ASHTABULA COUNTY LEADS FALL WILD TURKEY GUN HARVEST
Ohio’s fall archery season for wild turkey continues through November 25
COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio hunters increased their wild turkey harvest by nearly 7 percent during the state’s 12th annual fall gun-hunting season that opened in 37 counties on October 13 and ended October 28, according to preliminary figures released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Preliminary total showed 1,077 birds harvested this year, as opposed to last year’s preliminary gun-season total of 1,010 birds.
The top 10 counties this year were Ashtabula-83, Guernsey-62, Trumbull-54, Coshocton-47, Columbiana and Brown-41 each, Jackson-40, Clermont-38, and Ashland, Gallia, and Tuscarawas-36 each.
There’s still time for hunters to take advantage of the fall season and a good wild turkey population. The archery-only portion of the wild turkey hunting season began October 29 and will run through November 25.
During the archery-only portion of the fall turkey hunt, hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Participating hunters must have a fall turkey permit, as well as a 2007 Ohio hunting license.
Prior to the start of the fall hunting season, Ohio’s wild turkey population was estimated at approximately 180,000 birds, according to the Division of Wildlife. Wild turkeys, absent in the state a half-century ago, now inhabit each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
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EDITORS NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF WILD TURKEYS CHECKED AND TAGGED DURING THE RECENT FALL GUN HUNTING SEASON. THE NUMBER TAKEN DURING THE 2006 FALL TURKEY SEASON IS MARKED IN ( ): 2007 (2006)
Adams –28 (26); Ashland –36 (26); Ashtabula –83 (64); Athens -17 (19); Belmont –14 (10); Brown –41 (24); Carroll –33 (31); Clermont –38 (21); Columbiana –41 (30); Coshocton –47 (50); Gallia –36 (32); Geauga –18 (12); Guernsey –62 (34); Harrison –31 (47); Highland –29 (25); Hocking –21 (28); Holmes –35 (14); Jackson –40 (40); Jefferson –16 (22); Knox –26 (28); Lawrence –19 (17); Licking –18 (24); Meigs –31 (26); Monroe –22 (32); Morgan – 9 (30); Morrow-24 (12); Muskingum –21 (21); Noble –19 (25); Perry –25 (27); Pike –8 (13); Richland –24 (19); Ross – 16 (21); Scioto –17 (20); Trumbull –54 (29); Tuscarawas –36 (41); Vinton –20 (36); Washington –22 (34); Total –1,077 (1,010)