Ohio’s spring turkey season dates proposed to wildlife council

Columbus — The Ohio Wildlife Council received proposals for the spring 2025 turkey hunting season dates in late August, according to the Ohio DNR (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The council also received proposals to amend site-specific minimum-length requirements for walleye, sauger, and saugeye at several inland lakes.

A complete list of proposed rule changes is available at wildohio.gov. Anyone who would like to comment on Division of Wildlife proposals can do so online at wildohio.gov between Monday, Aug. 26 and Wednesday, Sept. 25. The proposed rules will be voted on during the Ohio Wildlife Council’s meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The proposed spring 2025 turkey hunting season dates are:

• Youth: Saturday, April 12 to Sunday, April 13, 2025

• South Zone: Saturday, April 19 to Sunday, May 18, 2025

• Northeast Zone: Saturday, May 3 to Sunday, June 1, 2025

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Ohio’s spring turkey season is split into two zones to align with the timing of turkey nesting in those regions. The south zone is the majority of Ohio, comprising 83 counties. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties.

Annually, the south zone opening date is proposed to begin on the Saturday closest to April 21, and the northeast zone is proposed to begin on the Saturday closest to May 1. Under these guidelines, the opening dates for the south zone and northeast zone may be as much as two weeks apart.

Ohio Wildlife Council

The Ohio Wildlife Council is an eight-member board that considers all Division of Wildlife proposed rules and regulations. Meetings are open to the public.