Hunters bagged more wild turkeys in Ashtabula County than elsewhere in Ohio. Here's why
Ashtabula County is full of turkeys.
No, not the theatrical flops. Or the bowling feats. Or even foolish folks.
The wild kind that go gobble gobble.
For the fourth year in a row, Ohio hunters bagged the most birds during the spring turkey season in Ashtabula. They checked 516 turkeys this spring, well above second place Monroe County at 462 birds.
So, what's so special about Ashtabula?
Ashtabula County provides ideal conditions for wild turkeys
"It's got a lot of good mature forest and farmland mixed in," said Joe Ferrara, wildlife research technician with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. "The forest is good for the turkeys. For breeding grounds, they like open areas. But so do hunters."
Beyond those ideal conditions, Ferrara pointed out, Ashtabula also happens to be the state's largest county in size. Thus, it's logical to conclude that there would be more turkeys there to be taken.
Caitlyn Ford, the operations manager at Sports Junction in Ashtabula County, said it's great that the county has continued to perform well during the spring turkey season.
"It shows that the hunters are getting out and doing what they should be doing," she said.
Ford said the consistent performance of Ashtabula County turkey hunters aligns with the strong hunting presence in the area.
"We have a really good community of just people who have hunted for generations and generations," she said. "We even see young kids getting out and hunting these days, too, which is always great to see, so I think that's a good reason that we're really successful in this area."
As for the spring turkey season, Ohio hunters did well.
They checked 16,014 birds, surpassing last year's total of 15,535, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife . The three-year average for the spring season is 14,361, the agency noted.
The highest Ohio wild turkey harvest was in 2001 when hunters checked 26,156 birds.
Spring turkey permits also increased this season.
"The Division of Wildlife issued 52,693 spring turkey permits for use during the spring 2025 hunting season," the department said in a prepared statement. "In 2024, the agency issued 51,530 spring turkey permits."
What weapons did hunters favor during the spring turkey season?
Hunters chose shotguns during the spring turkey season more frequently than any other weapon.
"Shotguns were the implement of choice for Ohio’s turkey hunters this spring, accounting for 98% of the total harvest (15,751 birds)," the department said in a prepared statement. "The remaining 263 birds were taken with archery equipment."
Turkey hunters' popular choice of shotguns, Ford said, was also consistent with what they've been observing at the store.
"Archery hunting turkey is a little bit more difficult, so guns (are) typically a little bit better, not that it's easy," she said. "It's just a little bit easier."
81% of turkeys checked this season were adult males
The vast majority of the birds taken this season — 12,904 or 81% — were adult males, according to the Division of Wildlife. Biologists were expecting a high proportion of adults in this year's total following strong broods in recent summers.
"Following an above-average turkey brood in 2024, hunters checked 2,924 juvenile male turkeys in 2025, representing 18% of birds taken," according to a news release. "Turkey hunters also checked 186 bearded female turkeys (hens) during the 2025 season."
Which counties checked the most turkeys during Ohio's 2025 spring turkey season?
Here's a look at the counties that performed the best:
- Ashtabula: 516
- Monroe: 462
- Belmont: 459
- Guernsey: 419
- Muskingum: 406
- Trumbull: 403
- Tuscarawas: 401
- Carroll: 396
- Meigs: 376
- Columbiana and Coshocton (tied): 372
Why does Ohio have a split turkey hunting season?
Ferrara said the most asked question he gets is why Ohio has a split turkey hunting season.
Wild turkey hunting opened April 19 this year in 83 counties, but started May 3 in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties.
"What we've found in a previous study that we've done is they breed later in the snowbelt region," Ferrara said." Because spring kind of lags behind a bit because of the cold from the lake, the turkeys respond by breeding later."
Wildlife officials don't want hunters taking out adult males before they've reproduced.
When is the fall turkey hunting season in Ohio?
Fall wild turkey hunting is open from Oct. 1 to Oct. 26. The season limit is one wild turkey. The sring 2026 wild turkey hunting season dates will be announced later this year.
How's the Ohio turkey population?
The National Wild Turkey Federation reported in October that Ohio saw a slight increase in the 2024 wild turkey poult index — which measures how many birds are born per hen. The average was 2.9 poults marking the fourth consecutive year of above-average or slightly above-average brood surveys, the group said.
“These strong poult classes have boosted Ohio’s spring permit success rates in recent years," Mark Wiley, ODNR wildlife biologist and National Wild Turkey Federation Technical Committee representative, said in a prepared statement. "It appears success rates will remain high through 2026 when the 2024 class of poults matures into 2-year-old gobblers.”
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hunters bagged more wild turkeys in Ashtabula County than elsewhere in Ohio. Here's why
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