As publishedSept 1, 2026 - Nov 8, 2026 and Dec 12, 2026 - Jan 1, 2027
Split season with two segments.By far Ohio's most-hunted migratory game bird (ODNR's 2020-21 hunter survey estimated ~23,234 hunters and ~310,392 birds harvested statewide that season - historical context only, not current-year data). HIP certification required per general migratory-bird rule, though the specific rule text/URL was not independently re-verified against a single primary ohiodnr.gov page in this pass (secondary/search-synthesis confidence for the HIP requirement specifically; the season dates and bag limit themselves are primary-sourced from ODNR's official chart).
No ODNR-specific pre-season dove survey exists; only retrospective coverage via the Ohio Hunter Questionnaire (Small Game Analysis), last directly confirmed edition 2020-21, fresher edition not located. Only the federal USFWS Mourning Dove Population Status report (Eastern Management Unit) gives a forward population-status read; re-confirmed not yet published for 2026 as of 2026-08-19.