COLUMBUS, OH - Hunters harvested 3,528 bearded wild turkeys on Monday, the opening day of Ohios spring turkey hunting season, which is open statewide through May 25, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Our wildlife officers and check station operators report good numbers of heavy gobblers with long spurs and beards being checked in around the state, said Dave Swanson, wild turkey project leader for the ODNR Division of Wildlife. This was the fourth best opening day since turkey hunting started in 1966.
Ashtabula County led the state on Monday with 181 wild turkeys taken. Other top counties included Harrison with 126, Athens with 125, Guernsey with 118, Meigs with 109, Jackson with 105, Coshocton and Richland with 104 each and Columbiana with 103.
This is the fourth year that spring turkey hunting has been open statewide. In 1999, the spring hunt was open in only 57 counties.
The preliminary opening day figure was 126 birds, or four percent, less than last years opening day number of 3,654 turkeys.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife estimates that more than 95,000 people will hunt turkeys during the four-week season which opened Monday and runs through May 25. Legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon daily.
A special youth-only turkey hunt was open last Saturday and Sunday on public hunting areas only for hunters age 17 and younger. Young hunters killed 421 birds statewide.
Only bearded (male) gobblers may be taken during the spring hunting season. Hunters are required to take their turkey to an official check station for permanent tagging by 2 p.m. on the day the turkey was harvested. Hunters with the proper permits may take a limit of two bearded gobblers during the four-week season, but not more than one wild turkey per day. About 220,000 wild turkeys are present in Ohio this year.