Ohio
Statewide results tell partial story about overall Ohio turkey numbers, hunter enthusiasm
Turkey hunters need wild turkeys, and the Ohio Division of Wildlife needs both to help maintain a functional livelihood derived from the sale of licenses and permits.
As far as it goes, then, the end of the 2024 spring turkey season last Sunday suggests results could’ve been worse. They have been. Results could also be better. They have been.
While only the present actually matters, the turkey timeline stretches into a tangled past of cause, effect and numbers.
Hunters might not be as concerned with the statewide take as much as is each with his or her personal success, that being measured in the effort required to carry home one bearded bird in the spring. If one gets carried home.
Statewide results at season’s end additionally tell a partial story about overall turkey numbers and hunter enthusiasm.
Figuring totals from the April youth hunt, the South Zone season and the North Zone hunt, 15,535 turkeys officially were removed from the Ohio landscape during the season just passed.
That’s down a few from the 15,673 checked in 2023, but up considerably more than a few from the 2022 total of 11,872 birds and the 2021 count of 14,546.
All the counting invites comment from the field biologist who tracks these things for the wildlife division.
“The 2024 harvest fell in line with expectations,” turkey specialist Mark Wiley wrote in an email last week. “The poult indices from 2021 and 2022 were similar, which suggested 2-year-old gobbler numbers would be comparable in 2023 and 2024. The spring permit and harvest totals were similar across those years.”
Poults are spring-hatched turkeys whose numbers and survival form the basis of the future population. While chills and rain during the hatch is thought to cause high poult mortality, this year’s hatchlings enjoyed mostly favorable spring weather, Wylie said.
The take this year and last pushed past the 2021 spring total of 14,546, a 21-year low during a period of two-turkey spring limits and higher harvest averages. The limit was reduced to one in 2022.
One variable is the number of turkeys. Another is the number of turkey hunters.
Permit sales plunged from 61,135 in 2021 to 48,815 in 2022 when the one-bird spring limit was inaugurated. The number of sold permits rebounded to 50,174 in 2023 and to a slightly higher 51,530 this spring.
“The exact cause of the increase has not yet been determined, but it is possible we are seeing the return of spring hunters who may have taken a hiatus when turkey numbers dipped a few years ago,” Wiley noted.
What’s likely coming in 2025 rhymes with results in 2023 and this year rather than with either recent lows or past highs.
“The summer poult index was down slightly in 2023, so I expect spring harvest rates and totals to follow suit in 2025,” Wiley wrote. “I expect this will be a minor shift, with spring harvest rates falling only a percentage point or two.”
Probably unknowable is whether the annual spring turkey take has hit some new and more moderate normal at around 15,000 birds instead of the 20,000 or so averaged in the not-distant past.
A project involving Ohio State University that started last year is ongoing, although preliminary data from 2023 suggests hen survival is not an issue except for increased vulnerability during the period when they are incubating eggs.
When the dust settles,” Wylie said, “we may find that a focus on improved nesting habitat could improve rates of hen and nest survival.”
Ashtabula led Ohio counties with 470 turkeys checked.
outdoors@dispatch.com
“The Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) inspection of Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull on Tuesday found several significant issues that need to be addressed before the hospital can re-open, to ensure the health and safety of patients. Insight will need to contact ODH once these issues have been addressed. At that point, we will conduct another inspection to verify the standards have been met,” the statement reads.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio finally picked up some much-needed rain to start the week, and more is on the way.
After a soggy Monday and start to Tuesday, conditions will improve through the afternoon. Clouds will linger, but most spots should stay dry with just a slight chance of a stray shower.
This should come as welcome news for the Guardians, who open a three-games series Tuesday night against the Tigers with first place in the AL Central and a possible trip to the postseason at stake.
The lull in precipitation will be short-lived as a new storm system lifts across the Great Lakes Wednesday and brings another round of widespread rain. Showers will spread back into the region during the morning and become steady through the afternoon, with a few thunderstorms possible, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
Rainfall totals from this midweek system could reach three-quarters of an inch to more than an inch across parts of Northeast Ohio, according to early projections. Localized higher amounts are possible where thunderstorms develop.
While they could bring higher rainfall totals, any storms that do develop aren’t expected to be severe, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The strongest risk for severe weather will stay well to the south.
Temperatures Wednesday will be limited to the low and mid 70s because of the cloud cover and rainfall. Lingering showers may hang on into Thursday, with highs again in the 70s.
By Friday and Friday night, high pressure will attempt to build in from the Upper Midwest. That should dry out most of Northeast Ohio, though an isolated shower can’t be ruled out.
Drier this weekend
Fortunately, the rain from the week won’t linger into the weekend for most of Northeast Ohio.
A cold front is expected to sweep across the state on Saturday, which could bring some showers to Lake and Ashtabula counties overnight.
By Sunday, the entire region is expected to be dry, though temperatures will turn a bit cooler. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 70s to near 80 before highs fall back into the low to mid 70s on Sunday and Monday.
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US LBM Coaches Poll: Georgia looks strong, Clemson drops out
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down Georgia’s comeback win over Tennessee and Clemson’s struggles to start the season
Another week of wild finishes and a few surprises shuffled the US LBM Coaches Poll. But once again, the changes didn’t reach the top.
The teams ranked No. 1 through No. 7 hold their positions, though some had an easier time this week than others. Ohio State remains in the top spot, receiving 62 of 67 first-place votes this week. Penn State stays at No. 2 with three No.-1 nods. No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU claim a first-place vote each. Oregon, Miami (Fla.) and Texas also hold steady.
Illinois climbs a notch to No. 8, a season-high ranking for the Fighting Illini on the eve of a key Big Ten clash with No. 17 Indiana. Florida State vaults three places to No. 9. Texas A&M makes the week’s biggest move, climbing seven positions to No. 10 on the heels of its last-minute victory at Notre Dame.
TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 3
The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, tumble from No. 8 to No. 21 as last season’s playoff runners-up are still seeking their first win of the campaign.
It was a rough weekend for the Palmetto State, as both Clemson and South Carolina went down to defeat. The Gamecocks, at least, stay in the poll at No. 24 after losing at home to Vanderbilt. The Commodores, thanks to that victory, make their season poll debut at No. 23.
Clemson falls out of the rankings after being handed its second loss of the young season by Georgia Tech, which also moves into the poll at No. 19. Also joining the rankings are No. 22 Missouri, after lurking just outside the Top 25 last week, and No. 25 Auburn, which edges out Brigham Young by just two poll points. South Florida and Arizona State also drop out.
(This story was updated to change a video.)
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