Turkey Hunting Regulations

Name: eRegulations
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WILD TURKEY HUNTING

SEASON	OPENING DATE	CLOSING DATE	BAG LIMIT
Fall Wild Turkey: Select Counties	Oct. 8, 2022	Nov. 13, 2022	1 (either sex)
Youth Spring Wild Turkey	April 15, 2023	April 16, 2023	1 bearded turkey
Spring Wild Turkey: South Zone (except for Lake La Su An Wildlife Area)	April 22, 2023	May 21, 2023
Spring Wild Turkey: Northeast Zone	April 29, 2023	May 28, 2023

The 2023 spring wild turkey hunting season opens on a Saturday in both zones

WILD TURKEY BAG LIMITS

It shall be unlawful for any person to take or possess a wild turkey during the spring wild turkey season that does not have a visible beard.
It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess more than one wild turkey per day.
The bag limit for the 2022 spring wild turkey season is to be announced. See above for information.
It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess more than one wild turkey of either sex during the fall wild turkey season.

FALL AND SPRING WILD TURKEY HUNTING

It is unlawful to hunt or take wild turkeys with the aid or use of bait. An area is con-sidered baited for 10 days after the com-plete removal of any bait.

It is unlawful to use a live decoy while hunt-ing wild turkeys.

It is unlawful to possess or use an electronic calling device while hunting wild turkeys.

It is unlawful to take or attempt to take a wild turkey while it is in a tree.

It is unlawful to possess more than one hunt-ing implement while turkey hunting. See Concealed Handgun License on page 39.

A successful wild turkey hunter may aid or assist another hunter who is hunting wild turkeys if the turkey permit has been filled in, he or she does not carry any hunting implement commonly used to kill wild ani-mals, and has a valid hunting license. Those persons exempted from having a hunting license and wild turkey permits for turkey hunting on their property are required to have a hunting license and turkey permit to aid another hunter off of their property or hunt turkey off of their property.

YOUTH WILD TURKEY SEASON

A valid hunting license and wild turkey permit are required, unless exempted.
Special youth wild turkey hunts are held on selected areas. See Youth Hunting for details.
Hunting hours for youth turkey season are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

FALL WILD TURKEY SEASON

A valid Ohio hunting license and fall turkey permit are required, unless exempted.
A wild turkey of either sex may be hunted during the fall season. The bag limit is one turkey.
Fall wild turkey hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
A harvested wild turkey must be checked by 11:30 p.m. on the day of kill.
It is legal to use dogs to assist in taking wild turkeys during the fall season only.

SPRING WILD TURKEY SEASON

The bag limit for the 2023 spring season is one bearded wild turkey.
A valid Ohio hunting license and spring turkey permit are required, unless exempted.
The Northeast Zone is Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties. The South Zone is the remainder of the state.
South Zone wild turkey hunting hours from April 22 - 30, 2023 are 30 minutes before sunrise to noon.
South Zone wild turkey hunting hours from May 1 - May 21, 2023 are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
Northeast Zone wild turkey hunting hours from April 29 - May 7, 2023 are 30 minutes before sunrise to noon.
Northeast Zone wild turkey hunting hours from May 8 - May 28, 2023 are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
Lake La Su An Wildlife Area is open only to wild turkey controlled permit holders during the spring season.
A harvested wild turkey must be checked by 11:30 p.m. on the day of kill.
It is legal to use a leashed dog to recover wounded wild turkeys in the spring turkey season.

TURKEY TAGGING AND CHECKING

A hunter is required to complete the game check process following the harvest of a wild turkey.

LEGAL WILD TURKEY HUNTING EQUIPMENT

FALL AND SPRING WILD TURKEY HUNTING SEASONS

Shotgun: 10 gauge or smaller shotgun using shot, includes muzzleloading shotguns.

Longbow or Bow: The minimum draw weight is 40 pounds. This includes compound bows and recurve bows. The arrow tip needs to have a minimum of two cutting edges which may be exposed or unexposed, and a minimum 3/4-inch width. Expandable and mechanical broadheads are legal.

Crossbow: The minimum draw weight is 75 pounds. The arrow tip needs to have a minimum of two cutting edges which may be exposed or unexposed, and a minimum 3/4-inch width. Expandable and mechanical broadheads are legal.

GAME CHECK

All hunters who harvest a white-tailed deer or wild turkey are required to complete the game check process.

For deer, the hunter must complete the game check process and receive a confirmation code by noon the day after the kill. If the deer is killed on the last day of a season, it must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. on the day of the kill. For wild turkey, the hunter must complete the game check process and receive a confirmation code by 11:30 p.m. on the same day it was killed.

A hunter may immediately complete the game check process prior to moving the game. The game must be tagged once the hunter leaves the animal unattended or arrives at a residence or temporary lodging.

FILL IN THE PERMIT OR TAG

Fill in the deer or wild turkey permit upon harvest with the date, time, and county of kill. Submitting through the Division of Wildlife's mobile application fulfills this requirement. The game must be tagged once the hunter leaves the animal unattended or arrives at a residence or temporary lodging.
Exempt landowners are required to make a tag and include their name, date, time, and county of kill. Submitting through the Division of Wildlife's mobile application fulfills this requirement. The tag may remain unattached until the hunter arrives at a residence or temporary lodging.

Once the hunter leaves the game unattended, the completed permit or tag, or confirmation code, must be attached. The permit or confirmation code is required to remain with the game at all times.

COMPLETE GAME CHECK

Hunters may check game and receive a confirmation code in one of these ways:

Call 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (1-877-824-4864).
Visit ohiogamecheck.com, then select COMPLETE GAME CHECK.
Exempt landowners call 1-866-703-1928 for operator-assisted landowner game check. Fees apply.
Complete game check through the Division of Wildlife's mobile application, HuntFish OH.
Visit any authorized license sales agent. A list of sales agents may be found at wildohio.gov. Hunters do not need to take their deer or turkey to the agent for the game check. Be sure to bring the permit number to the license agent. Authorized license sales agents will be available for game check during normal business hours.

Regardless of game check method, the hunter must provide the 10-digit permit number, which is printed in large numbers on every permit. Exempt landowners do not need to provide a permit number.

The hunter must answer a series of questions. The hunter will be issued a confirmation code at the end of the process.

The confirmation code may be written on the corresponding permit or tag and attached to the game. When a hunter checks a deer or wild turkey by internet, agent, or mobile application, they will receive a game check receipt with their confirmation code printed on it. Hunters using the telephone game check method will receive the confirmation code over the phone. Hunters using the Division of Wildlife's mobile application will receive their confirmation code once their phone has service.

The confirmation code must remain attached to the game and its parts. The code may be written on the back or bottom of a mount.

A game check receipt may be printed by accessing Ohio's Wildlife Licensing System at ohiogamecheck.com after the game check process is complete.

The game check process must be completed prior to butchering or processing the carcass. This does not include field dressing.

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