Minnesota · Dove · 2026 Edition
Minnesota Dove Season 2026: Dates, Bag Limits & Shooting Hours
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mourning Dove | Statewide | Sep 1 – Nov 29 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 15 |
|---|---|
| Possession | 45 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 06:08 — 19:55
Rule: One half-hour before sunrise to sunset (per MN DNR). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
04 — License & HIP
Dove hunters in Minnesota need a Minnesota hunting license and — because doves are migratory game birds — HIP registration (Harvest Information Program). No federal Duck Stamp is required for doves.
Minnesota hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Minnesota — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does dove season open in Minnesota?
The 2026 opener is September 1, 2026. Most states open Sep 1 under the federal migratory bird framework.
When does dove season end in Minnesota?
The latest 2026 closing date is November 29, 2026. 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 Minnesota per day?
2026 bag limits: Daily — 15. Possession — 45. 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 Minnesota?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 06:08 to 19:55. The rule is: One half-hour before sunrise to sunset (per MN DNR). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt doves on my own land in Minnesota without a license?
Minnesota's exemption is narrow: it covers small game only, and only on land that is your actual principal residence — owning land you don't live on doesn't qualify. Deer, bear, and turkey always need a license and tags, even at home.
Verified · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-27
Publisher's note. Re-verified 2026-08-27. dnr.state.mn.us returns 403 to automated fetchers on this project, so the page was read on 2026-08-27 through a text-extraction proxy of the same official URL (r.jina.ai), the same workaround this project uses for Michigan. The DNR mourning dove hunt information page states the whole season in one sentence, and every value in this file comes from it verbatim: 'Mourning dove hunt dates: Sept. 1-Nov. 29, from one half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Limit: Daily bag limit is 15; possession limit 45. Note: Only shotguns not capable of holding more than three shells may be used to take doves.' That first sentence is worth noting for a reason beyond the dates: Minnesota prints the shooting hours in the same line as the season, so this file's shootingHours block rests on an agency statement rather than on the federal migratory-bird framework - unlike several other dove files in this project, where the hours are inferred and flagged as such. The licensing rule is carried here because it contains a genuine exception hunters miss: 'All residents age 16 and over and all nonresidents must have a valid small game license in their possession. Residents may hunt doves without a license on property they occupy as their principal residence. All dove hunters must have evidence that they are HIP certified.' The residence exemption covers the license, not HIP certification. The page also links the complete regulations at page 57 of the state hunting regulations PDF.