|
WILD TURKEYS CHECKED AND TAGGED THROUGH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13
|
| COUNTY |
2003 |
2004 |
| Adams |
12 |
21 |
| Athens |
34 |
17 |
| Ashland |
22 |
26 |
| Ashtabula |
51 |
38 |
| Belmont |
13 |
16 |
| Brown |
21 |
23 |
| Carroll |
23 |
28 |
| Clermont |
28 |
29 |
| Columbiana |
16 |
27 |
| Coshocton |
31 |
37 |
| Gallia |
22 |
28 |
| Geauga |
22 |
11 |
| Guernsey |
37 |
23 |
| Harrison |
34 |
21 |
| Highland |
11 |
9 |
| Hocking |
21 |
26 |
| Holmes |
19 |
15 |
| Jackson |
37 |
26 |
| Jefferson |
18 |
17 |
| Knox |
26 |
21 |
| Lawrence |
8 |
8 |
| Licking |
32 |
22 |
| Meigs |
19 |
21 |
| Monroe |
21 |
14 |
| Morgan |
22 |
11 |
| Muskingum |
17 |
17 |
| Noble |
26 |
27 |
| Perry |
24 |
19 |
| Pike |
9 |
14 |
| Richland |
18 |
12 |
| Ross |
16 |
8 |
| Scioto |
9 |
11 |
| Trumbull |
27 |
24 |
| Tuscarawas |
28 |
22 |
| Vinton |
24 |
22 |
| Washington |
14 |
15 |
| Preliminary Total |
812 |
726 |
|
COLUMBUS, OH -- Hunters harvested 726 wild turkeys during the first five days of Ohio’s ninth annual fall wild turkey gun-hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The season opened on October 9 and will run through October 24.
Last year, hunters killed a total of 812 birds in the same time period.
“Hunters should take advantage of the exceptional fall weather to pursue a wild turkey,” said Dave Swanson, a state wildlife biologist. “Reproductive success improved this spring and hunters are likely to see a greater number of birds in the field than in the past three years when the abundance of turkeys was compromised by poorer-than-normal survival of poults.”
Wild turkeys can be hunted in 36 counties during the fall season. The archery-only portion of the fall turkey season, introduced in 2002, will begin October 25 and run through November 28.
Fall wild turkey hunting hours are a half hour before sunrise to sunset. The bag limit is one turkey of either sex per hunter, per season. A fall turkey permit is required in addition to a current Ohio hunting license. All turkeys killed must be taken to an official turkey checking station by 8 p.m. on the day of harvest.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife reminds hunters that the season will partially overlap the Special Area Muzzleloader Season (October 25-30) deer hunt on three state-owned areas: Wildcat Hollow, Salt Fork Wildlife Area, and Shawnee State Forest. Turkey hunting will not be allowed on these areas during the muzzleloading deer-hunting season.
More than 26,000 hunters pursued wild turkeys in Ohio last fall. Ohio's first fall wild turkey hunting season was in 1996.