The latest feathered census is in, and it's showing a slight dip in Ohio's wild turkey populations. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife released the state's 2025 Wild Turkey Poult Index Results, and the numbers are a tad lower than the feathered frenzy we've seen in the last few years. This year, the index waddled in at 2.7 poults per hen, just a smidge below the 10-year average of 2.8, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
This year's index is crunched from data based on 742 public reports of turkeys, and their young strutters called poults, from the months of July and August. Those reports matter more than you'd think, as they help to foresee population trends and set the scene for harvest regulations. But before you think the sky is falling, this year’s numbers do follow four consecutive years of above-average strutting – ahem, nesting productivity, with 2021 (3.1 poults per hen), 2022 (3.0), 2023 (2.8), and 2024 (2.9).
Southwest Ohio scored the highest with an impressive 3.3 poults per hen, while the Central region trailed with just 2.1. Southeast Ohio came in at a modest 2.9, Northeast at 2.5, and finally, Northwest at 2.4. It's no big mystery that regional variances come with the territory, influenced by factors like those pesky changes in weather during nesting seasons, and particulars of the local landscape that make for some areas playing favorites when it comes to habitat suitability for our turkey friends.
Despite a tiny step back, Ohio's turkeys still seem to be gobbling up enough success to keep the overall numbers relatively stable, and that's something. The ODNR Division of Wildlife keeps a keen eye on these stats, as the wild turkey poult index doesn't just ruffle feathers on paper, it has real-world implications on how they manage the turkey trove in the years to come. The detailed pecs and poults of the story can be found on the ODNR's official announcement.
