Dove hunters should have good luck hunting fields that have sunflowers, other good food sources and water. Dove season begins Sept. 1.
Jake Dreilinger
The hunting season is kicking off for the year as many seasons begin Sept. 1. Those include cottontail rabbit, jackrabbit, dove, snipe, Virginia and sora rail, grouse, raccoon, Virginia opossum and the archery deer season. The squirrel season started on Aug. 1.
Information about any of the hunting seasons can be found in the hunting guides available at the North Platte Game and Parks office, online at outdoornebraska.gov or at local sporting goods stores.
Hunters should look over the guides and know the rules and regulations before hunting. Copies of the 2025-26 Public Access Atlas are also available, and hunters should utilize these books or go online to see all the public areas available across the state for walk-in hunting access.
Dove season
The annual dove season will find hunters in the field trying their hand at shooting these fast-flying birds.
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Dove hunting is a fun way to spend time in the field with family and friends. It's also an excellent opportunity to introduce youth and other novice hunters to hunting.
Doves are abundant statewide and, with generous bag limits, provide some excellent wing-shooting opportunities. The dove season is statewide Sept. 1 to Oct. 30, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively. Bag and possession limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared-doves in aggregate. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.
Sunflowers, millet and wheat provide good food sources and dove hunting opportunities. Many wildlife management areas have been planted with these crops earlier this year. For a listing of these areas, view the 2025 Dove Hunting Fact Sheet at outdoornebraska.gov on the "Other small game" web page.
Preseason scouting is recommended due to changing habitat conditions. All publicly accessible sites throughout the state -- including federal, state, conservation partner and private lands enrolled in Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters Program -- are displayed in the Public Access Atlas.
Private lands throughout the state also provide excellent hunting opportunities for doves. Hunters are reminded that they must obtain landowner permission prior to accessing private lands in Nebraska.
Nebraska residents 16 years and older and all nonresidents are required to have a valid Nebraska small game hunting permit, habitat stamp and Harvest Information Program number.
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Get the free HIP number at gooutdoorsne.com or at any Game and Parks office. Federal and state migratory bird hunting stamps, or duck stamps, are not required to hunt doves. Shotgun plugs are also required, restricting them to no more than three shells.
Hunters who harvest a dove with a leg band should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at reportband.gov. In addition, randomly selected hunters will be asked to save one wing from each dove during the first week of the season and mail them postage-free to the Service.
Eurasian collared doves also may be harvested between Oct. 31, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026, with bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively.
Early teal season
The early teal seasons begin Sept. 6 to Sept. 14 for both the high and low plains areas. The daily bag limit of six birds is a combination of blue and green-winged and cinnamon teal. The possession limit is 18 teal. Hunters will need to be able to correctly identify teal from other duck species during the early teal season. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
Hunter will need to purchase their Nebraska habitat stamp, federal duck stamp, and obtain the free harvest information program number to hunt any migratory bird including ducks, geese, doves, snipe, rail, coot or woodcock.
Hunters will also need to choose a Tier for duck hunting. The Tier I or Tier II are explained in the Small Game and Waterfowl guide.
Hunter education
Hunters ages 12 to 29 must have completed firearm hunter education and carry proof on their person when hunting anything with a firearm or crossbow.
Those wishing to bow hunt must complete the bow hunter education course and carry proof on their person when hunting deer, antelope, elk or mountain sheep with a bow and arrow.
If you need a class, go to outdoornebraska.gov and click on the "hunt" tab and "hunter education" to check the web site for additional hunt safe sessions or the traditional ten-hour classes in your area. Those interested in classes may also sign up for class notifications; when a class is available in your area, you will receive an email and a link to sign up for the class.
There are two Hunt Safe sessions taking place in North Platte on Aug. 25 and Sept. 30. Both classes require online registration on the Game and Parks web page. Hunt Safe sessions are for youth age 15 and under that take and pass the online hunter education course.
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