COLUMBUS, OH - Young hunters took a record number of wild turkeys during Ohio's spring youth turkey season this weekend, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Hunters age 17 and under killed 1,519 birds statewide during a special youth-only turkey hunt, April 24 and 25. Last year, on public land only, the youth season total was 421. Coshocton County led the state with 63 birds checked by young hunters. Other top counties included Jackson, Ashtabula, Ashland, and Guernsey.
"This year's youth season was a great start to Ohio's spring turkey hunting," said Dave Swanson, forest research biologist. "The opportunity to hunt on both private and public land this year provided young hunters even more chances to bag a turkey."
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| Scott and Nate Zody with Nate's (right) first turkey taken in Hocking County. |
Preliminary results showed 2,285 bearded wild turkeys were killed on Monday, April 26 - opening day of Ohio's spring turkey hunting season, compared to the 3,528 hunted last year's opening day. The season is open statewide through May 23.
State wildlife biologists say that about 200,000 wild turkeys are present in Ohio this year.
Guernsey County led the state on Monday with 90 wild turkeys killed. Other top counties included Ashtabula, 89; Harrison, 87; Coshocton, 81; Clermont, 76; Columbiana and Jefferson, 73; Knox, 67; Richland, 65; and Scioto, 62.
This is the fifth year that spring turkey hunting has been open in all 88 Ohio counties. In 1999, the spring hunt was open in only 57 counties.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife estimates that more than 95,000 people will hunt turkeys during the four-week season. Hunters, with the proper permits, may take a limit of two bearded turkeys during the four-week season, but not more than one wild turkey per day. Legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon seven days a week. All hunters are required to take their turkeys to an official check station for permanent tagging by 2 p.m. on the day of harvest.