North Carolina › Species › Mourning Dove
Migratory birds, waterfowl
North Carolina Mourning Dove hunting, 2026-27
North Carolina dove seasons and rules for 2026-27.
Photo: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
This guide covers mourning doves under the 2026-27 NCWRC digest: the first day is Sep 5, 2026 and the last is Jan 30, 2027, with every row and source below.
Mourning Dove at a glance
- Bag: Daily 15.
- Dates and gear: Sept. 5-Oct. 10, Nov. 7-28, Dec. 16-Jan. 30; falconry Oct. 12-24.
- Notes: HIP required; waterfowl also state privilege and Federal Duck Stamp; no Sunday hunting.
NCWRC source page (as of Jul 13, 2026), checked October 25, 2026.
GearHeading out for small game season? Small game gear checklist →
When mourning doves are open in North Carolina
These are the 2026-27 dove rows; game land and refuge rules can be stricter.
| Segment | Where | Legal methods | First day | Last day | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dove (split) | Statewide | Shotgun (plugged to 3 shells), archery, falconry | Sep 5, 2026 | Oct 10, 2026 | 36 | |
| Extended falconry season | Statewide | Falconry | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | 13 | |
| Dove (split) | Statewide | Shotgun (plugged to 3 shells), archery, falconry | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 | 22 | |
| Dove (split) | Statewide | Shotgun (plugged to 3 shells), archery, falconry | Dec 16, 2026 | Jan 30, 2027 | 46 |
Fine print for mourning doves
- Includes white-winged dove. 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset; no Sunday hunting.
- Daily 3 migratory birds in aggregate, possession 9.
From NCWRC digest page and the Season Dates at a Glance, checked October 25, 2026.
Mourning Dove on game lands, forests and refuges
Every public tract below lists dove; filter by name or county.
| Public land | Kind | Hunting days | Acres | County | Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatan National Forest | National Forest | 167,687 | Craven · Carteret +1 | dove | |
| Croatan | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 166,267 | Craven · Carteret +1 | dove |
| Alligator River NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 160,000 | Dare · Hyde | mourning dove | |
| Pocosin Lakes NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 110,106 | Tyrrell · Hyde +1 | dove | |
| Sandhills | Three-days a week | 3 days | 65,235 | Richmond · Scotland +1 | dove |
| Holly Shelter | Six-days a week | 6 days | 65,139 | Pender | dove |
| Uwharrie National Forest | National Forest | 53,011 | Montgomery · Randolph +1 | dove | |
| Uwharrie | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 52,709 | Montgomery · Randolph +1 | dove |
| Jordan | Six-days a week | 6 days | 40,462 | Chatham · Durham +1 | dove |
| B. Everett Jordan Lake | Corps of Engineers Lake | 40,115 | Chatham · Durham +1 | dove | |
| Butner-Falls of Neuse | Six-days a week | 6 days | 37,480 | Wake · Durham +1 | dove |
| Bladen Lakes State Forest | Three-days a week | 3 days | 33,672 | Bladen | dove |
| Falls Lake | Corps of Engineers Lake | 31,844 | Wake · Durham +1 | dove | |
| Lower Roanoke River Wetlands | Permit only | Permit only | 31,620 | Bertie · Martin | dove |
| Gull Rock | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 31,336 | Hyde | dove |
| South Mountains | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 22,583 | Rutherford · Burke +2 | dove |
| Juniper Creek | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 20,481 | Brunswick · Columbus | dove |
| Green Swamp | Six-days a week | 6 days | 18,577 | Brunswick | dove |
| R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell | Three-days a week | 3 days | 18,014 | Caswell | dove |
| Suggs Mill Pond | Permit only | Permit only | 11,117 | Bladen · Cumberland | dove |
