Tennessee Dove Season 2026–27: Dates, Bag Limits & Shooting Hours

The 2026–27 opener is September 1, 2026. Most states open Sep 1 under the federal migratory bird framework.

The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 15, 2027. Split segments and late seasons vary — see the table above.

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.

2026–27 bag limits: Mourning Dove — Daily — 15. Possession — 45 (3× daily limit for all migratory game birds). Eurasian Collared-Dove — No limit — but any dove not readily identifiable as Eurasian collared counts toward the mourning-dove bag. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.

On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:49 to 19:13. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset (federal migratory-bird framework) — EXCEPT opening day (Sept. 1), which the TWRA seasons summary prints as 'Sept. 1, opens at noon'. The noon start applies to that first day only; every later day of all three segments runs the standard half-hour-before-sunrise hours. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Tennessee sun times for any other date.

Tennessee landowners, their spouse and children (and children's spouses), may hunt and fish their own farmland without a license — they don't have to live there. Tenants get the same right, but only while actually living on the land with the owner's permission. Deer, bear, and boar permits and the Duck Stamp still apply, and a signed exemption statement must be carried while hunting.