Ohio's 2018 spring turkey kill third-ever highest; but no repeat expected for 2019 or 2020

With a statewide harvest in excess of five percent over that encountered 2017, Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunters enjoyed the third best-ever gobbler kill on record.

For the just-concluded spring season Ohio’s hunters shot 22,571 bearded birds, a jump of 1,529 birds taken during the 2017 spring season. The highest ever spring turkey kill in Ohio occurred in 2001 when 26,156 bearded wild turkeys – almost exclusively males, or gobbler/toms - were killed. The second highest kill on record was the 23,421 birds shot during the 2010 spring season.

However, as giddy as Ohio’s spring turkey hunters may be, the cold, hard reality is that even the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s biologists acknowledge that this past spring’s turkey harvest was an anomaly; a factor brought about by an enormous emergence in 2017 of protein-rich cicadas in much of southern-southeast Ohio. That metric saw tremendous turkey poult abundance and survival as the young feasted on the insects, a localized condition that happens only once every 17 years.

More than likely, Wildlife Division biologists are saying, beginning in 2019 Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunters should see the harvest gyroscope tilt back to a more stable level – a kind of harvest plateau as experienced during the 2016 spring season when 17,793 birds were shot.

“Yes, we’re more likely to see after three years a more more normal and typical harvest of around 18,000 birds,” said Mark Wiley, the Wildlife Division’s lead game biologist on the state’s wild turkey management program.

Of course, trying to guess next spring’s turkey harvest is every bit the black art along with it being an exacting science. Many variables enter the picture from the impact of cold or wet weather (or both), to actual production of young turkeys, called poults, says Wiley.

Ideally, the hoped for projections is for a hen-to-poult ratio in excess of one to 2.5 birds. Less than two poults per hen is “low” and thus undesirable, a matrix seen in 2016 in northwest and northeast Ohio and which became manifested in this spring’s harvest, says Wiley.

Not lost is whether a hen turkey can pull of a hatch or if a flood or heavy rain storm washes out a nest full of eggs. Some hens to renest but generally such factors favor an early-in-the-clutch-laying process, Wiley says.

And for April the Ohio Division of Geological Survey states that for all but extreme northwest Ohio the precipitation was above to well above the monthly average. As much as 8.15 inches of rain fell in Coshocton County.

May’s precipitation figures won’t be known until late June. However, the National Weather Service reports that rainfall as measured at Cleveland by May 30^th was more than 2 inches above average for the month, rainfall at Columbus was only slightly above the month’s average, while Cincinnati saw rainfall that was 1.21 inches below the month’s long-term average and Dayton’s rainfall was nearly 1 ½ inches below the month’s long-term average.

Other potential issues that can impinge turkey production and survival include either an abundance or a lack of acorns (called mast), a condition of greater importance in southern and southeast Ohio. The reason being is because turkeys in this region are more dependent on forest-produced mast than are their relations in more agriculturally driven counties, Wiley says.

In terms of whether any spring 2018 harvest surprises leaped out at Wiley when he saw the final figures the biologist says he still needs more time to study and crunch the numbers. At first blush, though, Wiley says he was expecting better results in several of the state’s western counties, though – again – more detailed study is needed before arriving at any biologically or sociologically driven conclusions, says Wiley.

Perhaps most importantly of all when wild turkeys first began occupying via migration and human-induced the state’s transplanting woodlots, forests, farm shelter belts and the like they were pioneers in a strange and alien land that had not seen their kind in manifold generations, Wiley says.

“Certainly when a species’ population over-achieves the carrying capacity to support it we often see a leveling off of that population,” Wiley says.

Then too when turkeys were introducing themselves or else being introduced they likewise represented what Wiley said were something of a “novelty prey” to predatory species. Yet once these predators honed their turkey-hunting techniques and passed these skills on to their predatory offspring, a resulting bird population impact almost assuredly was experienced, Wiley said.

Nor can hunters forget that their very own refined and mastered competence is a factor in how many birds are heard, called to and seen, says Wiley.

“For mature gobblers, 30 to 40 percent are taken annually by hunters – that’s the highest percentage of any mortality means for adult toms,” Wiley says.

An eccentricity that really isn’t such a biological peculiarity, says Wiley, is some hunters’ observations that they are seeing and working fewer gobblers each year. Hunting times are just not the same many spring turkey hunters experienced in the 1990s and the early years of the 21^st Century for some very well understood reasons, Wiley says.

Perhaps in the end therefore and when the 2019 and 2020 spring seasons roll around and hunters puzzle over why they’re just not working the number of birds they had back in 2018, their misty memory will kick into overdrive, says Wiley.

