But that doesn't mean they'll be completely immune in coming weeks, Hall added. A conference call with other FSA directors Thursday indicated geese were beginning to infest some of the more northern parts of the area, particularly Knox and Haskell counties. Knox County has more than 140,000 acres planted in wheat this year, said John Rector Jr., Knox County FSA director. Though he hadn't heard of many problems with geese just yet, he said he was hoping they'd be kind to his area. The last few seasons of drought had done enough damage to his county's crops, he said.
Cowboys also employ sirens to scare the birds.
But smooth-brained or not, the birds catch on quickly, Sheedy said. They get real wise real quick. The geese also seem to be amazingly adept at finding their way to the same places year after year. We've consistently had mass numbers of them over a good eight to 10 years. But older generations look even further back through the history of geese troubles on the Rolling Plains.