With the dove opener just a week away, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is helping hunters get ready for the early season with a little inspiration and a look at what you need to know before heading afield.
Inspiration
Watch this: get pumped for your dove outing by checking out videos from AZGFD's Dove Playlist on YouTube. From instructions on how to field dress a dove to fun hunting stories, cook-off winners and even delicious recipes, it's a great collection of dove season videos sure to make you wish Sept. 1 was already here.
Don't go it alone! Check out the Outdoor Skills Network for a list of upcoming dove hunting events and find everything else you need to know on the AZGFD Dove Hunting in Arizona page.
Updates
One of the biggest recent changes came last year with an update to the regulations. The daily bag limit is still 15 doves, but a hunter is no longer limited to a maximum of 10 white-winged doves as part of that total.
A hunter can now harvest any combination of mourning and white-winged doves that makes up a 15-bird limit, or a possession limit of 45 total. There is no daily bag or possession limit on invasive Eurasian collared-doves.
Notes: A fully feathered wing still must be left attached to each dove for identification purposes until a hunter reaches his or her permanent residence, or wherever the game meat will be consumed. Hunters also are encouraged to report any metal leg bands and return transmitters to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).
Outlook
Larisa Harding, AZGFD statewide small game program manager, has a season outlook for you:
"We expect an average year for mourning doves and perhaps above-average for white-winged doves. From what we've seen so far, white-winged doves appear to be in higher numbers than mourning doves across the state. The number of young birds on the ground is starting to increase, and we'd expect to see more of them over the next few weeks. That should be true for both species, though white-wings appear to be a little ahead of mourning doves in numbers and reproduction.
Expect hot spots to be near water resources, agricultural fields, and along the dry river courses where doves can find food and roost resources. The early dove season should provide lots of opportunity as long as we don't get some large monsoon storms just days prior to Sept. 1 that push doves to start migrating out of AZ."
Details
- Where to hunt: As usual, the greatest number of doves — and dove hunters — will be concentrated in the state's agricultural areas, particularly those that produce small-grain crops like wheat, barley, oats and sorghum. That includes locations like Yuma, one of the premier destinations in the U.S., as well as Buckeye, Eloy, Florence, Gila Bend, Toltec, and others. Note: All National Park Service parks and monuments are closed to hunting unless specifically opened by Commission Order.
- Licensing needs: All hunters 18 and older must possess a valid Arizona hunting license, as well as an Arizona migratory bird stamp — both of which can be purchased online at www.azgfd.com/license/. A youth combination hunt/fish license (for youth hunters 10 to 17) is only $5 and includes the Arizona migratory bird stamp. Those who are under 10 do not need a hunting license when accompanied by a licensed adult (two children per adult).
- Stay legal: All dove hunters should review the "2026-2027 Arizona Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon Regulations."
Conservation in Action
Dove hunters play an important role in conservation. Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) program funds consist of excise taxes collected on the sale of hunting and fishing equipment (including 11 percent on ammunition), the benefit of which comes right back to Arizona for habitat improvements, shooting ranges, boating access, and more.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department receives no general fund tax dollars. The majority of funding to manage more than 800 native wildlife species comes from Arizona's hunters and anglers.