“A lot of things have changed since the 1990s,nand I think part of that is because we all tend to remember the best of times,” Wiley said.

Here are Ohio’s county-by-county harvest totals for the spring 2018 spring wild turkey-hunting season, followed by their respective 2017 spring season numbers in parentheses. Also, importantly, “Ohio Outdoor News” has included the 2016 spring season numbers – also in parentheses – as it is generally thought the respective numbers will most likely reflect what will occur during the 2019 spring season. The figures are: Adams: 398, (503), (432); Allen: 71, (91), (89); Ashland: 294, (275), (202); Ashtabula: 573, (645), (569); Athens: 573, (410), (363); Auglaize: 42, (60), (50); Belmont: 738, (532), (491); Brown: 383, (425), (347); Butler: 207, (189), (166); Carroll: 509, (448), (322); Champaign: 89, (also 89), (95); Clark: 21, (18), (15); Clermont: 347, (418), (396); Clinton: 6,3 (45), (40); Columbiana: 350, (332), (361); Coshocton: 803, (649), (418); Crawford: 62, (75), (74); Cuyahoga: 11, (10), (12); Darke: 49, (45), (40); Defiance: 223, (291), (324); Delaware: 105, (102), (111); Erie: 48, (57), (55); Fairfield: 128, (130), (102); Fayette: 14, (15), (26); Franklin: 20, (23), (21); Fulton: 109, (140), (120); Gallia: 455, (472), (418); Geauga: 260, (247), (264); Greene: 16, (24), (16); Guernsey: 803, (564), (428); Hamilton: 93, (107), (117); Hancock: 38, (52), (53); Hardin: 86, (87) (87); Harrison: 697, (550), (425); Henry: 68, (58), (72); Highland: 377, (457), (387); Hocking: 443, (379), (309); Holmes: 398, (376), (217); Huron: 162, (170), (113); Jackson: 492, (448), (347); Jefferson: 497, (403), (410); Knox: 459, (436), (285); Lake: 65, (87), (54); Lawrence: 256, (293), (274); Licking: 456, (419), (281); Logan: 118, (137), (141); Lorain: 145, (165), (141); Lucas: 75, (67), (60); Madison: 13, (6), (also 13); Mahoning: 218, (231), (228); Marion: 31, (37), (35); Medina: 169, (172), (138); Meigs: 673, (535), (419); Mercer: 19, (20), (21); Miami: 14, (24), (20); Monroe: 808, (593), (508); Montgomery: 21, (19), (18); Morgan: 546, (426), (308); Morrow: 160, (181), (174); Muskingum: 793, (612), (462); Noble: 585, (482), (349); Ottawa: Zero, (1), (3); Paulding: 71, (113), (126); Perry: 440, (390), (260); Pickaway: 25, (19), (26); Pike: 261, (300), (278); Portage: 274, (289), (205); Preble: 112, (93), (114); Putnam: 57, (66), (87); Richland: 336, (347), (280); Ross: 364, (391), (350); Sandusky: 18, (21), (25); Scioto: 289, (299), (270); Seneca: 151, (179), (141); Shelby: 38, (46), (50); Stark: 326, (338), (281); Summit: 76, (57), (65); Trumbull: 374, (408), (464); Tuscarawas: 810, (676), (429); Union: 49, (59), (48); Van Wert: 23, (22), (27); Vinton: 467, (361), (306); Warren: 115, (95), (101); Washington: 695, (544), (466); Wayne: 123, (145), (106); Williams: 232, (283), (313); Wood: 19, (24), (36); Wyandot: 87, (108), (103). Total: 22,571, (21,042), (17,793).

- By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net

UPDATED/Eight-count indicment against alleged Ashtabula County fatal hunting accident shooter

An eight-count indictment from an Ashtabula County Grand Jury was returned May 22^nd against Darrell A. Shephard, age 41, who allegedly shot and killed Randy Gozzard, age 62, on opening day of Ohio’s seven-day firearms deer-hunting season, December 27th, 2017.


The charges were announced by Ashtabula County prosecutor Nicholas A. Iarocci. They are the result of Shephard allegedly accidentally shooting Gozzard in a deer hunting incident along Horton Road in Ashtabula County’s extreme northeast Monroe Township.

          According to Iarocci, the official charges brought by the Ashtabula County Grand Jury are:

1) One count of Involuntary Manslaughter; a first degree felony.


2) Two counts of Involuntary Manslaughter; each of which is a third degree felony.