| Upper Roanoke River Wetlands | Permit only | Permit only | 11,065 | Northampton · Halifax +1 | dove |
| Pee Dee River | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 8,938 | Richmond · Anson +2 | dove |
| Pee Dee NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 8,500 | Anson · Richmond | dove | |
| Johns River | Permit only | Permit only | 6,483 | Burke | dove |
| Tillery | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,253 | Halifax | dove |
| Needmore | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,237 | Swain · Macon | dove |
| Bertie County | Six-days a week | 6 days | 4,238 | Bertie | dove |
| Stones Creek | Six-days a week | 6 days | 4,136 | Onslow | dove |
| Brinkleyville | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 3,341 | Halifax | dove |
| Sandy Mush | Three-days a week | 3 days | 2,862 | Buncombe · Madison | dove |
| Voice of America | Permit only | Permit only | 2,818 | Beaufort | dove |
| White Oak River | Three-days a week | 3 days | 2,597 | Onslow | dove |
| Lantern Acres | Six-days a week | 6 days | 1,831 | Tyrrell · Washington | dove |
| Dan River | Three-days a week | 3 days | 1,705 | Rockingham | dove |
| Perkins | Four-days a week | 4 days | 1,696 | Davie | dove |
| NCWRC dove fields | Dove Field Program | 1,654 | Anson · Bertie +35 | dove | |
| Texas Plantation | Permit only | Permit only | 1,503 | Tyrrell | dove |
| Second Creek | Permit only | Permit only | 1,106 | Rowan | dove |
| Nicholson Creek | Three-days a week | 3 days | 1,021 | Hoke | dove |
| Kerr Lake | Corps of Engineers Lake | 853 | Vance | dove | |
| Vance | Six-days a week | 6 days | 853 | Vance | dove |
| J. Morgan Futch | Permit only | Permit only | 598 | Tyrrell | dove |
| Linwood | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 169 | Davidson | dove |
| Hill Farm | Permit only | Permit only | 157 | Stokes | dove |
| Fort Bragg | Military Installation | Hoke · Cumberland +4 | mourning dove |
Game lists from NCWRC, USFS, USFWS and other managers’ pages in our land data, retrieved 2026-10-25; days from the regional game land tables. All game lands · Game land hunting days.
Mourning Dove bag and license table
The dove limits, followed by license prices for residents and nonresidents.
| Bag row | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Mourning and white-winged dove | Daily 15 (aggregate); possession 45 (3x daily). |
| Falconry (migratory game birds) | Daily 3, possession 9, all species singly or in aggregate; applies during gun and extended falconry seasons. |
Mourning Dove license costs
| License | Who | Term | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Hunting | resident | Annual | $32 |
| Comprehensive Hunting | resident | Annual | $49 |
| State Hunting | nonresident | Annual | $124 |
| State Hunting 10-Day | nonresident | 10-day | $99 |
| HIP Certification | anyone | Annual | Free |
| Game Land License | anyone | Annual | $20 |
NCWRC digest bag limits and the license and fee table, checked October 25, 2026. North Carolina hunting license guide.
Mourning Dove regulations to know
When to shoot mourning doves
Dove hunters start a half hour before sunrise and stop at sunset; no dove hunting on Sundays.
Mourning Dove and Sundays
Sunday is closed for mourning doves: G.S. 103-2 bars migratory bird hunting on Sundays by any method, falconry included.
Hunter orange for mourning doves
No orange is needed while hunting mourning doves, which are migratory game birds rather than upland game.
Dove baiting rules
Mourning doves cannot be hunted over bait; wild birds are covered by the state bait ban.
Harvest reporting for mourning doves
Paperwork for mourning doves is HIP certification plus any band report.
shooting hours, G.S. 113-291.8 hunter orange, G.S. 103-2 Sunday hunting, digest baiting rules, harvest reporting, checked October 25, 2026. Sunday hunting guide · Legal shooting hours.
