Illinois › Species › Mourning Dove
Dove, woodcock and crow
Illinois Mourning Dove Hunting Rules, 2026-27
IDNR dates for mourning and white-winged dove, the bag, licenses and public sites that list it.
Photo: Cindy Sue Causey (CC BY 2.0)
Quick read on mourning and white-winged dove in Illinois
Across 1 row of the Digest, mourning and white-winged dove are open at some point between Sep 1, 2026 and Jan 9, 2027. The posted limit for mourning and white-winged dove is 15 daily, 45 possession.
Dove season runs in two pieces, September 1 to November 14 and December 26, 2026 to January 9, 2027, a Harvest Information Program certification is required, and Eurasian collared doves, ringed turtle doves and pigeons may be taken all year with no limit. IDNR site records name mourning and white-winged dove at 126 public hunting areas, with 126 covered on separate pages.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Mourning Dove season dates in the Digest
Rows are sorted by first day, and the last column compares each window with today.
| Row | Covers | What to buy | Dates | Limit | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dove | Statewide | HIP and license |
| 15 daily, 45 possession |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
What you may take and how, for mourning and white-winged dove
| Row | What the Digest allows |
|---|---|
| mourning and white-winged dove | 15 daily, 45 possession |
Legal means for mourning and white-winged dove, as summarized in the data: shotgun (non-toxic shot).
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
License, stamps and permits for mourning and white-winged dove in Illinois
| License or permit | Who | Digest price | IDNR fee table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| HIP Certification | Either | Free | $0.00 |
| Free site, upland and dove permits | Either | Free | $0.00 |
Both prices are shown, base and with fees; the license year starts March 1 and ends March 31 of the following year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Before you go after mourning and white-winged dove: the rules
| Rule | In the Digest |
|---|---|
| Live wildlife possession | May not release captive wildlife except as authorized, bring in live protected wildlife taken outside Illinois without IDNR permission, or retain wildlife alive except as provided in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 970. |
| Windshield cards | Free windshield cards are required at many Illinois public hunting sites; hunters return to record harvest before February 15. |
| Sale of wildlife | May not buy, sell or offer to sell or barter game birds, migratory game birds or parts (including feathers, nests, eggs and wild turkey parts) or the edible parts of game mammals except under specific permits. |
Statewide rules apply everywhere, and individual IDNR sites may tighten them for mourning and white-winged dove; site pages list the changes.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Public hunting areas for mourning and white-winged dove
IDNR land records name mourning and white-winged dove at 126 sites, mostly 44 state fish and wildlife areas, 24 state parks and 14 state recreation areas; the largest with their own page are below.
| Site | Type | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Upper Mississippi River National | Wildlife refuge | Carroll and Jo Daviess | 32,868 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 |
| Cache River | Natural area | Johnson and Pulaski | 15,425 |
| Kaskaskia River | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair and Randolph | 14,000 |
| Horseshoe Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 11,690 |
| Mississippi River Pool 24 | Fish and wildlife area | Pike and Calhoun | 10,211 |
| Carlyle Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Fayette and Clinton | 9,868 |
Permit lotteries and check-in steps are on the site pages; the acreage shown is from the fact sheets.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Four buys for Dove
Chosen to match the game on this page.
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Black oil sunflowers planted on a dove fieldPhoto: greenebriar (Public domain)
Mourning dove perched on a bare branchPhoto: ImagePerson (CC BY 4.0)
Mourning dove perchedPhoto: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Answers about mourning and white-winged dove in Illinois
How long is the mourning and white-winged dove season in Illinois?
You can hunt on these windows: dove statewide: September 1 to November 14 and December 26, 2026 to January 9, 2027.
How much mourning and white-winged dove can one hunter keep?
The Digest says 15 daily, 45 possession.
Which Illinois licenses apply to mourning and white-winged dove?
You need a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00), plus HIP certification.
How may mourning and white-winged dove be taken in Illinois?
Legal means include shotgun (non-toxic shot).
What shot is legal for mourning and white-winged dove?
Certify with HIP before you go; it is free, and crows are the only listed species that do not need it.
What do the rules say about Sunday hunting for mourning and white-winged dove?
The documents we checked are silent on Sunday hunting, which means no rule can be quoted here.
What hunter education rule applies to mourning and white-winged dove?
The cutoff is a birthday: January 1, 1980. Hunters born on or after it need the certificate (or proof of a hunting license bought in an earlier year in any state). An apprentice license, with a supervisor 21 or older, is the way around the course.
Can I find mourning and white-winged dove hunting on state land?
Start at the public land hub: 126 IDNR sites list mourning and white-winged dove, and 126 of them have a page with permits, rules and seasons.
Other photos on this page: greenebriar (Public domain); ImagePerson (CC BY 4.0); cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0).