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Migratory game birds
Mourning dove hunting in Alabama
2026-27: Sep 5–Jan 17; limits, licenses, public land and legal hours from ADCNR.
Photo: Gary Leavens (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Alabama mourning dove rules this season
The 2026-27 season for mourning doves in Alabama runs Sep 5 to Jan 17, spread over 8 dated rows in the ADCNR tables. On limits for mourning doves: 15 per day (aggregate).
How ADCNR sums up mourning doves
- Bag: 15/day with white-winged dove.
- Methods and dates: North Zone from Sept 5, South Zone from Sept 12; 90 days in 4 segments.
- Background: HIP required; youth dove hunts.
From ADCNR page and 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 29 (as of Nov 1, 2026), checked November 1, 2026.
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Mourning Dove calendar by zone
8 season lines for mourning doves, opening to closing, with the number of days in each.
| Hunt | Applies to | Limit | Start | End | Days | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segment 1 | North Zone | Bag details | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 5, 2026 | 1 | Over |
| Segment 2 | North Zone | Bag details | Sep 6, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 43 | Over |
| Segment 3 | North Zone | Bag details | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | 9 | |
| Segment 4 | North Zone | Bag details | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | 37 | |
| Segment 1 | South Zone | Bag details | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 12, 2026 | 1 | Over |
| Segment 2 | South Zone | Bag details | Sep 13, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 43 | Over |
| Segment 3 | South Zone | Bag details | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | 9 | |
| Segment 4 | South Zone | Bag details | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | 37 |
Mourning Dove row details
- Noon to sunset (opening day afternoon only). 90-day season.
- Digest: "At time of printing, federal guidelines were not final."
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 29, checked November 1, 2026.
Mourning Dove: limit rows
Bag and possession rules that touch mourning doves, word for word from the ADCNR sources.
| Covers | Bag and possession |
|---|---|
| Mourning and white-winged dove | 15 per day (aggregate). |
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 29, checked November 1, 2026.
Mourning Dove zones and planted fields
| Dove zone | Count | First day |
|---|---|---|
| North Zone | 58 | Sep 5, 2026 |
| South Zone | 9 | Sep 12, 2026 |
Normal agricultural planting, standing crops and food plots planted to Extension guidelines are legal to hunt over; scattered grain is not.
WMA dove fields
| Area | Field | Crops | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbour WMA | Barbour WMA (Smithfield 1) | Browntop Millet and Sunflowers | 25 |
| Barbour WMA | Barbour WMA (Smithfield 2) | Sunflowers and Peas | 6 |
| Blue Spring WMA | Blue Spring WMA | Proso Millet, Browntop Millet, Corn, Sesame | 7 |
| Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA | Charles D. Kelly/Autauga (Field 1) | Millet | 8 |
| Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA | Charles D. Kelly/Autauga (Field 2) | Millet | 1.3 |
| David K. Nelson WMA | David K. Nelson (Field 1) | Browntop Millet and Corn | 5 |
| Freedom Hills WMA | Freedom Hills | Wheat, Browntop Millet, Perodovic Sunflower and Sorghum | 14 |
| Geneva SF WMA | Geneva WMA | Browntop Millet | 8 |
| Hollins WMA | Hollins (Field 1) | Grain Sorghum and Browntop Millet | 16 |
| Hollins WMA | Hollins (Field 2) | Grain Sorghum and Browntop Millet | 8 |
| James D. Martin-Skyline WMA | James D. Martin/Skyline (Field 1) | Wheat | 10 |
| Lowndes WMA | Lowndes (Field 1) | Browntop Millet, Sunflowers, and Grain Sorghum | 60 |
| Lowndes WMA | Lowndes (Field 2) | Corn | 520 |
| Mallard-Fox Creek WMA | Mallard-Fox Creek | Wheat | 20 |
| Mud Creek (Jackson County WMA) | Jackson Co. Waterfowl Areas & Refuges (Mud Creek WMA) | Sunflowers, Grain Sorghum, and Millet | 36 |
| Mulberry Fork WMA | Mulberry Fork (Field 1) | Browntop Millet | 4 |
| Mulberry Fork WMA | Mulberry Fork (Field 2) | Browntop Millet | 2 |
| Oakmulgee WMA | Oakmulgee (Field 1) | Browntop Millet | 1 |
| Oakmulgee WMA | Oakmulgee (Field 2) | Browntop Millet and Grain Sorghum | 2 |
| Perdido River WMA | Perdido River WMA | Browntop Millet, Sesame, Corn, and Egyptian Wheat | 8 |
| Seven-Mile Island WMA | Seven-Mile Island | Browntop and Foxtail Millet | 30 |
| Swan Creek WMA | Swan Creek | Sunflowers, Corn, and Wheat | 100 |
| William R. Ireland, Sr.-Cahaba River WMA | Cahaba River (Field 1) | Browntop Millet | 4 |
| William R. Ireland, Sr.-Cahaba River WMA | Cahaba River (Field 2) | Browntop Millet | 2 |
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 29, checked November 1, 2026.
