Turkey Hunting Season Underway

Ohio hunters checked 4,078 wild turkeys during the opening weekend of spring hunting season according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The top 10 counties for wild turkey harvest reported during the opening weekend of the 2023 south zone: Adams (129), Muskingum (127), Belmont (117), Guernsey (115), Gallia (114), Harrison (114), Jefferson (111), Monroe (109), Tuscarawas (105), and Meigs (104).

Wild turkey hunting in Ohio’s south zone is open until Sunday, May 21. Hunting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon through April 30. Beginning May 1, south zone hunters can hunt from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. The spring season begins in the northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties) on Saturday, April 29.

Ohio’s spring season limit is one bearded turkey. 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).

Wild turkeys were extirpated in 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, and Ohio hunters checked more than 20,000 turkeys for the first time that year. More information about previous turkey seasons can be found in the Spring Turkey Harvest Summary.