Dove Season in Alabama 2023: Get Your Shotguns Ready! Ultimate Guide to a Successful Dove Hunt

Dove hunting is popular in Alabama, which gives many hunting options. Dove hunters flock to Alabama for its excess of doves and many public hunting sites. Alabama attracts hundreds of dove hunters each year, and hunters are preparing for an exciting dove season. The state holds mourning and white-winged dove hunting seasons and unique young dove hunts yearly. Alabama’s dove season is a time to hunt and enjoy the state’s natural beauty. This article covers the Alabama dove season, including rules, hunting tips, and other important information.

Types of Doves can be hunted in Alabama

Mourning Dove: Alabama has many American mourning doves. Its long, curved tail has white ends. These urban, suburban, and rural birds coo. Seeds and oats are their diets. Alabama has mourning dove seasons.

White-winged Dove: White-winged Doves have a white stripe on their folded wings and a white-tipped tail. These doves are bigger than mourning doves and have longer, curved tails and rounder beaks. They have ruby eyes and grayish-brown hair. The whitetail spot and wing band are distinctive. Alabama’s White-winged Dove is fascinating and rarely seen. It is rarely seen in Alabama.

Eurasian Collared-Dove: The Eurasian Collared-Dove is light gray with a black half-collar around its neck. Its tail is also squared. This species has become more common in Alabama and other US states despite being non-native. Look for this dove on power lines or browsing in open areas.

Rock Dove: Alabama’s common dove, the Rock Dove, is a big bird. It has a tiny beak and blue-gray plumage. Its two wide dark bands on its wings stand out. Flight highlights these lines. Rock Dove thrives in cities, parks, and rural areas. Its cooing cry draws huge groups. Despite their droppings and combative behaviour, Rock Doves are popular with birdwatchers and city people.

Common Ground-Dove (Protected Species):  The Common Ground-Dove is short-tailed and stocky. Its white wings have brown spots, making it unique. Alabama protects this rare to unusual species. Birdwatchers and nature lovers enjoy seeing the bird due to its unique features and protected status. To aid conservation efforts, submit sightings of rare animals and their areas to local conservation officials.

Dove Season Alabama

ZonesSeason DatesShooting Hours
NorthSeptember 2-3 12 noon until sunset
NorthSeptember 4 - October 23until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise
NorthNovember 19-27until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise
NorthDecember 17 - January 15 until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise
SouthSeptember 9-10 12 noon until sunset
SouthSeptember 11 - October 30until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise
SouthNovember 19-27until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise
SouthDecember 17 - January 15 until sunset, an hour and a half before sunrise

Bag Limits

The bag limit for North and South Zones is 15 doves daily.

Dove Zones

Mourning bird hunting, a social fall hunting activity, is enjoyed by many. Alabama has two zones: the North Zone (58 northernmost counties) and the South Zone (9 southernmost counties). These zones open for hunting a week apart in early September. This division allows more precise dove population control in each area.

North Zones

All counties, with the exception of those in the south zone.

South Zones

BaldwinGeneva
CoffeeHenry
CovingtonHouston
DaleMobile
Escambia

Youth Dove Hunts

Volunteers, farms, companies, and groups help the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources host fall youth dove hunts. Youth hunters under 15 must be escorted by a 21-year-old or their parent and have a valid state hunting license and HIP certification. Participants should also don eye protection and earplugs.

Youth Dove Hunts Season

District 1 (Northwest Alabama) 256-353-2634
COUNTYDATES
Colbert County3-Sep
Lawrence County3-Sep
Morgan County3-Sep
Walker County3-Sep
Limestone County10-Sep
Madison County10-Sep
District 2 (North Central-Northeast Alabama) 256-435-5422
Marshall County10-Sep
Talladega CountyCanceled
Calhoun County17-Sep
Calhoun County17-Sep
Jackson County24-Sep
District 3 (Central-West Central Alabama) 205-339-5716
Shelby County3-Sep
Greene County24-Sep
Hale County24-Sep
Hale County21-Nov
District 4 (East Central-Southeast Alabama) 334-347-1298
Crenshaw County3-Sep
Henry County10-Sep
Barbour County24-Sep
Henry County24-Sep
Macon County24-Sep
Crenshaw County1-Oct
District 5 (Southwest Alabama) 251-626-5474
Monroe County3-Sep
Monroe County10-Sep
Monroe County24-Sep
Baldwin County15-Oct
Baldwin County22-Oct
Monroe County22-Oct

Note: The dates above are for 2022; the latest dates will be updated as soon as they are announced

Dove Hunts registration for Youth

Alabama’s Child Dove Hunts are first-come, first-served. You can only apply for another hunt after the hunt you enrolled for has ended. Time-stamped registration depends on available spots. You would be informed by email if you were picked for the hunt, an option, or not selected every hour. If selected, you will get a notification with a code to get your permit. Registration for Youth Dove Hunts is required and it begins on August 15 of each year.