How mourning doves may be taken
| Weapons row | Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory birds | For mourning doves: Shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells with No. 2 shot or smaller; waterfowl with steel or other USFWS-approved nontoxic shot (T or smaller per the waterfowl guide); bows/crossbows; permitted raptors. | For mourning doves, not: lead shot in possession while waterfowl hunting; rifles, pistols; unplugged guns. |
- Baiting (dove): No hunting over bait or a fed area until feed is gone 10 days, except deer and feral swine on private/leased land with a Bait Privilege License; bait over 100 yards and out of sight presumed not a lure on private land; no baiting on public land or in the CMZ.
- Electronic calls (dove): Electrically amplified turkey, dove or waterfowl calls are illegal (possession in the field too); electronic crow and predator calls allowed.
- Decoys (dove): No live decoys (except banded pen-raised quail as call birds in recovery pens). Turkey decoys only in spring turkey season (allowed all spring in 2026-27); no mechanical or electronic turkey decoys, including handheld or gun-mounted fanning/reaping decoys.
Landowner permission in writing, or the landowner present, is required to hunt mourning doves on someone else's land.
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 34, Code of Alabama 9-11-244 and ADCNR Regulation Book p. 45, checked November 1, 2026.
Public land for mourning doves in Alabama
Public land for mourning doves: 36 areas, from WMAs to national forest districts and refuges, sorted by acres.
| Area | Category | Counties | Acreage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Warrior WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Lawrence, Winston | 91,263 |
| James D. Martin-Skyline WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Jackson | 60,732 |
| Choccolocco WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Cleburne | 56,838 |
| Mobile-Tensaw Delta and W.L. Holland WMAs | Wildlife Management Area | Baldwin, Mobile | 51,040 |
| Oakmulgee WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Bibb, Hale +2 | 44,500 |
| Upper Delta WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Baldwin, Mobile | 42,451 |
| William R. Ireland, Sr.-Cahaba River WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Bibb, Shelby | 35,559 |
| Mulberry Fork WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Tuscaloosa, Walker | 35,260 |
| Freedom Hills WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Colbert | 33,539 |
| Hollins WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Clay, Talladega | 28,802 |
| Barbour WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Barbour, Bullock | 28,214 |
| Jackson County Waterfowl Areas and Refuges (Jackson County WMA) | Wildlife Management Area | Jackson | 26,934 |
| Blue Spring WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Covington | 24,783 |
| Lauderdale WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Lauderdale | 20,344 |
| Coosa WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Coosa | 17,486 |
Mourning Dove hunts by draw
| Area | County | Hunt | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Landing SOA | Dallas | Dove | Regular – Sept 12 |
| Little River SF SOA | Escambia | Dove | Sept 12, Oct 3 |
| Blackwater River SOA | Baldwin | Dove | Sept 19 |
| Prairie Glades | Montgomery | Dove | Sept 26, Oct 10, Oct 17 |
To hunt an SOA, buy an Alabama hunting license and a WMA license before registering for the draw.
From lands.json (ADCNR WMA AREA Permits, SOA page, federal rules) and the ADCNR SOA page, checked November 1, 2026.
