COLUMBUS, Ohio – May 2, 2023 – Wild turkey hunters in Ohio have harvested 10,351 birds during the 2023 spring season as of Sunday, April 30, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Hunters checked an average of 9,433 turkeys during the same period in the previous three seasons (2020 to 2022). Hunters harvested 7,551 birds through the same time in the spring of 2022. This year’s total includes results from the two-day youth season April 15-16, nine days of hunting in the south zone following the season opener on April 22, and the first two days of hunting in the northeast zone, which opened April 29.
The 10 counties with the most wild turkeys checked so far in 2022 are Muskingum (316), Gallia (297), Tuscarawas (287), Belmont (279), Monroe (277), Meigs (269), Coshocton (268), Washington (265), Adams (264), and Jefferson (252).
The Division of Wildlife has issued 45,027 spring turkey permits that are valid throughout the spring hunting season.
Ohio has two zones for 2023 spring wild turkey hunting. The south zone’s season is open until Sunday, May 21. The northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties) will remain open until Sunday, May 28. The season bag limit is one bearded turkey. Complete details can be found in the 2022-23 hunting and trapping regulations.
Wild turkeys were extirpated in Ohio by 1904 and were reintroduced in the 1950s by the Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s first modern-day turkey season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters took 12 birds. The turkey harvest topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Spring turkey hunting opened statewide in 2000, and Ohio hunters checked more than 20,000 turkeys for the first time that year. More information about previous turkey seasons can be found in the Spring Turkey Harvest Summary.
Find more information about Ohio’s wild turkey hunting at wildohio.gov.
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
Editor’s Note: A total of all wild turkeys checked by hunters in each of Ohio’s counties through Sunday, April 30, 2023 is shown below. These results include nine days of hunting in the south zone, two days in the northeast zone, and the youth hunting season. The first number following the county’s name represents the 2023 harvest, with the three-year average for the corresponding dates (2020-2022) shown in parentheses. Numbers shown below are raw data and subject to change.
Adams: 264 (232); Allen: 57 (46); Ashland: 116 (102); Ashtabula: 170 (144); Athens: 200 (204); Auglaize: 28 (20); Belmont: 279 (284); Brown: 198 (227); Butler: 161 (117); Carroll: 225 (207); Champaign: 56 (53); Clark: 18 (12); Clermont: 200 (177); Clinton: 41 (43); Columbiana: 239 (265); Coshocton: 268 (237); Crawford: 33 (27); Cuyahoga: 1 (1); Darke: 46 (37); Defiance: 128 (119); Delaware: 56 (65); Erie: 30 (19); Fairfield: 79 (64); Fayette: 8 (7); Franklin: 17 (11); Fulton: 82 (68); Gallia: 297 (227); Geauga: 97 (55); Greene: 19 (13); Guernsey: 249 (283); Hamilton: 85 (61); Hancock: 30 (21); Hardin: 72 (53); Harrison: 241 (244); Henry: 34 (31); Highland: 229 (213); Hocking: 184 (153); Holmes: 132 (133); Huron: 59 (59); Jackson: 186 (188); Jefferson: 252 (246); Knox: 156 (170); Lake: 31 (21); Lawrence: 166 (131); Licking: 210 (181); Logan: 90 (72); Lorain: 68 (67); Lucas: 25 (31); Madison: 4 (4); Mahoning: 124 (109); Marion: 24 (24); Medina: 61 (64); Meigs: 269 (277); Mercer: 18 (13); Miami: 22 (19); Monroe: 277 (273); Montgomery: 32 (16); Morgan: 171 (175); Morrow: 95 (84); Muskingum: 316 (261); Noble: 243 (226); Ottawa: 0 (0); Paulding: 50 (42); Perry: 215 (162); Pickaway: 16 (12); Pike: 169 (110); Portage: 109 (127); Preble: 110 (65); Putnam: 20 (28); Richland: 153 (124); Ross: 189 (177); Sandusky: 19 (17); Scioto: 187 (146); Seneca: 83 (70); Shelby: 24 (28); Stark: 171 (150); Summit: 25 (38); Trumbull: 120 (117); Tuscarawas: 287 (278); Union: 35 (29); Van Wert: 11 (13); Vinton: 162 (162); Warren: 58 (55); Washington: 265 (245); Wayne: 69 (70); Williams: 145 (118); Wood: 15 (14); Wyandot: 76 (50).
2023 Total: 10,351
3-Year Average Total: 9,433
