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Wildlife Information

Egg Addling Permits

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who Can Apply for an Egg Addling Permit?

A: Landowners or tenants of the property where the goose eggs are located may apply for an Egg Addling Permit. Municipalities may apply, but may only addle eggs on municipal properties, not private land. State and federal agencies also may only addle eggs on their own properties. Lake and pond associations may not addle eggs on any property that is not owned by the association.

It's important to understand that the presence of Canada geese is not a sufficient reason to acquire a permit to addle eggs; there must be a reasonable basis for addling eggs, such as property damage.

Q: When Do I Apply?

A: You may apply for an Egg Addling Permit at any time. However the permit is valid only for the period between March 1 and June 30 (during the goose nesting season).

Q: How do I apply?

Applicants may download, fill out and send in an application for goose egg addling from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) at the Westboro Field Headquarters. There is no fee for this permit. If you have difficulty downloading the application, email mass.wildlife@state.ma.us requesting the assistance. For those people without Internet access, contact H. Heusmann with your name and address and a request for the permit application at 508/389-6321.

Q: Do landowners or tenants have to do the egg addling?

A: No. It is not required that landowners actually do the addling; there is an option to find a volunteer or hire a person to do this for you. Some goose scaring services which use dogs, for instance, also offer egg addling as a service. The landowner must have a permit in order for the contractor to do the addling. The application must indicate who is doing the addling if it is not the landowner or tenant.

Q: Is there anything else that is required?

A: An annual report PDF icon detailing the number of eggs addled and number of nests where the activity took place is required. Even if there were no eggs or nests handled, a report indicating this must be filed. If a report is not filed by the landowner in one year, and he or she files for another addling permit in a subsequent year, the permit will not be granted until the report is filed.