Dove and quail are the small-game seasons most Southwest Florida hunters can actually get to. Both have clear statewide dates. Public land is where it gets specific.
Florida’s 2026-2027 dove season (mourning and white-winged doves) is split in three, according to FWC (retrieved Oct. 1, 2026):
The daily bag limit is 15 and the possession limit is 45. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. Seasons and dates may not apply to wildlife management areas.
You need a hunting license and a migratory bird permit, which is no cost and valid Sept. 1 to March 31. The migratory bird permit is not required for hunters under 16 or over 65. Doves do not need a waterfowl permit or duck stamp.
Two unlawful methods matter for doves. You cannot take migratory birds from a motor vehicle, and you cannot hunt over bait where you know or reasonably should know that the area is baited. FWC has a page on normal agricultural practices for dove fields that explains baiting rules. I did not read that page, so read it before you hunt a field.
Outside the WMA system, quail season runs statewide Nov. 14 to March 7, with a daily bag limit of 12 and a possession limit of 24. Rifles, shotguns, handguns, pistols, muzzleloaders, air guns, crossbows and bows may be used. Quail may also be taken during archery, crossbow and muzzleloading seasons using those methods (FWC, retrieved Oct. 1, 2026).
FWC’s quail page says that if you plan to hunt a WMA, you must check its brochure, because seasons, dates and bag limits may differ from the statewide season.
FWC’s four Quail Enhancement Areas are Apalachicola, Blackwater, Jennings Forest and Three Lakes WMAs. None is in Southwest Florida, and their 2027 dates had not been posted as of retrieval, with dates to be available mid-December 2026.
The relevant public land here is Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb WMA near Punta Gorda. FWC states (retrieved Oct. 1, 2026):
On the permit side, FWC’s schedule lists Dove Hunt Permits with Phase I applications July 31 to Aug. 10, 2026, and Phase II leftovers from Aug. 13 until filled or the final hunt date (FWC, retrieved Oct. 1, 2026). I did not check whether leftovers remain.
FWC has a separate interactive dove field map, which is the right place to look for fields near you. I did not open it.
Resident hunting license $17.00 annual, management area permit $26.50 annual if you hunt a WMA, migratory bird permit at no cost (confirm on the FWC license page) (FWC, retrieved Oct. 1, 2026). See our hunting license cost guide for the full table.
Dove season closes in segments. Between Oct. 18 and Nov. 14, and again between Dec. 6 and Dec. 19, the season is closed (FWC, retrieved Oct. 1, 2026). Quail, by contrast, is one continuous window from Nov. 14 to March 7 outside the WMA system, so the statewide calendar is simpler even though the WMA calendar is not.
Dates and quotas on WMAs. Shot type: FWC requires nontoxic shot for ducks, geese and coots, and this post did not verify a shot rule for doves or quail, so check the area brochure. Hunting dogs and field etiquette are in the brochure too. Wear fluorescent orange on scheduled hunt days where FWC encourages it, as it does at Babcock/Webb.