Can you teach geese to stop biting?

[Fantasy2Reality]

I feed the geese at my local park (a mix of wildlife bird feed and unsalted peanuts I open up for them). It started out because I was trying to train crows, but they weren't eating anything I brought so I went to give it to the geese instead. It's been a few months since I began, and now they're more comfortable with me.
This comfort has come with a bit of a drawback, though. One goose I've named Matthew isn't afraid to come right up to me and eat from my hand. I can pet him and earlier today I even picked him up with little complaint on his end, but there's one issue: he is very impatient and bites. He doesn't break skin, and it doesn't really hurt, but is there a way to teach a goose to stop biting?

 

[Earthdale]

Try withdrawing food and walking away every time he bites.

 

[WNYfarmfresh]

So these aren’t livestock but rather wild birds at the park? If that’s the case you shouldn’t be attempting to handle or feed them.

 

[DucksGeeseHeart]

They're highly trainable but it's tricky to discover what works best. I use a gentle herding technique to keep the geese from chasing the ducks away. I'm usually standing up while feeding; or if not I'll stand up if necessary, and take a small slow step toward the offender. And then at the beginning I'll need to station myself between the two groups. But after awhile the geese clearly know to leave the ducks alone.

So - maybe just stand up and move toward the biter when he tries to bite. Back him/her away. I would need to experiment, and may have a chance as my female Canadian goose is getting to the point she sometimes snatches the feeding cup away. I'm thinking if she begins to bite I might try saying "No" in a gruff voice, and/or use a hand motion, palm upraised and pushed forward, like saying "Stop." They're quite sensitive to small movements, gestures.

I know from working with horses (the geese are remarkably similar in behavior), slapping or hitting does not work. When my mare started to nip I used clicker training to teach her a different way to ask for treats. That worked very well. But with a wild goose you don't really have enough of their time or attention (I put my mare in a stall for this training). Although it *could* maybe work if you wanted to give it a go.

I've discovered it has not been dangerous to the geese I work with to have become familiar with me. They're still afraid and will run away from strangers. And they will very soon be moving to other pastures. They're very alert to dogs, strange humans, hawks, constantly scanning the sky and surroundings. They will frequently walk away from me toward the water, then a few minutes later walk back. They know what to do to stay safe. Later in the year (toward winter) if any ducks or geese are remaining or landed here they will rarely leave the water. I'm assuming this is because of the threat from the sky.