For those who don’t hunt, fall may officially start on September 22nd, the Autumn Equinox. For hunters, though, fall begins Tuesday when dove season opens.

More doves are harvested each year than all other game birds combined. That makes dove season one of the most important times of the year for the Salina Ace Hardware and Sporting Goods store.

Al Gebhart from Ace says dove season is appealing for multiple reasons. It’s an opportunity to get out and shoot without having to get up at the crack of dawn in freezing cold weather.

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, hunters should consider the many fields in state wildlife areas that are managed for dove hunting. Each year, agency staff plant and prepare fields with sunflowers, wheat stubble, and other food sources to attract doves and provide hunters with safe and quality hunting experiences.

The 2026 migratory dove hunting season in Kansas runs from September 1 through November 29 and includes mourning and white-winged doves. Exotic doves – Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves – may be taken year-round.

Hunters may keep a daily bag limit of up to 15 migratory doves total, which can be mourning and white-winged doves in any combination.

There is no limit on Eurasian collared or ringed turtle doves, but any taken in addition to the migratory dove daily bag limit must have a fully feathered wing attached for identification while in transport.

The possession limit for migratory doves is 45.

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For more information on dove hunting in Kansas, visit https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/outdoor-activities/hunting-in-kansas/what-to-hunt/migratory-birds/dove.

To purchase Kansas hunting licenses and permits, visit GoOutdoorsKansas.gov.