Youth hunters find success during 2017 Youth Wild Turkey Season

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Many young hunters found success during Ohio’s 2017 youth spring wild turkey season after 1,895 birds were harvested, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Hunters age 17 and under were eligible to participate in the two-day season, April 22-23. The total harvest was an increase from 2016, when 1,564 wild turkeys were checked. In Meigs County, young hunters checked 46. That was up from last year’s numbers of 31 turkeys checked.

All participants were required to possess a valid Ohio youth hunting license, a spring turkey permit and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult. The youth turkey season was open statewide, with the exception of Lake La Su An State Wildlife Area in Williams County, which required a special hunting permit.

The youth spring turkey season is one of four special youth-only hunting seasons designed by the ODNR Division of Wildlife to offer a safe and productive early hunting experience for young hunters. Special seasons are also set aside for upland game, white-tailed deer and waterfowl hunting opportunities.

New for the 2017 season, the state has been divided into two zones for spring turkey hunting: a south zone, which is open to hunters from Monday, April 24, through Sunday, May 21, and a northeast zone, which is open to hunters from Monday, May 1, to Sunday, May 28. The spring turkey season is open statewide except for Lake La Su An Wildlife Area. Hunters can view the 2017 spring turkey season zone map and harvest regulations at wildohio.gov.

Ohio’s first modern day wild turkey season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters checked 12 birds. The total number of harvested turkeys topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Turkey hunting was opened statewide in 2000.

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 list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters during the 2017 two-day youth spring hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2017, and the 2016 numbers are in parentheses.

Adams: 35 (34); Allen: 10 (11); Ashland: 25 (29); Ashtabula: 50 (44); Athens: 28 (22); Auglaize: 5 (4); Belmont: 40 (40); Brown: 36 (31); Butler: 14 (10); Carroll: 40 (25); Champaign: 5 (7); Clark: 2 (2); Clermont: 38 (29); Clinton: 4 (1); Columbiana: 26 (38); Coshocton: 63 (34); Crawford: 5 (6); Cuyahoga: 0 (0); Darke: 10 (14); Defiance: 36 (44); Delaware: 13 (5); Erie: 7 (6); Fairfield: 6 (7); Fayette: 0 (5); Franklin: 4 (3); Fulton: 13 (15); Gallia: 46 (31); Geauga: 19 (23); Greene: 4 (1); Guernsey: 46 (38); Hamilton: 2 (8); Hancock: 2 (3); Hardin: 8 (5); Harrison: 58 (39); Henry: 6 (11); Highland: 34 (36); Hocking: 15 (14); Holmes: 39 (21); Huron: 16 (12); Jackson: 44 (34); Jefferson: 34 (39); Knox: 32 (23); Lake: 4 (4); Lawrence: 44 (24); Licking: 35 (16); Logan: 10 (17); Lorain: 12 (12); Lucas: 8 (4); Madison: 0 (2); Mahoning: 15 (18); Marion: 5 (4); Medina: 10 (12); Mercer: 3 (1); Miami: 5 (2); Monroe: 71 (51); Montgomery: 1 (1); Morgan: 47 (28); Morrow: 19 (14); Muskingum: 82 (33); Noble: 55 (55); Ottawa: 0 (0); Paulding: 8 (8); Perry: 30 (26); Pickaway: 0 (3); Pike: 26 (17); Portage: 26 (19); Preble: 8 (10); Putnam: 8 (12); Richland: 36 (21); Ross: 40 (29); Sandusky: 1 (5); Scioto: 20 (13); Seneca: 11 (9); Shelby: 2 (5); Stark: 21 (13); Summit: 1 (3); Trumbull: 42 (46); Tuscarawas: 56 (44); Union: 10 (5); Van Wert: 5 (1); Vinton: 32 (32); Warren: 11 (12); Washington: 58 (52); Wayne: 11 (6); Williams: 30 (28); Wood: 2 (3); Wyandot: 8 (9). Total: 1,895 (1,564).