 Ohio's spring turkey season is about to get underway and state wildlife biologists say hunters should expect many opportunities to bring home a gobbler. The four-week turkey season runs April 26 through May 23.
An estimated 200,000 wild turkeys currently inhabit Ohio’s 88 counties. It’s often hard to believe that Ohio’s first turkey hunting season in 1966 covered only nine counties with an estimated population of a few thousand turkeys across the state. Through wise wildlife management, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has successfully restored the eastern wild turkey to Ohio's woodlands. In fact, Ohio is gaining a national reputation as one of the best turkey hunting states in the Midwest.
Turkey hunting continues to increase in popularity each year. Last spring, 20,031 gobblers were harvested.
Hunters are required to have a turkey hunting permit and may take a limit of two bearded gobblers this season if they also possess a special bonus turkey permit. Legal hunting hours are one-half before sunrise until noon.
 A special youth-only turkey hunt, for hunters 17-years-old and younger, will be held April 24 and 25, prior to the regular spring gobbler season. Young hunters must have their hunting license and spring wild turkey permit to participate, and must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 18 years of age or older.
The young hunter's turkey season is open on private and pubic land with the exception of Lake LaSuAn Wildlife Area in Williams County. Legal hunting hours for the youth season are from a half hour before sunrise to sunset each day during the two-day season, April 24-25.For those youth hunters participating in the youth season, turkey must be checked in no later than 6:00 p.m. the day after harvest.
Wild turkeys must be properly tagged and taken to an official check station by 2 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested. Shotguns, longbows and crossbows may be used to hunt wild turkeys. It is unlawful to hunt turkeys over bait, to use a live decoy or electronic calling device, and to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife advises hunters to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving, or moving through hunting areas so they can remain visible to other hunters in the area. A pamphlet, "What Every Spring Gobbler Hunter Should Know," is distributed by hunting license vendors. It contains safety tips and a list of turkey check stations.
Page Updated 5/17/04
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