Illinois spring turkey hunters harvest record number of wild turkeys

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Illinois hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 20,821 wild turkeys during the 2026 spring turkey season.

The previous record was 18,189, harvested in 2025.

The top counties for turkey harvest were Jefferson and Jo Daviess couties, tied with 646 birds harvested, followed by Marion with 530, Pike with 525, and Wayne with 464.

This year, hunters purchased 94,704 permits compared to 89,580 last year.

There were a record number of youths harvesting turkeys, 2,326 compared to 2,099 in 2025.

A total of 70,158 individual hunters bought permits for the 2026 spring season.

Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois' 102 counties. The 2026 regular season dates were April 6 through May 7 in the south zone and April 13 through May 14 in the north zone.

County	2026	2025
Adams	405	350
Alexander	196	183
Bond	224	176
Boone	85	72
Brown	259	276
Bureau	201	195
Calhoun	345	249
Carroll	222	220
Cass	227	198
Champaign	35	43
Christian	81	68
Clark	310	241
Clay	398	293
Clinton	176	160
Coles	90	60
Crawford	269	242
Cumberland	123	108
DeKalb	20	18
DeWitt	47	48
Douglas	13	15
Edgar	136	119
Edwards	116	105
Effingham	215	190
Fayette	447	386
Ford	15	27
Franklin	335	246
Fulton	333	304
Gallatin-Hardin	378	275
Greene	220	176
Grundy	79	73
Hamilton	375	316
Hancock	361	329
Henderson	170	143
Henry	153	153
Iroquois	94	95
Jackson	391	342
Jasper	234	208
Jefferson	646	518
Jersey	289	216
Jo Daviess	646	628
Johnson	343	296
Kane	2	4
Kankakee	76	59
Kendall	17	17
Knox	248	197
Lake	17	16
LaSalle	148	111
Lawrence	215	175
Lee	133	113
Livingston	55	42
Logan	48	52
Macon	41	29
Macoupin	356	350
Madison	321	297
Marion	530	428
Marshall-Putnam	175	145
Mason	209	179
Massac	156	141
McDonough	142	114
McHenry	177	147
McLean	82	62
Menard	108	94
Mercer	227	236
Monroe	214	183
Montgomery	264	216
Morgan	163	134
Moultrie	49	36
Ogle	273	275
Peoria	211	178
Perry	350	311
Piatt	23	16
Pike	525	468
Pope	460	425
Pulaski	140	155
Randolph	432	369
Richland	139	158
Rock Island	258	218
Saline	223	178
Sangamon	164	127
Schuyler	240	233
Scott	99	74
Shelby	219	177
St. Clair	203	158
Stark	23	25
Stephenson	213	228
Tazewell	92	78
Union	338	303
Vermilion	128	135
Wabash	77	59
Warren	71	79
Washington	231	220
Wayne	464	404
White	250	190
Whiteside	196	212
Will	107	72
Williamson	461	386
Winnebago	241	245
Woodford	95	96
Total	20,821	18,189