Ohio hunters harvested a preliminary total of 7,744 bearded wild turkeys during the first week of the spring turkey-hunting season.
The season is open statewide through May 15, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.
Top counties for wild turkeys killed the opening week were: Tuscarawas; 259, Guernsey; 247; Ashtabula; 241, Knox; 238, Harrison; 224, Adams; 213, Coshocton; 210, Muskingum; 207, Licking; 199, Columbiana; 191.
The Division of Wildlife estimates that more than 70,000 people will hunt turkeys during the four-week season. Legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 18 to May 1, 2011. Hunting hours May 2-15 will be a half hour before sunrise to sunset. Ohio’s wild turkey population was estimated at 200,000 prior to the start of the spring season.
A special youth-only hunt for hunters age 17 and younger was held statewide on April 16-17. Young hunters killed an additional 1,455 birds statewide.
Only bearded wild turkeys may be taken during the spring hunting season. A hunter is required to check in their turkey by 11 p.m. on the day of harvest. Hunters with the proper permits may take a limit of two bearded gobblers during the four-week season, but not more than one wild turkey per day.
Hunters must still report their turkey harvest, but they are no longer required to take their turkey to a check station for physical inspection. Instead, hunters have three options to complete the new automated game check:
On the Internet at wildohio.com or ohiogamecheck.com.
By telephone at 1-877-TAG-ITOH (1-877-824-4864). This option is only available to those who are required to have a turkey permit to hunt turkeys.
At all license agents. A list of these agents can be found at wildohio.com.
Game-check transactions will be available online and by telephone seven days a week and during holidays. License agents’ locations will be available for turkey check-in during normal business hours. Please call the license agent for specific hours of operation. All turkeys must be checked in by 11 p.m. the day of kill.
Please be aware of the fact that all hunters who report a harvest can use the “Online Customer Care Center” (wildohio.com) to view their game-check history and get a copy of their permanent tag number. You are encouraged to use this tool whenever possible. Besides viewing your game-check history, you can change your address; print a customer ID card, and much more:
- Visit www.wildohio.com.
- Click “Wild Ohio Customer Care Center.”
- Click “Manage Your Account.”
- Click “Start Now.”
- Enter personal information.
- Click “My Game Check History.”
New licensing alert
Recently, DOW has been inundated with calls from members of the Northeast Ohio Amish communities or representatives of them with concerns about Federal Statute 42. They noticed on some paperwork that we are required to collect SSNs according to Section 666 of the statute.
The 666 apparently alarms them and they are under the impression that the DOW as an agency personally created and assigned this number.
Obviously, the federal government not the ODOW created this number without intentions of anything more than using the next number on the list so-to-speak. The Ohio Division of Wildlife would like to reiterate that they are not responsible for this and that it was probably just an oversight on the federal government’s part.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife is not responsible for these digits and has no way assigning a different number. The ODOW encourages anyone who is concerned to look past the section number and focus on getting their licenses so they are complying with state law.
There is a revised version of the form that first alerted them to Section 666, DNR 9151 (510). This form must be completed by those who do not have a SSN assigned to them (a small segment of old order Amish) so they may get a customer ID and thereby be included in their database for a smoother license purchasing process.
Free fishing fays
Ohioans are encouraged to take advantage of “Free Fishing Days” on May 7-8 and experience the great fishing Ohio has to offer, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife. For these two days only, Ohio anglers may fish in any of the state’s public waters without having to buy a fishing license.
During the rest of the year, anglers 16 years of age and older are required to have a valid fishing license to take fish, frogs or turtles from Ohio waters. An Ohio fishing license is one of the best recreation bargains available, costing only $19 a year for residents.
Ohio residents born on or before Dec. 31, 1937 can obtain a free fishing license at any license vendor. Residents age 66 and older who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1938 are eligible to obtain a reduced cost ($10) senior fishing license. A one-day fishing license is also available for $11, an amount that later can be applied toward the cost of an annual fishing license. Fishing licenses are available at bait and tackle stores, outdoor outfitters, major department stores, as well as on the Internet at wildohio.com.
