Louisiana · Dove · 2026–27 Edition
Louisiana Dove Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 1 | North Zone | Sep 5 – Sep 27 |
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 1 | South Zone | Sep 5 – Sep 20 |
| Extended Falconry for Mourning Doves | Statewide | Sep 21 – Oct 7 |
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 2 | North Zone | Oct 10 – Nov 15 |
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 2 | South Zone | Oct 17 – Nov 29 |
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 3 | South Zone | Dec 12 – Jan 10 |
| Mourning & White-winged Dove · Segment 3 | North Zone | Dec 19 – Jan 17 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 15 in the aggregate — mourning and white-winged doves plus fully-dressed Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves |
|---|---|
| Possession | 45 in the aggregate |
| Falconry | 3 daily / 9 possession, singly or in the aggregate across all permitted migratory game birds |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 5, 2026) 06:17 — 19:25
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset — LDWF states the mourning-dove rule separately from its waterfowl rule, and both come out the same. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Louisiana sun times for any other date.
04 — License & HIP
Dove hunters in Louisiana need a Louisiana hunting license and — because doves are migratory game birds — HIP registration (Harvest Information Program). No federal Duck Stamp is required for doves.
Louisiana hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Louisiana — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does dove season open in Louisiana?
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 Louisiana?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 17, 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 Louisiana per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 15 in the aggregate — mourning and white-winged doves plus fully-dressed Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves. Possession — 45 in the aggregate. Falconry — 3 daily / 9 possession, singly or in the aggregate across all permitted migratory game birds. 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 Louisiana?
On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:17 to 19:25. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset — LDWF states the mourning-dove rule separately from its waterfowl rule, and both come out the same. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Louisiana sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt doves on my own land in Louisiana without a license?
No — Louisiana's own agency lists only two hunting-license exemptions (hunters 17 and under, and residents born before June 1, 1940), and landowners aren't among them.
Verified · Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries · Last verified 2026-08-11
Publisher's note. From the '2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Schedule' in the official Louisiana Hunting Regulations. Two things trip up hunters coming from other states: Louisiana opens dove on Sept. 5, not Sept. 1, and its dove zones are North/South — a different line from the East/West waterfowl zones in the same booklet, so a duck hunter's zone map is the wrong map here. LDWF draws the dove line as: from the Texas–Louisiana border on LA 12, east along LA 12 to US 190, east along US 190 to I-12, east along I-12 to I-10, then east along I-10 to the Mississippi state line — everything north of that run is the North Zone, everything south is the South Zone. The 15-bird bag covers mourning and white-winged doves plus fully-dressed Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves in aggregate; collared doves left fully feathered are handled separately by LDWF. The extended falconry season for mourning doves is listed as its own row because it runs on its own dates. LDWF's own domain blocks automated readers, so this file was built from the regulations PDF fetched directly.