COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio hunters are expected to enjoy a record spring turkey hunting season for a 23rd consecutive year when it opens statewide on April 24, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Ohio's spring wild turkey hunting season, April 24 through May 14, will be statewide this year for the first time in its history. Legal hunting hours are one-half before sunrise until noon. 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.

A special youth-only turkey hunt, for those 15-years-old and younger who are accompanied by an adult, is open on all Ohio public hunting areas on April 21 and 22.

Last year, hunters killed a record 14,410 wild turkeys during a season that was open in 57 counties. The counties where most turkeys were taken included Ashtabula, Guernsey, Muskingum, Coshocton, and Harrison. It was the 22nd consecutive record spring turkey season harvest dating back to 1978 when 147 bearded gobblers were taken by hunters in 18 counties.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife estimates more than 52,000 people will hunt wild turkeys during the three-week spring season. An estimated 132,500 wild turkeys now inhabit all but eight of Ohio’s 88 counties. Stocking efforts were initiated this winter to reintroduce wild turkeys to those counties where they have been absent.

Wild turkeys must be properly tagged and taken to an official check station by 2 p.m. on the day they are killed. Shotguns, longbows, and crossbows may be used to hunt wild turkeys. It is unlawful to take more than one wild turkey per day, to hunt turkeys over bait, to use a live decoy or electronic calling device while hunting turkeys, and to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree.

The Division of Wildlife advises hunters to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving, and moving through hunting areas so they may remain visible to other hunters.

"It’s essential to properly identify your target as a legal target while hunting. Never shoot at a sound or movement," said Dave Wilson, supervisor of the wildlife division’s outdoor skills unit.

The wild turkey is Ohio’s largest game bird. It stands three to four feet tall and may weigh up to 27 pounds. The average weight of adult wild turkeys killed during the hunting season is 19 pounds, while the average weight of juvenile turkeys is 14 pounds.

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For Further Information Contact:
John Wisse, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(614) 265-6539
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Dave Swanson, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(740) 664-2745