Too Late in Ohio!!!

[Ohiobuck25]

For all you Ohio guys, does anyone else feel that we start our Turkey season too late. I know other surrounding states such as Kentucky start their seasons two weeks before our season of(April 21st -May 18th). Every year, I notice Turkeys gobbling and running around in full strut once April hits. Also the last two weeks of seasonup to May 18th seem to be too hot and harvestnumbers seem to drop big time! Any thoughts on this? Is it a strategy to keep the numbers in check and control the number of harvests, poor timing on Ohio'spart,or is it just me?

[drdi]

Well I guess that depends on what part of Ohio you live in. I always thought that the timing for turkey season was right on the money until the DOW made the start one week earlier a few years ago. Now I think it starts too early. The third week of April, the birds are still in their winter flocks up here. Very few hens are setting and basically you follow flocks of 30+ hens around hoping to lure a satellite gobbler over to where you are. Hunting doesn't get really good (and I mean REALLY GOOD!) until the first and second weeks of May. Even the third week of May is rockin'!

A friend of mine made a trip to southern Ohio this week and commented on how green the fields and grass are. Up here in the far north, it looks like February or March or any other month with nothing growing.

The DOW does not want to split the state into northern and southern zones so I guess the current start date is a good compromise. Starts too late in the south and too early in the north.

[buckeyehntr5]

I agree that the season does open up a week or two too late. It seems by opening morning the toms are already henned up. Last night I seen two toms(strutting) and 4 hens in a field close to our property.

[Hick442]

It would be nice if it ran from april first to may.

[DTC]

As bad as I hate to say it Arkansas has it figured out, yes Arkansas. The southern zone opens 1st followed by the northern zone. I wish MO would do this . I have a buddy that lives on the MO/AR border (1 hour 30 minutes frome me) and his turkey will be 2 weeks ahead of mine every year.

[ohbowguy]

I'd like to see the season start a week earlier like it did a few years ago. Ohio seems to like to gradually implement new laws over a few years (like the Sunday hunting). Maybe they'll eventually go back to starting on the second week of April. Along the same lines, I just read in that Ohio Outdoor newspaper that they are thinking of making changes to the '09 season. One option would make the new quit time 2:00 instead of noon, but 1 week would be taken off making it a 3 week season. Option 2 would be no change, keep it the same. I don't remember option 3. I'd rather have the extra week and keep it the same. I don't think 2 hours are going to make that big of a difference.

[Adrian J Hare]

Your bird population would see a change if you hunted before the mating season. I understand what you mean, but some of the best hunting could be at the end of the season as most of the hens have moved off to nesting grounds. Every place I have hunted seems to have the same outcome no matter what way you look at it. The end of the season is as good as the start...

[rybohunter]

You guys still open earlier than PA does. I wish ours was 2 weeks earlier. Make people choose between troutor turkeys.

[tommyt11]

I have seen baby turkies first week of season in Ohio

[mohunter82]

It is probably done with the same reasoning that most state like missouri does. Missouri straight up told us this year that it will be the third monday in april. Reason being that by this time most of the hens should already be on the nest and hunting should actually be easier.Trust me if your toms are henned up then your season isnt to late. if anything its to early in my opinion.