Hunting Regulations

  • Hunting doves on farm soil is legal. This involves picking, post-harvest modification, and other farming methods.
  • Dove hunting is legal on top-sown or aerial-seeded areas where the seeds were dispersed purely for farming planting, soil runoff control, or post-mining land restoration.
  • Hunting doves on land where corn or feed was dispersed or strewn purely due to farming crop manipulation is legal.
  • If animal food areas are grown according to Joint State Research, Education, and Extension Service guidelines, dove hunting is legal. The seed must be spread according to Extension Service food production standards without such suggestions.
  • If field enhancements or cattle feeding are grown according to State Extension Experts’ suggestions, dove hunting is legal. The Fish and Wildlife Service does not distinguish between farming areas seeded for food harvesting and those not.
  • Hunting birds on farms is legal.
  • Hunting doves in natural or modified foliage is legal.
  • Dove hunting from a hide or shelter disguised with natural foliage is legal.

For complete regulations you may read it on eregulation website.

Limited Quota Dove Hunts at SOAs: Registration & Rules

Prairie Glades and Portland Landing SOAs will offer five limited quota dove hunts starting September 1 at 8:00 am. Hunts cost $10 administratively. Registration for the September 10 hunts closes at 5:00 pm on September 4, and the drawing is at 6:00 pm. After the drawing, registrants will receive an automatic email with their hunt status and 48 hours to accept. They’ll be refused and replaced if they don’t take the job within this period. Spring crops were sown in the dove farms, which will be legally modified before the hunts. Hunters and guests will have field locations. Unless exempt, dove hunters need a hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) approval.

Prairie Glades SOA in Montgomery County will hold limited-quota dove hunts on September 10th and 24th and October 8th and 22nd. Each game will have 30 hunts and one approved guest, totalling 60 hunters. Portland Landing SOA in Dallas County will host an 18-hunter quota dove hunt on September 10. Thirty-six chosen hunts can bring one licensed guest.

Dove Harvest Information Program (HIP)

The Harvest Information Program (HIP) is required for dove hunters. State wildlife agencies and the USFWS need the resource to accurately predict the number of migrating birds taken nationwide. These figures help biologists handle hunting seasons, bag limits, and populations. Hunters must participate in HIP to help protect and handle migrating bird populations for future generations.

FAQ related to Dove Season in Alabama

When is the dove season in Alabama?

Dove season in Alabama begins in early September and lasts 90 days. North Zone dove hunting begins on September 3, and South Zone on September 10 for the 2022-2023 season. For the latest details, visit the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) page.

How many doves can you shoot in Alabama?

Hunting 15 mourning or white-winged doves daily is allowed in Alabama during dove season.

What are the hunting license requirements for dove hunting in Alabama?

Hunting doves in Alabama requires a valid hunting licence, HIP registration, and a free map pass if hunting in a Wildlife Management Area (WMA). WMA hunting requires a pass for non-residents. Alabama’s All Game or Small Game Hunting License is enough to hunt doves, but other game animals may require different permits.

What are the shooting hours for dove hunting in Alabama?

Dove hunting in Alabama has seasonal firing hours. However, these hours may vary based on the year, so check the current rules before hunting. The first period of Alabama’s split season runs from noon to sunset, while the second period runs from one-half hour before dawn to sunset.

How common is dove hunting in Alabama?

Dove hunting in Alabama is common, with hunters spending over 100,000 days abroad and harvesting over 1 million doves. Hunting permits, equipment sales, and other activities generate millions of money for the state’s economy.

What type of dove can be hunted in Alabama?

Alabama allows mourning and white-winged dove hunting. The state’s most common bird is the mourning dove. White-winged doves are rare but growing in southern Alabama. The Eurasian collared dove, an alien species, is not protected by hunting laws, so hunters cannot kill it.

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