3) Two counts of Having Weapons While Under Disability; each of which is a third
degree felony.


4) One count of Injuring Persons or Property While Hunting; a first degree
misdemeanor


5) One count of Hunting without Permission; a third degree misdemeanor.


6) One count of Failure to Report Knowledge of a Death; a fourth degree
misdemeanor.


Iarocci said the most serious charge of Involuntary Manslaughter carries with it up to an 11-year prison term.


“A thorough assessment of the maximum possible sentence has not been completed based on the Ohio law of merger,” Iarocci said.


Shephard – whom the prosecutor says has no known home address nor known employment history but had been staying at a Pierpont Township residence, also located in Ashtabula County - remains in the Ashtabula County Jail in Jefferson Village, where he’s been incarcerated since the incident was investigated.


A summons also has been issued for Shepard, to appear at an arraignment. Ohio will seek the issuance of a high bond since the defendant is considered to be a significant flight risk. 

Iarocci says the charges against Mr. Shepard stem from a fatal hunting-related shooting incident on November 27th, 2017. Gozzard was a part of a four-person hunting party on the first day of Ohio’s general firearms deer-hunting season when he was shot and killed at approximately 12:40 p.m., Iarocci said. 

The incident – which Iarocci said was a “difficult case” - was extensively investigated by various parties. Among the local and state agencies involved in the work were the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, the Conneaut City Police Department, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Ohio Attorney General’s office and several of its organs.


Cooperating also was the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The Commission provided one of its K9-certified wildlife conservation officers and a dog trained in ammunition and other specialized forensic discovery and recovery techniques.


"I would like to reiterate the prosecutor's sentiments and thank all of our partners who assisted with this investigation," said also Jerrod Roof, law enforcement supervisor for the Wildlife Division's District Three (Northeast Ohio) Office in Akron.

In explaining the investigation process, Iarocci said that it was discovered that Shepard allegedly had been unlawfully hunting in the same area as Gozzard and allegedly fired shots in the vicinity of the victim.


Likewise, said Iarocci said, Shepard allegedly had failed to appear for a pending criminal case against him, and that an active warrant was in place for his arrest prior to and on the date of the shooting.


“He was under ‘disability’, i.e. not legally permitted to possess a firearm, as a result of being a ‘fugitive of justice’ and having been under indictment for (alleged) felony drug charges,” Iarocci said.


On December 18th, 2017, the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department converged on Shepard who was hiding at a residence in Ashtabula County’s Pierpont Township, located south of Monroe Township. Shepard subsequently was arrested and several guns in the residence were seized, Iarocci said.


After Shephard’s arrest, it is alleged that the defendant admitted to authorities how he was hunting on November 27th in the same area where Gozzard had been killed; that Shephard allegedly discovered Gozzard’s body after the defendant allegedly fired shots from a shotgun he was possessing at the time; and that he allegedly failed to report the shooting death to authorities.


Also, said Iarocci, Shepard allegedly identified the shotgun he used while hunting as being one of the firearms seized on December 18, 2017.


This same firearm was analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and was determined to be operable and to match the 12-gauge shotgun shell found at the scene of the shooting, Iarocci said. 


The Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s office also said that Shephard will be arraigned before one of the county’s three Court of Common Pleases judges and an assistant county prosecutor is assigned to the case.


The next general date for arraignments in Ashtabula County's Court of Common Pleas is June 4 though arraignments can receive assignment at any time, the prosecutors office said.


This story will be update as additional information becomes available.




By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net

T

Echoes of 2016's massive cicada "brood" emergence saving Ohio's 2018 spring turkey season

In spite of an up-and-down weather pattern that has played havoc on various outdoors pursuits, that condition has not stopped Ohio’s turkey hunting community from taking one-thousand-plus more birds when laid next to the comparable 2017 to-date figure.

However, the plus-positive turkey kill numbers are largely being attributed to the heavy emergence of cicadas in southeast Ohio two years ago. These protein-rich invertebrates led to highly successful turkey poult production and survival rates, conditions which Ohio Division of Wildlife scientists say is lingering into 2018 as these once-juvenile birds are now two-year old mature toms.

As of May 10^th, Ohio has seen the taking of 16,060 bearded wild turkeys. That figure is 1,046 more birds than were harvested for the same time frame in 2017, or 15,014 birds. Both sets of numbers do include the to-date numbers for the five-county Northeast Ohio Turkey Hunting Zone.

