COLUMBUS, Ohio (Oct. 16, 2025) — Ohio’s wild turkey population remains stable despite a small dip in this year’s reproductive index, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The 2025 wild turkey poult index — which estimates nesting success and young survival — measured 2.7 poults per hen, just below the 10-year average of 2.8. The index is based on public reports of wild turkeys and their young observed during July and August.
“This year’s slightly below-average numbers come after four straight years of strong results,” ODNR said in its report. Previous averages were 3.1 in 2021, 3.0 in 2022, 2.8 in 2023, and 2.9 in 2024, all of which contributed to a healthy statewide population.
Regional Breakdown
Regional results varied across the state, reflecting differences in weather, habitat, and predation levels:
- Southwest Ohio: 3.3 poults per hen
- Southeast Ohio: 2.9 poults per hen
- Northeast Ohio: 2.5 poults per hen
- Northwest Ohio: 2.4 poults per hen
- Central Ohio: 2.1 poults per hen
Wild turkey populations remain strongest in southern and eastern counties, where forests and rolling hills provide ideal nesting habitat.
A Success Story Decades in the Making
The recovery of the wild turkey is one of Ohio’s greatest wildlife success stories. Once wiped out around 1904, wild turkeys were reintroduced in the 1950s through trap-and-transfer programs. By 1999, turkeys had been reestablished in all 88 counties.
Modern spring turkey hunting began in 1966 in just nine counties, with hunters checking 12 birds. By 2001, the harvest had reached a record 26,156 birds statewide.
