Wild turkey, pheasant & deer hunting underway in Ohio

Coshocton Tribune:
Wild turkey numbers up 7 percent

Ohio hunters increased their wild turkey harvest by nearly 7 percent during the state's 12th annual fall gun-hunting season that opened in 37 counties on Oct. 13 and ended Oct. 28, according to preliminary figures released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Preliminary total showed 1,077 birds harvested this year, as opposed to last year's preliminary gun-season total of 1,010 birds.

The top 10 counties this year were perennial leader Ashtabula (83), Guernsey (62), Trumbull (54), Coshocton (47), Columbiana and Brown (41), Jackson (40), Clermont (38) and Ashland, Gallia, and Tuscarawas (36).

In other wildlife news, muzzleloader hunters took 273 deer during last week's early muzzleloader deer hunts.

...There's still time for hunters to take advantage of the fall season and a good wild turkey population. The archery-only portion of the wild turkey hunting season began Oct. 29 and will run through Nov. 25.

Toledo Blade: Young hunters take a shot at pheasants

Nearly 140 young hunters in Wood and Seneca counties were among more than 1,000 youths statewide who received special attention during the Ohio upland game youth season over the weekend.

They were the beneficiaries of special annual pheasant hunts by local chapters of Pheasants Forever, the nationally known habitat conservation organization.

"Everything went fine," summed Lou Best, coordinator of the 13th annual hunt conducted for 90 young hunters by the Wood/Lucas Chapter of PF. "Most of them saw something, even in the rain," said Best, adding that the hunters averaged a pheasant apiece. The hunt was based at the Wood County Fairgrounds in Bowling Green.

...In related news, rabbits and pheasants will be fair game statewide come Friday for all licensed hunters, and bobwhite quail season will be open in 16 southern counties.

In northwest Ohio, hunters should find rabbit numbers to be up somewhat from a year ago, according to Scott Butterworth, wildlife management supervisor for Ohio Wildlife District 2.

...For pheasants, find private plots enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, and get permission to hunt there for optimum chances for wild birds. Otherwise, know that the state will be stocking birds on select public hunting areas, including seven in northwest Ohio, on Thursday, on Nov. 9, and again on Nov. 21, the day before Thanksgiving. A list of stocked areas is posted online at www.ohiodnr.com.