Hunting News

3,875 turkeys taken in spring Saturday opener

3,875 turkeys taken in spring Saturday opener

By Ohio Department of Natural Resources

For the first time, a Saturday opening day and weekend start to Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunting season resulted in 3,875 birds taken by hunters on April 24-25. Following a change approved by the Wildlife Council in 2020, the 2021 spring wild turkey hunting season started on Saturday instead of the traditional Monday.

Wild turkey hunting was open in Ohio’s south zone only beginning April 24. Hunting in the northeast zone, comprised of five counties in Ohio’s snow belt, opens May 1.  

The top 10 counties for wild turkey harvest during the opening weekend of the 2021 south zone include Columbiana (149), Belmont (132), Guernsey (129), Meigs (124), Jefferson (117), Muskingum (117), Tuscarawas (113), Adams (112), Monroe (112), and Brown (107).  

As of April 25, the Division of Wildlife issued 47,560 wild turkey permits, valid throughout the spring hunting season. In addition to the opening weekend results, youth hunters harvested 1,473 wild turkeys during Ohio’s youth season on April 17-18.  

In 2020, 3,566 birds were checked during the opening two days in the south zone. More information about previous turkey seasons can be found in the Spring Turkey Harvest Summary.

Ohio has two zones for 2021 spring wild turkey hunting: the south zone and the northeast zone. Hunting in the south zone is open until May 23. The northeast zone is open from May 1 to May 30. Hunters are required to have a hunting license in addition to a spring permit. Find complete details in the 2020-2021 Hunting and Trapping Regulation Booklet.

The spring hunting season limit is two bearded wild turkeys, but hunters may harvest only one bearded turkey per day. A second permit may be purchased at any time throughout the spring season. A turkey is required to be checked no later than 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest using the new HuntFish OH mobile app, the automated game-check system, by calling (877)824-4864, or at a participating license agent.

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