“The pattern that seems to be emerging this spring is turkey harvest totals in most counties across much of the state are below totals at the same point in 2017,” said Mark Wiley, the Wildlife Division’s biologist in charge of the state’s wild turkey management project

In biologist-speak, the reproductive index (poults-to-hen ratio) in these areas was only average or even below average in both 2016 and 2017, Wiley said.

“However, counties in east-central and southeast Ohio are an exception, as harvest in this region is up 20 to 30 percent,” Wiley said. “The reproductive index in this area was high in 2016 during the periodical cicada emergence, and hunters are likely encountering many of those two-year-old birds this spring.”

In short, a ‘bump’ in related turkey production and survival, occurred, resulting in southeast Ohio being this spring turkey-hunting season’s “hot spot,” Wiley said.

To help illustrate this anomaly, here are the 2018 to-date figures for several selected southeast Ohio counties with their corresponding and respective 2017 to-date figures in parentheses: Athens County – 445 (317); Coschocton County – 585 (492); Guernsey County – 617 (423); Harrison County – 499 (409); Muskingum County – 545 (444); and Tuscarawas County – 582 (503).

Conversely, much of the rest of the state is in a turkey harvest slump, with the Wildlife Division’s figures to-date figures pointing to the skid marks. To illustrate, here are the 2018 to-date figures for several selected Ohio counties – excluding those in southeast Ohio – with their corresponding and respective 2017 to-date figures in parentheses: Adams County – 265 (380); Ashtabula County – 280 (323); Brown County – 272 (304); Defiance County – 145 (189); Highland County – 262 (322); and Williams County – 141 (195).

In all, about one-half of Ohio’s 88 counties are showing respective to-date turkey kill declines with four counties noting identical to-date 2018 and 2017 numbers. The rest of the counties have recorded to-date increases.

Yet Wiley acknowledged that in essence all good things must come to an end. In that regard beginning with the spring 2019 spring season the turkey kill in the gold-standard southeast Ohio counties will likely mean that “we’ll see more normal harvests” there, Wiley said.

That being said, Wiley noted that another hatch of cyclic 17-year cicada hatches – called “broods” - is expect in 2019 for a sliver of extreme eastern Ashtabula County, much of Trumbull County, and a portion of Columbiana County.

And a similar heavy brood emergence is expected in 2021 for a large chunk of central Ohio, though this appearance may be mitigated by the region’s heavy agricultural practices that likely will limit the turkey kill. Turkey populations there are not as high as they are elsewhere in the state Wiley explained.

The next significant cicada brood emergence over a wide area of prime turkey habitat is projected to appear in 2025 in southwest Ohio, Wiley said.

- By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net

The to-date 2018 spring turkey season's runners and sluggards

With the first week of Ohio’s spring wild turkey-hunting season  now in the rearview mirror, data a statistically insignificant gain.

And in the case of the youth-only spring wild-turkey hunting season, a statistically insignificant loss. 

But kind of, sort of can also be said for the April 30th opening day kill in the five-county special Northeast Ohio spring turkey-hunting  season, Here, four of the five counties posted declines though a one-day snapshot almost certainly cannot be extrapolated to mean that is how the season will finish in a couple of weeks.

Based on data gleaned by the Ohio Division of Wildlife via its electronic-based so-named harvest reporting system we can see the numbers in a near real-time format.

Again, for the Northeast Ohio Zone the April 30^th opening day results (with the respective 2017 opening day numbers in parenthesis) were Ashtabula – 91 (97); Cuyahoga – Zero (1); Geauga – 38 (46) ; Lake – 12 (15); Trumbull – 59 (57).

And here is the list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters in the South Zone during the first week of the spring turkey hunting season. Note that almost one-half of Ohio’s 88 counties reported first-week season declines when placed alongside their respective first week 2017 numbers.

One may want to pay particular attention to those counties which saw strong gains such as Athens, Coschocton, Guernsey, Jefferson, and Washington. Oh, and counties that saw eyebrow-raising declines such as Adams, Gallia, Highland, Licking, and Ross.

