Arkansas · Dove · 2026–27 Edition
Arkansas Dove Season 2026–27: Dates, Bag Limits & Shooting Hours
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mourning & White-Winged Dove · Segment 1 | Statewide | Sep 5 – Oct 25 |
| Mourning & White-Winged Dove · Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 8 – Jan 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Mourning & White-Winged — Daily | 15 |
|---|---|
| Mourning & White-Winged — Possession | 45 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | No daily or possession limit (must remain fully feathered in field and transport) |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 5, 2026) 06:16 — 19:30
Rule: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset (per AGFC). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
04 — License & HIP
Dove hunters in Arkansas need an Arkansas hunting license and — because doves are migratory game birds — HIP registration (Harvest Information Program). No federal Duck Stamp is required for doves.
Arkansas hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Arkansas — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does dove season open in Arkansas?
The 2026–27 opener is September 5, 2026. Most states open Sep 1 under the federal migratory bird framework.
When does dove season end in Arkansas?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 15, 2027. Split segments and late seasons vary — see the table above.
Do I need a Duck Stamp to hunt doves?
No. Doves are migratory game birds but the federal Duck Stamp is only required for waterfowl (ducks, geese, brant, swans). Dove hunters need only their state hunting license and HIP registration.
How many doves can you shoot in Arkansas per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Mourning & White-Winged — Daily — 15. Mourning & White-Winged — Possession — 45. Eurasian Collared-Dove — No daily or possession limit (must remain fully feathered in field and transport). Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting doves in Arkansas?
On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:16 to 19:30. The rule is: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset (per AGFC). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt doves on my own land in Arkansas without a license?
No — Arkansas's own regulation is unconditional: a resident must carry a hunting license to hunt by any means, with only two listed exceptions (licensed game-bird shooting resorts, and a narrow age-based carve-out) — neither is a landowner exemption. This directly contradicts a claim that circulates on several third-party sites.
Verified · Arkansas Game and Fish Commission · Last verified 2026-08-27
Publisher's note. Re-verified 2026-08-27 against AGFC's own 'Dove Season Dates and Bag Limits' page, fetched directly with a browser user agent (no block that day). The 2026-27 Dove Season block reads: 'Statewide: Sept. 5-Oct. 25, 2026 / Dec. 8, 2026-Jan. 15, 2027', then 'Mourning Dove and White-Winged Dove: Daily Bag Limit - 15, Possession Limit - 45' and 'Eurasian Collared-Dove: Daily Bag Limit - No limit, Possession Limit - No limit'. All four values are what this file carries, and the two segments match. The identification rule is quoted verbatim in bagLimits because it is the part hunters get wrong: 'Eurasian Collared Doves must remain fully feathered in the field and while being transported from the field.' Without the feathers a warden cannot tell an unlimited Eurasian from a limited mourning dove, so the exemption collapses. Two things to know for the next re-verification. This page does not state dove shooting hours - the 30-minutes-before-sunrise-to-sunset rule in this file's shootingHours block comes from AGFC regulation, not from this page. And the shotgun-only restriction with the three-shell plug, carried in this file, likewise comes from the AGFC Code Book rather than this season page.