Results From Ohio’s Opening Weekend of Wild Turkey Hunting

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Wild turkey hunters in Ohio checked 4,281 birds during the opening weekend of the spring hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The season began on Saturday, April 19.

In 2024, hunters bagged 4,367 wild turkeys on the opening weekend, with a three-year average (2022 to 2024) of 3,912. The opening weekend results do not include the 1,740 birds taken during the youth-only weekend April 12-13.

Ohio hunters checked 4,281 wild turkeys during the opening weekend of the spring hunting season.

The top 10 counties for wild turkeys checked during the opening weekend of the 2025 season: Belmont (148), Meigs (136), Guernsey (135), Monroe (134), Carroll (122), Coshocton (122), Harrison (116), Washington (116), Columbiana (109), and Muskingum (109).

Wild turkey hunting is open in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone. The season kicks off in Ohio’s northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull) on Saturday, May 3. Hunting hours during the first nine days of each zone are from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon. Beginning Monday, April 28, hours in the south zone are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset until the season closes on May 18. The northeast zone’s hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset from May 12 to June 1.

The season bag limit is one bird statewide. Check the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.

Hunters are required to have a valid hunting license in addition to a spring turkey permit, unless exempted. Successful hunters are required to game-check their turkey no later than 11:30 p.m. on the day of harvest. Game check, licenses, and permits are available on the HuntFish OH app, via the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System, or at a participating license agent. Game check can also be done by phone at 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (877-824-4864). As of Sunday, April 20, the Division of Wildlife has issued 39,887 turkey hunting permits that are valid throughout the spring season. 

Each summer, the Division of Wildlife collects information on young wild turkeys, called poults. Brood surveys in 2022, 2023, and 2024 showed positive results that will benefit Ohio’s wild turkey population numbers this spring. The average poults per hen observed was 2.9 in 2024, 2.8 in 2023, and 3.0 in 2022, with a long-term average of 2.8. Ohio’s turkey biologists have found that spring turkey hunting success is closely tied to the hatch productivity two years prior. 

Wild turkeys disappeared (extirpated) from Ohio by 1904 and were reintroduced in the 1950s by the Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s first modern-day turkey season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters took 12 birds. The turkey harvest topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Spring turkey hunting opened statewide in 2000. More information about previous turkey seasons can be found in the Spring Turkey Harvest Summary.

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 wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
 

A county list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters during the opening weekend of the 2025 south zone is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the numbers for 2025, and the three-year average from 2022 to 2024 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and are subject to change.

Adams: 104 (115); Allen: 20 (21); Ashland: 44 (42); Ashtabula: 0 (0); Athens: 63 (82); Auglaize: 7 (12); Belmont: 148 (119); Brown: 109 (91); Butler: 49 (62); Carroll: 122 (110); Champaign: 25 (25); Clark: 6 (9); Clermont: 93 (76); Clinton: 25 (20); Columbiana: 109 (92); Coshocton: 122 (84); Crawford: 14 (14); Cuyahoga: 0 (0); Darke: 11 (15); Defiance: 60 (46); Delaware: 23 (19); Erie: 13 (11); Fairfield: 17 (29); Fayette: 5 (2); Franklin: 8 (4); Fulton: 30 (34); Gallia: 104 (106); Geauga: 0 (0); Greene: 6 (8); Guernsey: 135 (117); Hamilton: 20 (30); Hancock: 15 (9); Hardin: 24 (27); Harrison: 116 (112); Henry: 17 (14); Highland: 85 (83); Hocking: 69 (70); Holmes: 71 (52); Huron: 22 (21); Jackson: 88 (70); Jefferson: 101 (106); Knox: 87 (62); Lake: 0 (0); Lawrence: 67 (64); Licking: 80 (73); Logan: 37 (36); Lorain: 44 (28); Lucas: 19 (15); Madison: 2 (1); Mahoning: 84 (57); Marion: 15 (12); Medina: 33 (33); Meigs: 136 (108); Mercer: 10 (6); Miami: 9 (8); Monroe: 134 (103); Montgomery: 3 (8); Morgan: 74 (70); Morrow: 33 (46); Muskingum: 109 (108); Noble: 101 (82); Ottawa: 0 (0); Paulding: 19 (18); Perry: 65 (76); Pickaway: 4 (4); Pike: 50 (56); Portage: 86 (50); Preble: 34 (42); Putnam: 10 (12); Richland: 58 (58); Ross: 72 (78); Sandusky: 14 (9); Scioto: 97 (75); Seneca: 28 (29); Shelby: 11 (11); Stark: 84 (63); Summit: 15 (15); Trumbull: 0 (0); Tuscarawas: 98 (116); Union: 5 (14); Van Wert: 2 (6); Vinton: 76 (56); Warren: 19 (27); Washington: 116 (97); Wayne: 36 (30); Williams: 67 (57); Wood: 5 (8); Wyandot: 33 (26).

2025 total: 4,281
3-year average total: 3,912