Ohio Wildlife Council reviews turkey hunting proposals

The Ohio Wildlife Council received proposals Wednesday for the spring 2026 wild turkey hunting season and approved a new waterfowl hunting zone map for the 2026–30 seasons, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

A complete list of proposed rule changes, including the spring turkey dates, will be available at wildohio.gov beginning Monday, Aug. 25. Public comments may be submitted online between Aug. 25 and Sept. 24. The council will vote on the proposals at its Wednesday, Oct. 22, meeting.

Proposed 2026 wild turkey season dates

For the first time, the youth season is proposed to be split between Ohio’s south and northeast zones.

— South Zone Youth: April 18–19 

— Northeast Zone Youth: April 25–26 

— South Zone: April 25–May 24 

— Northeast Zone: May 2–May 31

The south zone includes 83 counties and most of Ohio, while the northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties.

Hunting hours during both youth weekends are proposed from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. In both zones, the first nine days of the season would run until noon, with the remainder extending to sunset.

Waterfowl hunting zones

Council members also approved a new waterfowl hunting zone map for the 2026–30 seasons. The updated zones were proposed in April and amended in July following hunter surveys and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines.

— Zone A: Northwest Ohio, extending 100 yards offshore into Lake Erie. 

— Zone B: Northeast Ohio and some areas of northwest Ohio, including all waters of Lake Erie. 

— Zone C: Southern Ohio and the remainder of the state.

The new zones will take effect for the 2026–27 hunting season. The current zones remain in place for the 2025–26 duck and goose seasons.