Ohio’s Free Fishing Days were established in 1993 to promote fishing and allow Ohioans to experience fishing before buying a license. The offer is open to Ohio residents, and extends to all public waters including Lake Erie and the Ohio River. An estimated 1.3 million people fish each year in Ohio.
Great fishing exists around the state and throughout the year. In late winter and early spring, anglers reel in excellent catches of steelhead trout and walleye from northern Ohio streams. Spring also means great saugeye and crappie fishing. During the summer months, the fishing heats up on Lake Erie for yellow perch, walleye, and smallmouth bass, while anglers on the Ohio River enjoy excellent striped bass fishing.
The Free Fishing Free Days weekend offers Ohioans of all ages the chance to experience the fun of fishing. For anyone taking a young angler, there’s nothing more rewarding than teaching a kid to fish. Here are some helpful tips:
- Keep it simple. Consider the child’s age and skill level. If this is their first time, shore fishing is recommended.
- Kids like to catch fish. The size of fish doesn’t matter to kids. But catching a fish, any fish, does. Choose a pond, lake or stream where they will easily be able to catch a few fish.
- Use simple tackle. A good rod and reel for kids costs between $15 and $30. A spin-cast reel is easy to use and, after a few practice casts, kids usually have mastered it.
- Bring along a camera. Children love to show off pictures of their “big catch.”
- Keep the trip fun-and short. Let the child have a good time, even if it means taking a break. Take time out to explore and enjoy the time together.
- Be patient. Plan on spending some time untangling lines, baiting hooks, landing fish, and taking pictures of big smiles and wiggling fish. By concentrating all your attention on your young angler, you’ll likely be developing a fishing buddy for a lifetime.
Friction facts
Opening morning in Pennsylvania several years ago started well when my cousin, Andy, and I set up in the twilight along a tree line near a few early morning gobblers.
One hour later, we found ourselves leaving the area, wondering what went wrong. Although the toms had answered our calls, it seemed as though the hills of PA had swallowed them up.
We covered ground in the hours that followed, but didn’t hit pay dirt until we walked to the top of a hill and pulled out my trusty box call. With the call held high and pointed towards the blue sky, I hammered the lid mercilessly. As the yelps echoed through the valley, Andy heard the faint gobble of a distant bird. That particular gobbler went down about an hour and a half after the box call located it.
Now, let’s face it, the box has not always been one of my favorite calls. It’s somewhat cumbersome to pack, although now many of the higher end turkey vests incorporate a box call pocket within them. It’s never easy to lay aside at a moment’s notice without tom turkey detecting movement. But on the other hand, it does produce volume when necessary, and often sounds good to a lovelorn tom turkey.
Unlimited use
For the most, part friction calls have no limits other than they tie up both of your hands. When it comes to hen talk, they are capable of producing both subtle and high-volume calls. They also can produce aggressive sounds, from rapid clucks and cutts to the sounds of fighting hens.
I don’t want to say that any friction call can do it all. I’ve carried small box calls simply because they fit easier in my turkey vest, but found they don’t provide the volume that a bigger box is capable of producing, especially in high winds. It’s hard to beat an easy-to-use push-button box, which is great for beginners learning the ropes of calling. By the way I carry two of these in my vest a single and a double.
I jumped on the aluminum call when it was introduced. It is capable of not only volume, but also the high-frequency sounds that gobblers occasionally can’t resist. Aluminum box calls are also effective at close range; with a slight change in pressure, you can reduce volume and produce the most gentle clucks and purrs.
You can’t beat the pot-type slate and glass call when it comes to raspy friction talk. What they lack in volume, they really come through with when you bump heads with a gobbler, or need to mimic the sounds of a raspy boss hen. Every call seems to have a specific purpose.
Different strokes...
Every hunter has a favorite call and so does each bird we hunt. What one bird likes, another may not. That’s why when I head to the woods; my vest will carry several friction calls, various strikers and a few diaphragms.
I’m not sure which call will come out first, but I can tell you that each will enter the playing field sometime during the season. It’s all part of the on-going dialogue that keeps turkeys talking, hunters guessing and both coming back for more.
