COLUMBUS — The arrival of cooler weather and changing tree leaves means Ohio’s fall wild turkey hunting season is underway, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The fall wild turkey hunting season is open until Nov. 29. Both gobblers and hens are legal game during the fall hunting season.
Fall wild turkey hunting is open in 70 Ohio counties. A full list of open counties and details regarding fall turkey hunting can be found in the 2020-2021 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulation guidebook. One turkey of either sex may be harvested during the fall season, and a valid hunting license and fall turkey permit are required. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
Shotguns using shot, as well as crossbows and longbows, and permitted. Hunting turkeys over bait is prohibited, and turkeys are required to be checked by 11:30 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested.
Hunters are advised to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving or moving through hunting areas to remain visible to others, and they are also required to fill in their wild turkey permit upon harvest with the date, time and county of kill. Submitting the harvest information through the Division of Wildlife’s mobile app fulfills this requirement.
Go to the Hunting Resources by Species page at wildohio.gov for more information.
All hunters are required to report their turkey harvest using the automated game-check system. Hunters with a turkey permit have four options to complete their game check: online at ohiogamecheck.com; through the HuntFish OH mobile app; by calling 877-824-4864; or by visiting a license agent. A list of agents can be found at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-945-3543.
Landowners and others exempt from purchasing a turkey permit cannot use the 877-TAG-ITOH option. Instead, those hunters can call 866-703-1928 for operator-assisted landowner game check (a convenience fee applies), use the HuntFish OH mobile app, or visit a license agent.
For more information about hunting in Ohio, download the HuntFish OH mobile app, available for iOS and Android, or visit wildohio.gov. Follow the Your Wild Ohio Hunter Facebook page for hunting tips and useful information as you get outside this season.
