Ohio’s Wild Turkey Hunting Season Continues Statewide
Written by WKTN Staff on May 12, 2020
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s wild turkey hunters have harvested 13,564 birds through three weeks of the 2020 spring season. Hunters harvested 15,565 wild turkeys during the same time in 2019.
The top 10 counties for wild turkey harvest during the first three weeks of the 2020 hunting season include: Belmont (419), Guernsey (410), Tuscarawas (403), Meigs (402), Monroe (396), Muskingum (364), Washington (360), Harrison (353), Coshocton (342), and Brown (340).
In addition to the first two weeks of hunting, youth hunters harvested 1,843 wild turkeys during Ohio’s youth season on April 18-19.
All counties are now open to hunting. The state has two zones for spring wild turkey hunting: the south zone and the northeast zone. The south zone is open until Sunday, May 17. The northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties) is open until Sunday, May 31. Find complete details in the 2019-2020 Hunting and Trapping Regulations or at wildohio.gov. For summaries of past turkey seasons, visit wildohio.gov/turkeyharvest.
The spring turkey season bag limit is two bearded wild turkeys. Hunters may harvest one bearded turkey per day, and a second spring turkey permit may be purchased at any time throughout the spring turkey season. Turkeys are required to be checked no later than 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest. All hunters are required to report their turkey harvest using the automated game-check system, which is available online, by phone or at a participating license agent.
Hunters may hunt wild turkeys with shotguns or archery equipment. It is unlawful to hunt turkeys using bait, live decoys or electronic calling devices, or to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree. The Division of Wildlife advises turkey hunters to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving or moving through hunting areas in order to remain visible to others.
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.
ODNR ensures a balance between the wise sue and protection of out natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
Note: A county list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters during the first three weeks of the 2020 season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2020, and the 2019 numbers are in parentheses. Harvest numbers below are raw data and subject to change.
The 2019 harvest numbers in the northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties) reflect two weeks of hunting, whereas the 2020 harvest numbers reflect only one week of hunting due to the northeast zone opening one week earlier in 2019 compared to 2020.
Adams: 334 (363); Allen: 65 (59); Ashland: 128 (163); Ashtabula: 193 (355); Athens: 308 (414); Auglaize: 45 (31); Belmont: 419 (476); Brown: 340 (333); Butler: 189 (155); Carroll: 290 (318); Champaign: 83 (84); Clark: 11 (15); Clermont: 293 (267); Clinton: 67 (57); Columbiana: 306 (266); Coshocton: 342 (455); Crawford: 43 (51); Cuyahoga: 3 (6); Darke: 53 (37); Defiance: 179 (158); Delaware: 107 (95); Erie: 36 (40); Fairfield: 90 (106); Fayette: 11 (10); Franklin: 16 (17); Fulton: 84 (89); Gallia: 317 (345); Geauga: 100 (177); Greene: 18 (21); Guernsey: 410 (440); Hamilton: 125 (90); Hancock: 34 (29); Hardin: 78 (77); Harrison: 353 (394); Henry: 39 (48); Highland: 330 (319); Hocking: 217 (249); Holmes: 170 (225); Huron: 98 (96); Jackson: 289 (335); Jefferson: 323 (355); Knox: 236 (268); Lake: 35 (48); Lawrence: 195 (203); Licking: 251 (300); Logan: 94 (99); Lorain: 112 (112); Lucas: 36 (57); Madison: 8 (6); Mahoning: 157 (144); Marion: 39 (24); Medina: 84 (116); Meigs: 402 (464); Mercer: 21 (16); Miami: 19 (19); Monroe: 396 (517); Montgomery: 22 (24); Morgan: 246 (344); Morrow: 109 (107); Muskingum: 364 (496); Noble: 306 (379); Ottawa: 1 (5); Paulding: 57 (57); Perry: 215 (260); Pickaway: 25 (16); Pike: 149 (202); Portage: 204 (214); Preble: 100 (113); Putnam: 45 (50); Richland: 173 (247); Ross: 259 (255); Sandusky: 18 (18); Scioto: 226 (245); Seneca: 90 (120); Shelby: 34 (31); Stark: 217 (250); Summit: 63 (64); Trumbull: 164 (301); Tuscarawas: 403 (452); Union: 34 (49); Van Wert: 14 (18); Vinton: 218 (265); Warren: 83 (93); Washington: 360 (492); Wayne: 98 (103); Williams: 152 (196); Wood: 22 (21); and Wyandot: 71 (65).
