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  Top 10 Tips
  Hunters are encouraged to take safety precautions when afield. A majority of hunting-related accidents are the result of hunters being mistaken for game. To avoid this mistake, hunters should consider these safety tips:
  1 Don't Stalk Do not stalk a turkey or turkey sounds or try to drive turkeys to another hunter. The chances of bagging a turkey by this method are slim, but the chances of becoming involved in a shooting are great. Always call the turkey to you.
  2 Dress For Success Eliminate the colors black, red, white, and blue from your hunting clothing. These colors are predominant in the male turkey’s plumage and can contribute to a mistaken-for-game incident. Wear complete camouflage.
  3 Remain Still Never move, wave, or make turkey sounds to alert another hunter of your presence. Instead, yell or speak in a loud voice and remain still. Never assume you are the only hunter in an area.
  4 Calling Be careful when using the gobble call. The sound and motion may attract other hunters and lead to a dangerous situation.
  5 Positioning Select a calling position that places your back against a large tree and leaves the area in front of you open. Do not hide so well that you cannot see turkeys and other hunters. The tree you sit against will camouflage your outline and help protect your back.
  6 Identify Your Target Never shoot at a sound or movement. Remember you can legally shoot only a bearded turkey during the spring season.
  7 Hunter Orange Wear hunter orange when walking in the woods. If you kill a turkey, tag it immediately and then conceal it or wrap an orange covering on the bird before walking out of the woods.
  8 Know Your Range Do not shoot at a turkey out of your shotgun’s effective range. Always shoot at the head and neck of the bird and remember that 30 yards or closer is ideal for a safe, clean kill. Remember to pattern your gun before the hunt and do not use large shot. A number 4, 5, 6, or 7 1/2 shot is ideal for turkey hunting in Ohio.
  9 See the Beard Never let excitement, nerves, panic, or peer pressure guide your behavior. Make sure the object you are shooting is a bearded turkey. The most critical moment of any turkey hunt is when you decide to pull the trigger. See a beard before you shoot.
  10 Get educated Attend a Division of Wildlife hunter education course. The NWTF and the Division of Wildlife sponsor turkey hunting seminars each year.

Spring Gobbler Season Starts
Monday, April 21

As many as 185,000 hunters will take to the woods between April 21 and May 18 for Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunting season. The spring season is open in all 88 counties for shotgun (shot), crossbow and longbow hunters.

The wild turkey is Ohio’s largest game bird, standing 3 to 4 feet high and weighing as much as 27 pounds. Wildlife biologists estimate Ohio’s current wild turkey population at 185,000.

A special youth-only season for hunters age 17 and younger is set for the weekend of April 19-20 on public and private hunting areas, except for the Lake LaSuAn Wildlife Area in Williams County, which conducts a controlled youth hunt. Young hunters must have all required licenses and permits and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult age 18 or older. Legal hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to sunset each day during the two-day youth season. Youth hunters can only harvest one bearded turkey during the season.

All wild turkey hunters must have a valid Ohio hunting license and a spring turkey permit. A bag limit of one bearded turkey per day can be harvested. Although a second permit may be purchased that allows a second bearded turkey to be taken. All turkeys must be tagged and checked by 2 p.m. on the day of harvest. Legal hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise until noon during the regular season.

In Ohio, it is unlawful to hunt turkeys over bait, to use a live decoy or electronic calling device, or to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree.