Illinois Spring Turkey Hunters Harvest Record Number of Wild Turkeys

Courtesy of https://www.nwtf.org/

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Illinois turkey hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 18,189 wild turkeys during the 2025 spring turkey season. This year’s total compares with the previous record total of 17,208 turkeys harvested in 2024. 

The top five counties for harvest in 2025 were Jo Daviess, 628; Jefferson, 518; Pike, 468; Marion, 428; and Pope, 425.

The 2025 total includes the record youth spring turkey season harvest of 2,099 birds, which compares with the previous record of 2,010 birds set in 2024.

This year 89,687 permits were sold compared to 86,083 last year.

Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2025 regular season dates were April 7 through May 8 in the south zone and April 14 through May 15 in the north zone. The 2025 youth spring turkey season was March 29-30 and April 5-6 statewide.

County20252024
Adams350324
Alexander183189
Bond176145
Boone7294
Brown276222
Bureau195195
Calhoun249243
Carroll220249
Cass198183
Champaign4337
Christian6852
Clark241267
Clay293295
Clinton160133
Coles6057
Crawford242240
Cumberland10878
DeKalb1813
DeWitt4856
Douglas1512
Edgar119125
Edwards10594
Effingham190171
Fayette386349
Ford2718
Franklin246253
Fulton304287
Gallatin-Hardin275257
Greene176165
Grundy7363
Hamilton316336
Hancock329290
Henderson143153
Henry153131
Iroquois9584
Jackson342334
Jasper208200
Jefferson518472
Jersey216180
Jo Daviess628652
Johnson296260
Kane45
Kankakee5960
Kendall1718
Knox197234
Lake1620
La Salle111111
Lawrence175182
Lee113112
Livingston4246
Logan5235
Macon2930
Macoupin350283
Madison297274
Marion428427
Marshall-Putnam145114
Mason179167
Massac141147
McDonough11493
McHenry147142
McLean6281
Menard9490
Mercer236237
Monroe183184
Montgomery216195
Morgan134136
Moultrie3638
Ogle275223
Peoria178138
Perry311301
Piatt1610
Pike468381
Pope425397
Pulaski155153
Randolph369392
Richland158144
Rock Island218196
Saline178158
Sangamon12798
Schuyler233217
Scott7470
Shelby177158
St. Clair158167
Stark2518
Stephenson228237
Tazewell7886
Union303317
Vermilion135155
Wabash5951
Warren7964
Washington220190
Wayne404370
White190219
Whiteside212167
Will7275
Williamson386360
Winnebago245194
Woodford9683
Total18,18917,208

***Courtesy of The Illinois Department of Natural Resources***

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