period at a course. What started at four deer ended up as 26 during the fifth year.
Compounding the problem is that deer have no natural predator. Coyotes, for example, don’t bother them.
There are several ways to try to keep wildlife from using a golf course as a buffet. Gerhartz outlined a few options for controlling or eradicating deer and geese:
Birth control
What it is: It’s a vaccine that’s injected into deer.
Upside: It prevents the animals from reproducing.
Downside: It can be time consuming, expensive and difficult to implement because every animal has to be given the birth control method.
Extermination
What it is: It can take the form of sharp shooters cutting down the deer population in an area.
Upside: It’s generally inexpensive, and it eliminates the deer permanently.
Downside: There can be safety issues and government regulations, and the shooters will have to return as the population begins to increase again.
Scare tactics
What it is: Using scents of predatory animals for geese, firing an air cannon, using dogs to scare animals.
Upside: Some methods can be inexpensive and easy to use.
Downside: Buying a dog is expensive, and the pest animals can get used to the methods
Blocking controls
What it is: Netting or fencing.
Upside: They keep animals off certain areas of the course.
Downside: They can be unsightly and high maintenance.
Repellents
What it is: Substances that mimic a predator, irritate the pest, contain an offensive smell or mask an inviting scent.
Upside: Most methods are affordable.
Downside: For many, products will have to be rotated to prevent animals from adapting to the repellent. They also need to be reapplied periodically. Additionally, some products work only after an animal takes a bite of a plant. While the animal will then be repelled, that doesn’t stop the damage from the initial bite.
Some methods are geared more toward one type of animal, such as deer or geese, Gerhartz says, adding grounds managers should seek the type of animal control that’s best suited for the situation. Also, managers should take into account the area or material to be protected; any local, state or federal regulations; and the budget that’s available before implementing a program.