Scioto County Bags 54 Wild Turkeys on Opening Weekend: 3,875 Across Ohio
For the first time, a Saturday opening day and weekend start to Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunting season resulted in 3,875 birds taken by hunters on April 24-25, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The 2021 spring wild turkey hunting season started on a Saturday instead of the traditional Monday following a change approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council in 2020.
Wild turkey hunting was open in Ohio’s south zone only beginning Saturday, April 24. Hunting in the northeast zone, comprised of five counties in Ohio’s snow belt, opens Saturday, May 1.
The top 10 counties for wild turkey harvest during the opening weekend of the 2021 south zone include:
- Columbiana (149),
- Belmont (132),
- Guernsey (129),
- Meigs (124),
- Jefferson (117),
- Muskingum (117),
- Tuscarawas (113),
- Adams (112),
- Monroe (112)
- Brown (107)
As of April 25, the Division of Wildlife issued 47,560 wild turkey permits, valid throughout the spring hunting season. In addition to the opening weekend results, youth hunters harvested 1,473 wild turkeys during Ohio’s youth season on April 17-18.
A turkey is required to be checked no later than 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest using the new HuntFish OH mobile app, the automated game-check system, by phone at 877-TAG-IT-OH (877-824-4864), or at a participating license agent.