Ohio's wild turkey hunters bagged 15,887 birds during the spring 2026 season which concluded on Sunday, May 31, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The total statewide harvest represents all turkeys checked from April 18 to May 31, including the 2,058 birds taken during youth-only hunting.
During the 2025 spring season, the total number of turkeys checked was 16,014. The three-year average for the spring season (2023, 2024, and 2025) is 15,743.
Ohio's spring turkey season is split into two zones to align with the timing of turkey nesting in those regions. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties. In 2026, 1,216 turkeys were checked in the northeast zone, while 14,671 birds were taken in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone.
The top 10 counties for wild turkeys taken in the 2026 season were Ashtabula (500), Tuscarawas (433), Belmont (418), Monroe (413), Trumbull (410), Highland (407), Adams (401), Gallia (397), Guernsey (383), and Brown (358).
The season bag limit was one bearded bird. Adult male turkeys made up 85% of the final count with 13,441 birds taken. Following strong brood production summers in the last few years, biologists expected a high proportion of adult birds in the total harvest this spring. Hunters checked 2,285 juvenile male turkeys in 2026, representing 14% of birds taken. Turkey hunters also checked 161 bearded female turkeys (hens) this season.
Shotguns accounted for 98% of the total harvest (15,631 birds) this spring. The remaining 256 birds were taken with archery equipment.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife issued 52,799 spring turkey permits for use during the spring 2026 hunting season. In 2025, the agency issued 52,693 spring turkey permits.
Wild turkey research
The Division of Wildlife is studying the nesting and survival of hen turkeys in eastern and southwestern Ohio in collaboration with researchers at The Ohio State University. Similar research is being conducted in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Since 2023, Ohio's biologists have affixed GPS transmitters to 319 hens and gathered information on their movement, survival, and nest activity timing.
Division of Wildlife staff are also conducting research on the gobbling frequency and timing of male wild turkeys. Biologists placed audio recorders in eastern Ohio in 2024 and 2025 to record wild turkey gobbles and learn more about factors that influence gobbling. Preliminary results show that daily gobbling activity varies considerably throughout the spring. When compared with hen GPS data, periods of peak gobbling align closely with periods of peak nest initiation and egg laying.
Information gathered in these turkey research projects will influence wild turkey management decisions in the coming years. This helps the Division of Wildlife structure science-based turkey hunting regulations, ensuring wild turkey success across Ohio for many more years.
The Division of Wildlife began an extensive program in the 1950s to restore wild turkeys to the Buckeye State after they were extirpated in the early 1900s. Ohio's first modern-day wild turkey hunting season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters checked 12 birds. The total number of turkeys harvested topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Turkey hunting was opened statewide in 2000. The highest Ohio wild turkey harvest was in 2001, when hunters checked 26,156 birds.
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.
A list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters in each county during the 2026 spring season is shown below. Results include 30 days of hunting in both the south zone and the northeast zone, and the statewide youth-only hunting dates. The first number following the county's name shows the harvest numbers for 2026, and the three-year average (2023 to 2025) is in parentheses. The numbers below are raw data and are subject to change.
Adams: 401 (364); Allen: 113 (79); Ashland: 167 (181); Ashtabula: 500 (480); Athens: 213 (278); Auglaize: 54 (50); Belmont: 418 (437); Brown: 358 (299); Butler: 226 (200); Carroll: 346 (362); Champaign: 86 (76); Clark: 28 (24); Clermont: 325 (269); Clinton: 100 (70); Columbiana: 345 (370); Coshocton: 312 (366); Crawford: 63 (57); Cuyahoga: 12 (11); Darke: 70 (66); Defiance: 229 (208); Delaware: 92 (83); Erie: 45 (41); Fairfield: 49 (89); Fayette: 15 (11); Franklin: 12 (21); Fulton: 165 (157); Gallia: 397 (388); Geauga: 233 (242); Greene: 34 (29); Guernsey: 383 (386); Hamilton: 73 (105); Hancock: 79 (48); Hardin: 126 (96); Harrison: 353 (358); Henry: 80 (65); Highland: 407 (330); Hocking: 150 (220); Holmes: 206 (210); Huron: 87 (92); Jackson: 264 (268); Jefferson: 338 (367); Knox: 284 (234); Lake: 61 (65); Lawrence: 249 (227); Licking: 246 (268); Logan: 135 (128); Lorain: 148 (125); Lucas: 88 (74); Madison: 7 (6); Mahoning: 216 (213); Marion: 55 (46); Medina: 135 (108); Meigs: 340 (372); Mercer: 39 (28); Miami: 38 (36); Monroe: 413 (440); Montgomery: 43 (36); Morgan: 180 (242); Morrow: 151 (139); Muskingum: 304 (408); Noble: 292 (334); Ottawa: 0 (1); Paulding: 119 (83); Perry: 194 (254); Pickaway: 16 (21); Pike: 253 (211); Portage: 303 (251); Preble: 122 (126); Putnam: 66 (44); Richland: 190 (226); Ross: 268 (267); Sandusky: 57 (38); Scioto: 313 (283); Seneca: 129 (126); Shelby: 51 (43); Stark: 278 (274); Summit: 65 (58); Trumbull: 410 (380); Tuscarawas: 433 (419); Union: 64 (48); Van Wert: 18 (16); Vinton: 213 (231); Warren: 106 (81); Washington: 320 (379); Wayne: 108 (104); Williams: 242 (248); Wood: 39 (31); Wyandot: 132 (118).
2026 total: 15,887
3-year average total: 15,743