UPDATED Ohio's spring turkey season hunters post impressive first-day kill numbers

Ideal weather almost certainly played a significant role in Monday’s large take of birds during the opener of Ohio’s spring wild turkey-hunting season.

Hunters registered a kill of 2,511 birds for the season’s opener. That figure is a gain of 7.54 percent from the 2015 spring season opening day kill of 2,335 birds.

Some noteworthy counties posted some eye-popping increases, too. In Northeast Ohio Ashtabula County turkey hunters shot 85 birds. That figure is up 89 percent: From the 45 birds killed on the 2015 opener to 85 birds taken on Monday (April 18^th).

Harrison County saw a gain of 34 percent (up from 50 birds to 67 birds); Ross County saw a gain of 20.45 percent (from 44 birds to 53 birds); Clermont County saw a gain of 36.59 percent (from 41 birds to 56 birds); and Adams County which saw a gain of 16.67 percent (up from 48 birds to 56 birds).

There were more than a few opening day losers, however. Gallia County experienced a nearly 13 percent drop (down from 54 birds to 47 birds); Vinton County saw a decline of 44 percent (down from 59 birds to 33 birds); Jackson County experienced an 18.64 percent drop (from 59 birds to 48 birds); and Washington County, which saw a 31 percent plummet from 84 birds to 58 birds).

In all, 48 counties saw gains, 28 counties recorded declines, and the remaining 12 of Ohio’s 88 counties saw identical 2015 and 2016 opening day spring wild turkey season kills.

It is interesting to note that this year’s opening day spring wild turkey season kill of 2,511 birds is squeezed between the total 1987 and 1988 spring season kills of 2,268 birds and 2,629 birds, respectively.

Other talking points for the spring season (based on the 2015 provided statistics) points to the fact that 46 percent of the total kill is taken during the first week, 18 percent during the second week, 14 percent during the third week, 13 percent during the fourth week, and nine percent during the youth-only two-day season.

Ohio’s 2016 spring wild turkey hunting season continues through May 15. Hunters may take up to two birds but only one per day.

Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until noon through May 1st. Hunting hours from May 2^nd to May 15th are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

Here is the complete county-by-county 2016 Ohio spring wild turkey hunting season opener kill figures along with those for 2015 in parentheses:

 

Adams - 56 (48); Allen - 11 (10); Ashland - 24 (28); Ashtabula - 85 (45); Athens - 42 (40); Auglaize 8- (3); Belmont 73 (77); Brown - 47 (54); Butler - 27 (13); Carroll - 53 (53); Champaign - 12 (12); Clark - 2 (5); Clermont - 56 (41); Clinton - 9 (6); Columbiana - 50 (50); Coshocton - 72 (67); Crawford - 15 (11); Cuyahoga - 2 (1);  Darke - 4 (5);  Defiance - 50 (34); Delaware - 11 (9); Erie - 8 (3); Fairfield - 14 (11); Franklin - 3 (2); Fulton - 15 (19); Gallia - 47 (54); Geauga - 36 (37); Greene - 4 (3); Guernsey - 67 (72); Hamilton - 18 (4); Hancock - 5 (10); Hardin - 13 (14); Harrison - 67 (50); Henry - 8 (10); Highland - 49 (49); Hocking - 46 (28); Holmes - 40 (40); Huron - 17 (14); Jackson - 48 (59); Jefferson - 60 (52); Knox - 52 (47); Lake - 6 (8); Lawrence - 38 (34); Licking - 46 (54); Logan - 13 (16); Lorain - 20 (14); Lucas - 13 (4); Madison - 3 (0); Mahoning - 30 (36); Marion - 8 (7); Medina - 18 (15); Meigs - 63 (63); Mercer - 2 (2); Miami - 1 (1); Monroe - 57 (58); Montgomery - 4 (5); Morgan - 32 (41); Morrow - 30 (22); Muskingum - 67 (62); Noble - 42 (43); Paulding - 17 (11); Perry - 48 (39); Pickaway - 2 (4); Pike - 38 (30); Portage - 30 (28); Preble - 22 (9); Putnam - 8 (13); Richland - 43 (40); Ross - 53 (44); Sandusky - 4 (1); Scioto - 32 (27); Seneca - 21 (31); Shelby - 12 (9); Stark - 31 (24); Summit - 9 (3); Trumbull - 72 (60); Tuscarawas - 69 (66); Union - 9 (3); Van Wert - 4 (3); Vinton - 33 (59); Warren - 12 (14); Washington - 58 (84); Wayne - 18 (9); Williams - 39 (38); Wyandot - 8 (11); Total - 2,511 (2,335).

  

 
By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net