Of course, a lot of time remains for hunters to make up for lost, missed, opportunities. Anyway, here are the first week results as reported by the Ohio Division of Wildlife,

Adams: 173 (280); Allen: 31 (36); Ashland: 137 (135); Ashtabula*: 0 (0); Athens: 301 (218); Auglaize: 18 (30); Belmont: 363 (275); Brown: 194 (218); Butler: 91 (100); Carroll: 280 (238); Champaign: 54 (45); Clark: 10 (9); Clermont: 165 (219); Clinton: 33 (27); Columbiana: 152 (173); Coshocton: 405 (350); Crawford: 23 (32); Cuyahoga*: 0 (0); Darke: 21 (14); Defiance: 94 (140); Delaware: 52 (45); Erie: 23 (31); Fairfield: 78 (69); Fayette: 6 (9); Franklin: 11 (9); Fulton: 40 (71); Gallia: 216 (271); Geauga*: 0 (0); Greene: 6 (9); Guernsey: 423 (322); Hamilton: 35 (52); Hancock: 14 (24); Hardin: 39 (44); Harrison: 324 (299); Henry: 25 (31); Highland: 175 (220); Hocking: 239 (230); Holmes: 191 (169); Huron: 72 (87); Jackson: 251 (240); Jefferson: 266 (225); Knox: 242 (226); Lake*: 0 (0); Lawrence: 127 (160); Licking: 205 (235); Logan: 58 (69); Lorain: 63 (89); Lucas: 41 (31); Madison: 8 (2); Mahoning: 89 (103); Marion: 10 (22); Medina: 78 (72); Meigs: 379 (311); Mercer: 11 (12); Miami: 7 (6); Monroe: 415 (312); Montgomery: 11 (9); Morgan: 286 (224); Morrow: 69 (96); Muskingum: 389 (321); Noble: 280 (253); Ottawa: 0 (1); Paulding: 39 (52); Perry: 229 (199); Pickaway: 13 (10); Pike: 153 (153); Portage: 128 (143); Preble: 59 (40); Putnam: 26 (32); Richland: 145 (168); Ross: 184 (228); Sandusky: 9 (11); Scioto: 133 (183); Seneca: 70 (90); Shelby: 18 (27); Stark: 144 (171); Summit: 33 (27); Trumbull*: 0 (0); Tuscarawas: 398 (369); Union: 24 (27); Van Wert: 9 (11); Vinton: 237 (216); Warren: 50 (45); Washington: 338 (277); Wayne: 54 (72); Williams: 78 (131); Wood: 12 (11); Wyandot: 33 (50). Total: 10,415 (10,293).

For a fuller picture of the entire 2018 spring turkey-hunting program here again are the results for the recently held two-day/youth-only season:

Adams: 28 (35); Allen: 8 (10); Ashland: 34 (25); Ashtabula: 35 (50); Athens: 29 (28); Auglaize: 6 (5); Belmont: 54 (40); Brown: 25 (36); Butler: 18 (14); Carroll: 36 (40); Champaign: 5 (5); Clark: 3 (2); Clermont: 24 (38); Clinton: 2 (4); Columbiana: 27 (26); Coshocton: 68 (63); Crawford: 9 (5); Cuyahoga: 0 (0); Darke: 9 (10); Defiance: 22 (36); Delaware: 10 (13); Erie: 1 (7); Fairfield: 4 (6); Fayette: 1 (0); Franklin: 1 (4); Fulton: 11 (13); Gallia: 31 (46); Geauga: 13 (19); Greene: 0 (4); Guernsey: 63 (46); Hamilton: 5 (2); Hancock: 0 (2); Hardin: 7 (8); Harrison: 66 (58); Henry: 9 (6); Highland: 28 (34); Hocking: 35 (15); Holmes: 36 (39); Huron: 13 (16); Jackson: 41 (44); Jefferson: 35 (34); Knox: 38 (32); Lake: 1 (4); Lawrence: 35 (44); Licking: 43 (35); Logan: 8 (10); Lorain: 9 (12); Lucas: 9 (8); Madison: 0 (0); Mahoning: 10 (15); Marion: 2 (5); Medina: 11 (10); Meigs: 60 (46); Mercer: 3 (3); Miami: 2 (5); Monroe: 81 (71); Montgomery: 1 (1); Morgan: 44 (47); Morrow: 19 (19); Muskingum: 90 (82); Noble: 74 (55); Ottawa: 0 (0); Paulding: 6 (8); Perry: 50 (30); Pickaway: 2 (0); Pike: 12 (26); Portage: 20 (26); Preble: 9 (8); Putnam: 9 (8); Richland: 31 (36); Ross: 36 (40); Sandusky: 0 (1); Scioto: 15 (20); Seneca: 12 (11); Shelby: 6 (2); Stark: 21 (21); Summit: 2 (1); Trumbull: 26 (42); Tuscarawas: 59 (56); Union: 4 (10); Van Wert: 2 (5); Vinton: 42 (32); Warren: 8 (11); Washington: 60 (58); Wayne: 13 (11); Williams: 19 (30); Wood: 0 (2); Wyandot: 4 (8). Total: 1,860 (1,895).

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net