When you
stop to think about it, the stage lights on Ohio’s hunting play never really
dims.
On the same
day the Ohio Division of Wildlife release the results of the 2017 spring wild
turkey-hunting season (very good) the agency also prepares the state’s
waterfowl and deer hunters for the up-coming application period of the series
of special controlled hunts.
On the first
matter, hunters electronically checked a preliminary 21,015 wild turkeys during
the just-concluded spring season. That figure includes 19,095 turkeys for the
regular season in both the south and north zones along with 1,910 birds for the
youth-only season.
By
comparison, turkey hunters in 2016 killed 16,229 birds during the spring season
while 1,564 birds were taken during the 2016 youth-only spring season for a
total of 17,793 turkeys.
In all, 28 of Ohio’s 88 counties posted declines,
however.
For the just concluded spring season four of Ohio’s 88 counties
saw kills of 600 or more birds each. They were Tuscarawas - 674; Coshocton –
649; Ashtabula – 648; and Muskingum – 612. Only two counties posted kills in
single digits: Ottawa – one; and Madison – six.
In the newly created north turkey hunting zone and consisting
of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties only two of the five
posted gains over their 2016 spring season kills: Ashtabula – 648 verses 569;
and Lake – 87 verses 54. The other three counties saw declines – Cuyahoga – 10 verses
12; Geauga – 247 verses 264; and Trumbull – 408 verses 464.
Ohio’s 2017 spring wild turkey season was open from
Monday, April 24, to Sunday, May 21, in the south zone and from Monday, May 1,
to Sunday, May 28, in the northeast zone. The youth season was April 22-23.
Here is the county-by-county list of all wild turkeys
checked during the 2017 combined spring turkey hunting seasons with their
respective 2016 figures in parentheses: Adams: 503 (432); Allen: 91 (89);
Ashland: 275 (202); Ashtabula*: 648 (569); Athens: 409 (363); Auglaize: 60
(50); Belmont: 532 (491); Brown: 425 (347); Butler: 189 (166); Carroll: 448
(322); Champaign: 89 (95); Clark: 17 (15); Clermont: 418 (396); Clinton: 45
(40); Columbiana: 332 (361); Coshocton: 649 (418); Crawford: 75 (74);
Cuyahoga*: 10 (12); Darke: 45 (40); Defiance: 291 (324); Delaware: 102 (111);
Erie: 57 (55); Fairfield: 130 (102); Fayette: 15 (26); Franklin: 23 (21);
Fulton: 140 (120); Gallia: 472 (418); Geauga*: 247 (264); Greene: 24 (16);
Guernsey: 564 (428); Hamilton: 107 (117); Hancock: 52 (53); Hardin: 86 (87);
Harrison: 550 (425); Henry: 58 (72); Highland: 456 (387); Hocking: 379 (309);
Holmes: 376 (217); Huron: 170 (113); Jackson: 447 (347); Jefferson: 402 (410);
Knox: 436 (285); Lake*: 87 (54); Lawrence: 293 (274); Licking: 418 (281);
Logan: 137 (141); Lorain: 165 (141); Lucas: 67 (60); Madison: 6 (13); Mahoning:
231 (228); Marion: 37 (35); Medina: 172 (138); Meigs: 533 (419); Mercer: 20
(21); Miami: 24 (20); Monroe: 592 (508); Montgomery: 19 (18); Morgan: 426
(308); Morrow: 181 (174); Muskingum: 612 (462); Noble: 482 (349); Ottawa: 1
(3); Paulding: 113 (126); Perry: 390 (260); Pickaway: 19 (26); Pike: 300 (278);
Portage: 289 (205); Preble: 93 (114); Putnam: 66 (87); Richland: 347 (280);
Ross: 389 (350); Sandusky: 21 (25); Scioto: 299 (270); Seneca: 179 (141);
Shelby: 46 (50); Stark: 338 (281); Summit: 57 (65); Trumbull*: 408 (464);
Tuscarawas: 674 (429); Union: 59 (48); Van Wert: 22 (27); Vinton: 360 (306);
Warren: 95 (101); Washington: 544 (466); Wayne: 145 (106); Williams: 283 (313);
Wood: 24 (36); Wyandot: 108 (103). Total: 21,015 (17,793).
The on-line-only application period for the special
controlled waterfowl and deer hunts is Thursday, June 1 through Monday, July
31.
These special hunts are held on selected areas and are
very popular. Thus the odds of being drawn are universally challenging. All
applicants - youth and adult - must possess a 2017-2018 Ohio hunting license
and meet the age requirements in order to apply for a controlled hunt.
Hunters
can apply for the controlled hunts by completing the application process online
using Ohio’s Wildlife Licensing System at wildohio.gov.
There is a non-refundable application fee of $3 per hunt.
Hunters
will be randomly drawn from submitted applications. Successful applicants will
be notified and provided additional hunt information by mail and email.
Applicants are encouraged to visit Ohio’s Wildlife Licensing System online to
view the status of their application and, if selected, print their controlled
hunt permit.
More
specific information about hunt dates and locations, including opportunities
dedicated to youth, women and mobility-impaired hunters, can be found at
wildohio.gov on the Controlled Hunts page.
- Jeffrey
L. Frischkorn
- JFrischk@Ameritech.net
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