Dispatch / 10.30.26· Agencies & Hunting ·Ohio
Ohio Opens Spring 2027 Turkey Season April 24 Across 83 South Zone Counties
The Ohio Wildlife Council approved the dates at its October 28 meeting, with youth weekends on April 17 and April 24 and the five-county northeast zone running May 1 to May 30.
Key Facts
- South zone (83 counties): April 24 to May 23, 2027, youth weekend April 17 and 18.
- Northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Trumbull): May 1 to May 30, youth weekend April 24 and 25.
- Hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise to noon for the first nine days of each zone, then to sunset.
- Most site-specific bass rules end March 1, 2027, when the statewide limit of five bass with a 12-inch minimum applies.
- An online game check for river otter trapping starts with the season opening December 26.
The Ohio Wildlife Council approved the spring 2027 wild turkey seasons at its meeting on October 28, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife said in a release. Its south zone, which covers 83 counties, runs from Saturday, April 24 to Sunday, May 23, 2027, after a youth weekend on April 17 and 18.
The northeast zone, made up of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties, runs from Saturday, May 1 to Sunday, May 30, with its youth weekend on April 24 and 25. The two zones follow the timing of turkey nesting in each region, and the 2027 calendar keeps the separate youth weekends the 2026 season had.
Hunting hours on the youth weekends in both zones run from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. In the regular seasons, hours for the first nine days of each zone run from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, and from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset for the rest of the season.
The council also voted to remove most site-specific length limits and daily bag limits for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Most of those waters move to the statewide limit of five bass with a 12-inch minimum on March 1, 2027, after Division of Wildlife surveys found the site rules were not needed to meet management goals. The daily limit and 9-inch minimum for crappies at Hoover Reservoir end on the same date. An online game check for river otter trapping was approved for the season that opens Saturday, December 26.
Sources
- 1 Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife (via The Outdoor Wire) · Ohio's Spring 2027 Turkey Hunting Seasons, Updated Bass Fishing Regulations Approved by Wildlife Council · accessed 2026-10-30
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