Ohio’s spring 2025 wild-turkey season closed with 16,014 birds checked—3 % more than last year and 11.5 % above the recent three-year average—but still well below the 26,156-bird record set in 2001.ashlandsource.comwfmj.comhighlandcountypress.com Hunters enjoyed robust flocks, a one-bird bag limit, and steady gobbling action across both management zones, confirming that the Buckeye State’s long-term restoration work continues to pay dividends.
Season by the Numbers
Statewide totals
Total birds: 16,014 (regular season + youth weekend).ashlandsource.comwfmj.com
Change from 2024: +3 % (15,535 last year).ashlandsource.com
Above three-year average (2022-24): +11.5 % (avg 14,361).ashlandsource.com
Permits sold: 52,693, up from 51,530 in 2024.ashlandsource.com
County hot-spots
Ashtabula again topped Ohio’s leaderboard with 516 birds, followed by Monroe (462), Belmont (459), Guernsey (419) and Muskingum (406). Rounding out the top ten were Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Meigs, Columbiana and Coshocton.wfmj.comashlandsource.com
Age & sex breakdown
Adult gobblers: 12,904 (81 %).wfmj.comashlandsource.com
Juvenile males (jakes): 2,924 (18 %).ashlandsource.com
Bearded hens: 186 (<2 %).wfmj.com
Biologists trace the high adult ratio to strong poult production in 2021-23.ashlandsource.com
Zones & gear
Ohio splits its spring season into a five-county Northeast Zone (1,230 birds) and an 83-county South Zone (14,784 birds) to match nesting chronology.ashlandsource.com Shotguns dominated the harvest at 98 % (15,751 birds), while archers tagged the remaining 263 toms.wfmj.com
Regulations Recap
Bag limit: One bearded bird statewide.dam.assets.ohio.gov
Season dates 2025: Youth (Apr 12-13); South Zone (Apr 19–May 18); Northeast Zone (May 3–Jun 1).spectrumnews1.com
Hunters needed both a spring turkey permit and a general hunting licence.dam.assets.ohio.gov
How We Got Here – A Brief History
Wild turkeys vanished from Ohio by the early 1900s, but trap-and-transfer efforts begun in the 1950s set the stage for their comeback.ashlandsource.com The first modern season (1966) opened in just nine counties and produced 12 birds; statewide seasons began in 2000, and numbers peaked in 2001.ashlandsource.comfacebook.com Long-term harvests have remained stable despite annual ups-and-downs tied to brood success and habitat conditions.ashlandsource.com
Looking Ahead for Hunters
Expect plenty of vocal birds in 2026
The GPS-hen study the Division of Wildlife launched in 2023—now tracking 248 hens—should fine-tune season timing and habitat work, potentially boosting future poult survival.ashlandsource.com If summer brood surveys stay above the 2.8 poults-per-hen benchmark, hunters can anticipate another healthy class of two-year-old gobblers next spring.
Tune up those turkey calls
With shotgun patterns dialed-in and a one-gobbler limit, calling finesse matters more than ever. Practice soft yelps and excited cuts to coax wary long-beards that have already heard every box and slate on the farm. (Need audio help? Grab the free sound library at TurkeyCalls.us.)
Scout the fringe counties
Harvest growth in counties like Defiance (+56 over average) and Williams (+63) hints at expanding range edges—prime spots for less-pressured birds.
Bottom line: 2025 wasn’t a record-smashing spring, but it was another solid notch in Ohio’s comeback story—proof that smart regulations, robust habitat and a chorus of well-timed turkey calls keep the Buckeye State’s gobblers thundering each April.
h/t: https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/2025/06/03/spring-turkey-hunting-season-results-above-average-shy-of-record/83992968007/