Mourning Dove: legal gear and penalties
| Rule | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory game birds | Shotguns 10 gauge or smaller plugged to 3 shells; archery; falconry. | Rifles, pistols, traps, nets, sinkboxes, live decoys, recorded calls (except light goose/Sept. goose exceptions), lead shot for waterfowl and coots. |
Taking mourning doves: the method rules
- Baiting: No baiting wild birds; turkey 300 yards/10 days; bear only over unprocessed natural bait; processed foods banned where bear seasons exist; no bait on game lands; CWD-area feeding ban Jan. 2-Aug. 31.
- Vehicles and boats: No taking from a motor vehicle while the passenger area is occupied or the engine runs (disabled persons excepted), from vessels under sail/power or still moving from propulsion (crippled waterfowl in the Sea Duck Area excepted), or from airplanes or drones.
If a dove rule is broken
- Migratory game birds: Rifle, live decoys or bait, closed season, shooting hours, bag/possession, permit/tagging violations: Class 2 misdemeanor, $250 minimum (G.S. 113-294(m)); federal penalties also apply.
From laws compiled from the NCWRC digest, 15A NCAC 10B and N.C.G.S. Chapter 113, checked October 25, 2026. North Carolina hunting laws.
Applying for a dove permit hunt
12 hunt items, $8 per application, random draw by party.
| Hunt | Name | Weapon | Deadline | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatan Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 75 |
| Green Swamp Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 12 |
| Lower Roanoke River Area – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 50 |
| Suggs Mill Pond Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 60 |
| Texas Plantation Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 25 |
| Voice of America Game Land – Dove | Dove | Shotgun | Aug. 10, 2026 | 10 |
| White Oak River Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 20 |
| Johns River Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 70 |
| Sandy Mush Game Land – Dove | Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 95 |
| Suggs Mill Pond Game Land – Dove – Disabled | Disabled Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 1 |
| Johns River Game Land – Dove – Disabled | Disabled Dove | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 10 |
| Falconry Unit – Peregrine Falcon-Migrant | Peregrine Falcon-Migrant | Trapping | Aug. 1, 2026 | 5 |
NCWRC Permit Hunting Opportunities, checked October 25, 2026. Every permit hunt.
Mourning Dove: common questions
Do you have to report mourning doves in North Carolina?
Paperwork for mourning doves is HIP certification plus any band report.
What public land has mourning doves?
Croatan National Forest, Croatan Game Land, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge lead the 45 public tracts that list dove.
What guns and bows work for mourning doves?
Migratory game birds: Shotguns 10 gauge or smaller plugged to 3 shells; archery; falconry. Not legal: Rifles, pistols, traps, nets, sinkboxes, live decoys, recorded calls (except light goose/Sept. goose exceptions), lead shot for waterfowl and coots.
When is dove season in North Carolina this year?
Mourning doves open Sep 5, 2026 with the dove (split) row and the final day is Jan 30, 2027.
What is the bag limit for mourning doves in North Carolina?
Daily 15 (aggregate); possession 45 (3x daily). Daily 3, possession 9, all species singly or in aggregate; applies during gun and extended falconry seasons.
Which license covers dove hunting in North Carolina?
State Hunting (resident) $32; Comprehensive Hunting (resident) $49; State Hunting (nonresident) $124; State Hunting 10-Day (nonresident) $99. Go Outdoors North Carolina sells them online, by phone and at agents.
Can you hunt mourning doves after sunset?
Dove hunters start a half hour before sunrise and stop at sunset; no dove hunting on Sundays.
Are mourning doves open on Sundays?
Sunday is closed for mourning doves: G.S. 103-2 bars migratory bird hunting on Sundays by any method, falconry included.
Is orange needed for dove hunting?
No orange is needed while hunting mourning doves, which are migratory game birds rather than upland game.
Is it legal to bait mourning doves?
Mourning doves cannot be hunted over bait; wild birds are covered by the state bait ban.
Other photos on this page: Festive Coquette (CC BY 2.0); born1945 (CC BY 2.0); ianpreston (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).