Coyote decoys help combat unwelcome geese at DuPage preserves

Not every coyote in Wheaton is looking to chow down on a Chihuahua or munch on a Maltese.

There are at least a couple hanging around the Danada Forest Preserve along Naperville Road that seem perfectly content to sway in the breeze and put a little fear in pesky Canada geese.

It's not so much that these particular coyotes are unusually laid back as it is that they're not coyotes at all, but rather lifelike rubber imitations with free-moving furry tails.

They sure look real at first glance or from a distance, but take a closer look and you realize they have no legs and are attached to small stakes that allow their bodies to move slightly — and relatively realistically — in the wind.

Bonnie Olszewski, a public affairs specialist for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, says they're part of a pack of about a dozen “fake-out coyotes” stationed at Danada and other preserves to discourage geese from “grazing and depositing” in mowed areas where visitors are inclined to walk.

At Danada, the coyotes are on the prowl primarily near gardens and paths around the Danada House, where brides and corporate visitors prefer to stroll the grounds without stepping in anything squishy.

The district buys the decoys for about $38 each from a company called Wildlife Control Supplies, Olszewski says, and staff members usually move them every couple days so marauding geese don't get too comfortable.

Officials admit an occasional human visitor can be “a little taken aback” when they first confront what they think is a coyote — especially with all the controversy surrounding the animals over the past year in Wheaton, where coyote attacks on small dogs have been well-chronicled.

“It looks like it's really looking right at you,” Olszewski said.

Jill Ludvigsen, the business manager at Danada House, says she remembers a time this summer when two young women who spotted the fake coyotes came running in “saying we should call the police right away.”

But while the phony-baloney coyotes may spook the occasional bride-to-be or wandering reporter, district naturalists say they don't seem to disturb most of the preserves' wildlife — including the living, breathing, four-legged coyotes that sometimes can be seen relaxing near the imitations.

So far, though, the decoys do seem to be having the desired effect in discouraging unwelcome geese from getting too comfortable.

“It's keeping them from ripping up the turf,” Olszewski says, “and leaving a mess.”