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
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Multiple police departments were responding to the report of a large fight at Boardman Park Sunday evening.
Police told our crew on the scene that they received a call around 8:30 p.m. for a large fight at the park involving over 100 people. Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth said the caller reported someone at the park may have a gun.
Due to the nature of the call, mutual aid was requested for multiple surrounding departments.
Chief Werth said officers determined an argument occurred, but there was no physical altercation. He confirmed there was no gun present.
No arrests were made and no one was injured.
People were being ushered out of the park and the park director shut down the park for the night.
Boardman Township officials say they appreciate the quick response of local law enforcement.
Dominic O’Brien contributed to this report.
Bob Chesney has done a good job at recruiting players from the 2027 high school class.
The 2027 class is Chesney’s first real recruiting class and has so far brought in one of the best in the country, ranking eighth according to 247Sports.
With 19 total commits, Chesney has brought in seven 4-star recruits, with 12 being 3-star, and some being borderline 4-star-caliber recruits who can see a rise in their rankings with a good senior season.
While Chesney has done a good job recruiting players on both the offense and defense, the quarterback has eluded him, and he is still searching for a top quarterback prospect to commit to the Bruins.
Luckily for the Bruins, they have had some success in recruiting top players. Recently, the Bruins will get a visit from Colton Nussmeier this weekend, and are now linked to one of the top committed prospects in Brady Edmunds.
Edmunds As a Prospect
Edmunds is a 4-star prospect and, according to 247Sports, the 16th-ranked quarterback and the 17th-ranked player in the state of California.
247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins describes the 6’5 “quarterback as an experienced pocket passer with a prototypical build that can drive the ball around the field. Edmunds is also capable of escaping from the pocket to pick up a first down with his legs, and is even compared to Tyler Van Dyke from SMU.
Coming from Huntington Beach, California, during his junior season, he led Huntington Beach to an 8-3 record while throwing for 2,724 yards, 32 TDs, and only two INTs on 196-for-288 passing. He also ran the ball 54 times for 147 yards and four TDs.
Ivins does think that while he is very talented, he might need a year to sit behind an experienced quarterback to learn the speed and physicality of the game. If he were to commit to UCLA, he would already have that covered, as Nico Iamaleava would have one more year of eligibility after next season.
Edmunds and UCLA
Edmunds has been off the market since 2024, when he committed to Ohio State under Chip Kelly. Since Kelley’s departure after the Buckeyes championship season, Edmunds has kept his recruitment open while still committed to Ohio State.
UCLA first offered him back in early 2024, when Deshaun Foster was the head coach, and, with Chesney as the new head coach, he has been active in Edmunds’ recruitment.
If Chesney is able to steal away a top quarterback prospect from an elite school within the same conference, it would be a massive win for the program.
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The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 30, 2026, results for each game:
Powerball
Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
01-27-35-44-52, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 1-0-6
Evening: 8-4-1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 8-4-4-8
Evening: 8-4-2-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 7-0-6-0-4
Evening: 3-0-1-8-1
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Rolling Cash 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.
06-23-27-28-29
Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Classic Lotto
Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at approximately 7:05 p.m.
05-11-35-37-41-46, Kicker: 9-7-8-4-0-1
Check Classic Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.
05-14-22-28-30, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.
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