Ohio’s 2026 spring wild turkey season has ended, with Knox County hunters posting harvest numbers above recent averages.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, in Knox County, hunters checked 265 wild turkeys through May 17, exceeding the county’s three-year average of 214 birds for the same point in the season. That total ranked Knox County 23rd statewide in turkey harvest.
Tuscarawas County led Ohio with 414 turkeys harvested through May 17, followed by Ashtabula with 409, Monroe with 393, Belmont with 392 and Adams with 386.
Hunters statewide checked 14,886 wild turkeys through May 17, slightly ahead of both last year’s pace and the recent three-year average.
Youth hunters also contributed significantly to Knox County’s total during the state’s special youth-only hunting weekend. Knox County youth hunters checked 38 turkeys during the April 18-19 south zone youth season, well above the county’s three-year youth average of 22 birds.
Statewide, youth hunters checked 1,941 wild turkeys during the south zone youth weekend, surpassing the three-year average of 1,681 birds and topping the 1,625 birds harvested during the 2025 youth season.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources divided the season between the 83-county south zone and the five-county northeast zone to align with regional turkey nesting patterns.
The 2026 season spanned April 25 through May 24 in Ohio’s south zone. The south zone youth season ran April 18-19. A staggered schedule between south and north zones was designed to align hunting dates with regional turkey nesting patterns across Ohio’s 83-county south zone.
More than 52,000 spring turkey permits had been issued statewide as of May 17. Hunters were limited to one bearded turkey for the season and required to game-check harvested birds the same day.
Statewide, hunters had checked an average of 14,339 birds by the same date from 2023 through 2025, compared with 14,355 reported at that point in 2025.The season followed strong participation in 2025, when Ohio hunters checked 16,014 wild turkeys statewide, including 1,740 harvested during youth hunting dates. Knox County hunters checked 256 wild turkeys during the 2025 spring season, surpassing the county’s three-year average of 215 birds.
Eastern and southern Ohio counties typically report the highest turkey harvests because of larger forested areas.
ODNR continues turkey research in partnership with researchers at Ohio State University.
Since 2023, biologists have tracked 319 hen turkeys in eastern and southwestern Ohio using GPS transmitters to study nesting, movement and survival. Researchers also are monitoring gobbling activity among male turkeys to better understand breeding behavior and population trends.
State officials said the research will help guide future turkey management and hunting regulations.
Ohio’s wild turkey population stems from restoration efforts that began in the 1950s after the species disappeared from the state by the early 1900s. Wild turkeys had expanded into all 88 Ohio counties by 1999.