Mourning Dove license prices
Carry the license, stamps and any harvest record while hunting mourning doves; lending or borrowing a license is a Class B misdemeanor.
| License | Buyer | Age or group | Price | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Game | Resident | Age 16-64 | $23.40 | License year |
| Small Game, annual | Nonresident | Age 16+ | $134.10 | License year |
| HIP certification | Both | Migratory bird hunters | Free | License year |
| Wildlife Heritage | Resident | Any age | $14.30 | License year |
From the ADCNR license pages and the Digest license section, checked November 1, 2026.
Mourning Dove numbers and data gaps
Harvest totals for mourning doves are not in any ADCNR page or report read for this guide, and none are estimated here.
From ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
Mourning Dove shooting light on key dates
These dove hours use county-centre sun times; check your own spot if you hunt near a county line.
Hour rule (mourning doves): Opening day of each zone noon to sunset; other days 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.
| When | Event | Place | Sunrise | Sunset | Shooting hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | Opening day | Madison County | 6:21 a.m. | 7:09 p.m. | noon to 7:09 p.m. |
| Sep 5, 2026 | Opening day | Jefferson County | 6:24 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | noon to 7:10 p.m. |
| Sep 5, 2026 | Opening day | Montgomery County | 6:22 a.m. | 7:06 p.m. | noon to 7:06 p.m. |
| Sep 5, 2026 | Opening day | Mobile County | 6:31 a.m. | 7:13 p.m. | noon to 7:13 p.m. |
| Jan 17, 2027 | Last day | Madison County | 6:53 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. |
| Jan 17, 2027 | Last day | Jefferson County | 6:51 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Jan 17, 2027 | Last day | Montgomery County | 6:45 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Jan 17, 2027 | Last day | Mobile County | 6:50 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. |
Rules from the Digest shooting hours section; sunrise and sunset computed (NOAA solar formula, Central Time); checked November 1, 2026. Legal hours for all 67 counties.
Mourning Dove, answered
What does ADCNR allow per day for mourning doves?
ADCNR sets this for mourning doves. 15 per day (aggregate).
What are the 2026-27 dove dates in Alabama?
ADCNR opens mourning doves on Sep 5, 2026; the final day is Jan 17, 2027.
What firearms are allowed for dove hunting?
Dove hunters may use shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells with No. 2 shot or smaller; waterfowl with steel or other USFWS-approved nontoxic shot (T or smaller per the waterfowl guide); bows/crossbows; permitted raptors.
How much is a license for mourning doves in Alabama?
Small Game (resident, $23.40); Small Game, annual (nonresident, $134.10); HIP certification (both, Free); Wildlife Heritage (resident, $14.30); prices are for 2026-27.
Where are mourning doves hunted on public ground?
Yes: 36 areas, starting with Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area, James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area and Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area.
How early may I shoot mourning doves?
Dove hours follow this rule. Opening day of each zone noon to sunset; other days 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.
Is there a harvest report for mourning doves?
Game Check is for deer and turkey; for mourning doves the requirement is HIP certification.
Do dove hunters need hunter orange in Alabama?
Mourning doves fall under the exemptions: ADCNR excuses turkey hunters and migratory bird hunters from hunter orange or pink, though WMA rules require it of everyone except migratory bird hunters.
How many dove zones does Alabama have?
Two: the North Zone (58 counties) opens September 5 and the South Zone (9 counties: Baldwin, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Mobile) opens September 12, 2026.
Is Sunday dove hunting legal in Alabama?
Yes. No Sunday hunting restriction. Code of Ala. 13A-12-1 (acts prohibited on Sunday) was repealed by Act 2015-70 effective April 21, 2015; seasons run on Sundays (e.g., CWD sampling weekends, Saturday-Sunday dog deer days on USFS land). Area-specific day rules exist (Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMZ closed Mon-Tue; some WMA hunts on set days).
Are dove fields legal in Alabama?
Federal rules: no baited areas for waterfowl/doves; area baited 10 days after removal; normal agricultural operations, standing crops, food plots planted per Extension recommendations and manipulated natural vegetation are legal for doves.