COLUMBUS — One of the joys of an Ohio spring is hearing a wild turkey gobble. Beginning in April, hunters have the chance to experience this phenomenon up close when turkey hunting seasons open.
Ohio’s 2022 youth wild turkey hunting season is April 9 and 10. Following the youth season, Ohio is divided into two zones for the remainder of spring hunting: a south zone, which opens to hunters April 23, and a northeast zone, which opens to hunters April 30.
Ohio hunters harvested 14,546 wild turkeys during the 2021 spring season. Included in that total are the 1,463 turkeys checked during the two-day youth season. Eastern and southern counties typically record the highest number of harvested birds.
The top 10 counties in 2021 were Columbiana (454), Belmont (444), Meigs (437), Tuscarawas (417), Jefferson (408), Monroe (408), Ashtabula (401), Washington (398), Guernsey (378) and Muskingum (373).
The upcoming youth-only turkey season is for those with a valid youth hunting license and turkey permit. Youth hunters are required to be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 18 years of age or older. Hunting hours during the two-day youth season are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
The 2022 spring wild turkey season ends May 22 in the south zone and May 29 in the northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties).
The spring and youth seasons are open statewide, except for Lake La Su An Wildlife Area in Williams County, which requires a special hunting permit.
The spring hunting season limit is one bearded wild turkey. A turkey is required to be checked no later than 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest using the automated game-check system, which is available at wildohio.gov, through the HuntFish OH app, by phone at 877-824-4864 or at a participating license agent.
Anyone interested in learning to hunt or becoming a mentor to a new hunter can visit the Wild Ohio Harvest Community page for information on how to get started, hunting-related workshops, as well as special hunting opportunities for mentors and new hunters.
