| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 01 SEP – 29 NOV 2026 | 90d |
As publishedSep 1, 2026 - Nov 29, 2026 (regular); Nov 30 - Dec 16, 2026 (falconry)
Bag limit is a combined total of all dove species.Separate falconry season Nov 30-Dec 16, 2026 (daily 3/possession 9) not included in seasons array. Missouri Small Game Hunting Permit + Migratory Bird Hunting Permit required (restructured into Resident/Nonresident permits for 2026, prices increased). HIP certification is a nationwide federal requirement for migratory game bird hunting applicable in Missouri, but the exact confirming sentence was not located on MDC's published pages.
MDC's own field guide lists mourning dove range as "Statewide" with no zoned season or density map — but its population-status language carries a real, stated qualifier once checked closely: "common migrant and summer resident statewide; common winter resident in the southeast, but uncommon elsewhere." This is a winter-residency distinction, not a breeding-season or hunting-season density claim (the Sept 1–Nov 29 regular season falls entirely within the "common statewide" period).
The federal survey cannot say whether Missouri dove numbers are rising or falling. Its 2016 to 2025 estimate comes out at -0.90% per year, but the range around it runs from -2.09% to +0.30%, wide enough in both directions that no direction can be called. Read that as unknown, not as steady. The figures also run through 2025, one season behind this fall.
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