Ohio’s 2014 Fall Turkey Hunting Season is Underway

Ohio’s hunters have the opportunity to pursue wild turkeys during a seven-week season from Monday, October 13 through Sunday, November 30. Gobblers and hens are legal game during the fall wild turkey season.

Hunters harvested 1,037 wild turkeys during the 2013 fall season. A complete report of the 2013 fall wild turkey season is available at wildohio.gov.

Fifty-six Ohio counties are open for fall turkey hunting. Only one turkey of either sex may be harvested during the entire fall season, and a valid hunting license and fall turkey hunting permit are required. Hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. Shotguns using shot, as well as crossbows and longbows, are permitted. Hunting turkeys over bait is prohibited, and turkeys must be checked by 11:30 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested.

A tagging procedure administered by the ODNR Division of Wildlife requires hunters to make their own game tag to attach to a turkey. Game tags can be made of any material (cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.) as long as it contains the hunter’s name, date, time, and county of the kill. Go to the Turkey Hunting Resources page at wildohio.gov for more information on changes to the game check process.

All hunters must report their turkey harvest using the automated game-check system. Game-check transactions are available online and by phone seven days a week, including holidays. Hunters with a turkey permit have three options to complete the game check:

• Online at ohiogamecheck.com;
• Call 877-TAG-ITOH (824-4864); or
• Visit a license agent. A list of agents can be found at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).

Landowners exempt from purchasing a turkey permit, and others not required to purchase a turkey permit, cannot use the 877-TAG-ITOH option. Landowners and others not required to obtain a permit have the following game-check options:

• Online at ohiogamecheck.com;
• Visit a license agent; or
• Call 866-703-1928 for operator assisted landowner game-check (a convenience fee of $5.50 applies).

The ODNR Division of Wildlife advises turkey hunters to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving, or moving through hunting areas to remain visible to others. Additional details regarding fall wild turkey hunting can be found in the 2014-2015 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations or at wildohio.gov.