| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 01 SEP – 29 NOV 2026 | 90d |
As publishedSep 1, 2026 - Nov 29, 2026
Bag limit as extracted includes Eurasian collared-dove under the same limit per ND G&F summary text; recommend verifying exact wording against the full PDF proclamation before publishing that detail verbatim. Statewide, no zones noted.
ND Game and Fish calls mourning dove the state's "most abundant game bird," found statewide, and publishes no density-region breakdown for it the way it does for pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse. But a peer-reviewed 1970-2017 landscape study using the same roadside brood-survey routes (Dinges et al. 2022, Wildlife Society Bulletin) found a real, sourced regional pattern tied to land use rather than a single-year density snapshot: long-term dove declines are concentrated in the state's most cropland-intensive regions, while cropland-light regions show no detectable long-term trend. Framed as a trend/stability distinction, not a current density-hotspot claim.
North Dakota dove numbers are up strongly over the last decade, at +4.13% per year from 2016 to 2025 on the federal survey, the largest gain in the Central Management Unit. Unlike most states showing a recent rise, North Dakota's long-term record points the same way at +0.88% per year across 59 years, so the recent decade extends a long climb rather than reversing a decline. These figures run through 2025, one season behind this fall.
Recent decade up 4.13% per year, extending a positive long-term record.
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