Fall turkey numbers drop/Hunters await Opening Day deer kill figures

With nearly every Ohio hunter’s attention drawn this week to white-tailed deer largely being over-looked are the results of the just-concluded fall wild turkey-hunting season.

And the figures continue to show slippage in popularity as the numbers of birds killed declines.

Ohio’s fall wild turkey season ended Nov. 27 with hunters bagging 1,375 during the seven-week season. Last year’s tally totaled 1,425 birds.
Ashtabula County again led the state with 67 birds taken, according to the Division of Wildlife.

The 2011 fall turkey season ran from Oct. 8 through Nov. 27 allowing hunters to pursue a wild turkey of either sex using a shotgun, muzzle-loading shotgun, bow or crossbow in 48 counties in the state.

Prior to the start of this fall’s hunting season, Ohio’s estimated wild turkey population was around 180,000. As many as 15,000 people - not counting private landowners hunting on their own land - participated.

The top 10 counties were: Ashtabula-67, Knox-55, Guernsey and Tuscarawas-53, Noble-50, Monroe-45, Coshocton-44, Holmes-42, Licking-40, and Carroll and Richland-39.

Still on the on-deck circle are Monday's Opening Day firearms deer-hunting season figures. These numbers should become available this afternoon.

The following is a list of wild turkeys taken during the 2010 fall turkey season is marked in parentheses: 2011 (2010).

Adams – 35 (29); Ashland – 17 (38); Ashtabula – 67 (77); Athens – 27 (18); Belmont –32 (11); Brown – 26 (28); Carroll – 39 (28); Clermont – 32 (44); Columbiana – 37 (35); Coshocton – 44 (68); Cuyahoga –0 (2); Defiance- 13 (25); Gallia – 36 (34); Geauga – 31 (53); Guernsey – 53 (39); Harrison – 38 (34); Highland – 37 (51); Hocking – 20 (17); Holmes – 42 (29); Jackson – 17 (22); Jefferson – 20 (25); Knox – 55 (62); Lake – 7 (4); Lawrence –21 (16); Licking – 40 (53); Lorain – 29 (15); Mahoning –24 (27); Medina –1 7 (24); Meigs – 15 (33); Monroe – 45 (15); Morgan – 23 (20); Morrow – 11 (13); Muskingum - 36 (32); Noble – 50 (34); Perry – 26 (25); Pike – 21 (10); Portage – 18 (23); Richland – 39 (31); Ross –19 (32); Scioto – 22 (12); Stark – 23 (19); Summit – 3 (8); Trumbull – 31 (60); Tuscarawas – 53 (56); Vinton – 21 (19); Washington – 24 (25); Wayne – 9 (8) and Williams - 27 (22). Preliminary totals – 1,375 (1,425).