Basic tips
Friction calls are easy to use and produce some seriously realistic turkey sounds. Here are seven tips for better friction calling.
- Most friction call surfaces benefit from an initial conditioning with sandpaper. Sand in one direction only, straight across the surface of the call in a horizontal direction. The call will need to be reconditioned after use. Strikers also need periodic conditioning.
- Use 50 grit sandpaper to condition all call surfaces, use 120 grit for striker points.
- When holding the call, always cup your hand so that your palm is not touching the bottom of the call and dampening the sound.
- Hold the striker like you would a pencil, at a 20-degree angle.
- Keep your friction calls in a call case or specific pockets of you vest designed for them to prevent scratches and extend the time between conditioning.
- At one time slate was the most common friction surface, but aluminum, glass and special ceramic friction surfaces also produce excellent turkey talk and somewhat dominate the market nowadays.
- Wet conditions demand a glass or ceramic surface and a striker featuring a synthetic tip designed to be impervious to water.
Emily’s first
Emily Herron and her father Shawn arrived at their blind at 6 a.m. on the opening day of the Ohio spring youth turkey hunting weekend, April 17, and heard what seemed to be some gobbles about 200 yards to their west. They decided to try some loud yelps about every 10 or 15 minutes because of high winds. It took about an hour but their plan worked. Around 7 a.m. they had a bird answer them on the other side of the railroad tracks and gobbled at every call, he was hot!
Train games
Unfortunately, a train came through and shut them down for what seemed several minutes and they lost track of their suitor. Once they could hear again they proceeded to holler back at him but it seemed to be in vain, then suddenly out of nowhere came a thundering GOBBLE! He was on their side of the tracks and closing the distance fast.
He’s on his way
Shawn told Emily to get her gun out the window of the blind and concentrate in the area towards the front of the decoys, As Shawn eased around Emily’s gun and peeked out the window in the direction of the gobbler he immediately spotted him, he was in full strut 75 yards out. Shawn popped back in and gave him one more series of soft yelps, he thundered back and was on his way to them.
But what if I miss?
He came right in to their decoy spread slammed on the brakes at 18 yards and went into full strut, what a show. When he came out of strut Shawn told Emily to put the red dot on his neck and shoot! Her response was “but what if I miss? Shawn told her, “You gotta try.”
She put her cheek on the stock, took aim and squeezed, KAA BOOM! Emily’s “Thunder Chicken” hit the ground and barely flopped. As soon as the bird went down, they jumped out of the blind and ran to claim Emily’s prize. This was Emily’s third youth season of trying and her success was worth every minute they had spent in the blind together all the times before.
Emily’s stats
Eleven-year-old Emily Herron, who is in the fifth grade and attends Plymouth Elementary School, harvested her first turkey on April 17, 2011 while hunting with her father, Shawn, in North Kingsville. She was using an H&R 20 gauge single shot youth model shotgun topped with a BSA red dot scope while flinging out Winchester #5 turkey loads.
She shot her thunder chicken from an Ameristep ground blind at 18 yards and he went no further. Inside her presidio, she was wearing Mossy Oak camo and dad was sounding off with a Quaker boy box call and an HS Strut mouth call.
Outside, her setup consisted of a Flambeau full strut decoy with a real tail and an inflatable jake and hen decoy. Her bird weighed in at 18.5 pounds with a 9-inch beard and 3/4-inch spurs and they used the new licensing system to it’s fullest by taking advantage of the phone in checking system.
My call
No matter which call is your favorite, there’s one thing for certain, you need to practice with it and get you vocalization down pat. But don’t rule out other calls. The turkey hunter who goes into the woods with only one call is limiting their self to only the bird that is receptive to that call that day, if he’s out there.
The more versatile you can be the better your chances are of luring in any gobbler that comes along. If he’s not interested in what you offer him at first, pull the ol’ swith-er-roo on him trying different calls until you do get his attention.
Remember, pass it on or it will surely pass on.
Sunderlin is a freelance writer from Geneva. Reach him at djss@roadrunner.com.
