OHIO — Ohio's spring turkey hunting season is nearly here, including youth turkey hunting season.

The 2025 youth hunting season is set for Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13.

What You Need To Know

  • Spring turkey hunting season begins this month
  • Youth weekend begins April 12

  • Regular hunting begins on April 19 in the south and May 3 in the northeast

  • The season limit is one bearded turkey

During the youth weekend, hunters 17-years-old and younger can participate with youth hunting license and youth turkey permit. Licenses are $10 for a one-year youth license and a youth-turkey permit costs $16.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife said the regular seasons are divided into two zones: south, which begins on Saturday, April 19; and the northeast, which opens Saturday, May 3. 

ODNR said the season limit is one bearded turkey.

The department collects information on young wild turkeys, called poults, and said good results in 2022, 2023 and 2024 will benefit the state’s population this spring. In 2024, the average poults per hen was 2.9, in 2023 it was 2.8 and in 2022 the average was three.

Last year hunters checked 15,535 birds. Within that count, 1,785 turkeys taken by hunters aged 17 and younger during the youth weekend. Most of the turkeys were taken from eastern and southern counties, where the forested habitat is most abundant. 

The top five counties in 2024 were Ashtabula, 470; Belmont, 454; Tuscarawas, 449; Monroe, 447; and Washington, 410.

Licenses and permits can be purchased at license sales agencies, on the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System or via the HuntFish OH mobile app.

Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult at least 18-years-old or older and hunting hours during the youth season are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

For regular season hunting zones, hunting hours for turkeys for the first nine days are from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon. For the rest of the season, hours are extended until sunset. In the south, the season end on Sunday, May 18. For the northeast zone, it ends on Sunday, June 1. 

Hunters must have a valid license and a spring turkey permit, unless exempted.

Hunters must game check their harvested bird no later than 11:30 p.m. on the day it was taken.