Spring Turkey Harvest Sets New Record
- Sangamon County News
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Illinois turkey hunters set a new record during the 2025 spring turkey season, harvesting a preliminary total of 18,189 wild turkeys — surpassing the previous record of 17,208 birds harvested in 2024.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reported the highest-yielding counties this year were Jo Daviess (628), Jefferson (518), Pike (468), Marion (428), and Pope (425).
A major contributor to the record-breaking year was the 2025 youth spring turkey season, which also saw a new high with 2,099 turkeys harvested, beating last year's youth record of 2,010.
Hunters purchased 89,687 permits in 2025, an increase from the 86,083 sold in 2024. Spring turkey hunting was permitted in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The regular season ran from April 7 to May 8 in the south zone and April 14 to May 15 in the north zone. The youth season took place March 29–30 and April 5–6 across the state.
Below is the full breakdown of harvest totals by county for 2025 compared to 2024:
County | 2025 | 2024 |
Adams | 350 | 324 |
Alexander | 183 | 189 |
Bond | 176 | 145 |
Boone | 72 | 94 |
Brown | 276 | 222 |
Bureau | 195 | 195 |
Calhoun | 249 | 243 |
Carroll | 220 | 249 |
Cass | 198 | 183 |
Champaign | 43 | 37 |
Christian | 68 | 52 |
Clark | 241 | 267 |
Clay | 293 | 295 |
Clinton | 160 | 133 |
Coles | 60 | 57 |
Crawford | 242 | 240 |
Cumberland | 108 | 78 |
DeKalb | 18 | 13 |
DeWitt | 48 | 56 |
Douglas | 15 | 12 |
Edgar | 119 | 125 |
Edwards | 105 | 94 |
Effingham | 190 | 171 |
Fayette | 386 | 349 |
Ford | 27 | 18 |
Franklin | 246 | 253 |
Fulton | 304 | 287 |
Gallatin-Hardin | 275 | 257 |
Greene | 176 | 165 |
Grundy | 73 | 63 |
Hamilton | 316 | 336 |
Hancock | 329 | 290 |
Henderson | 143 | 153 |
Henry | 153 | 131 |
Iroquois | 95 | 84 |
Jackson | 342 | 334 |
Jasper | 208 | 200 |
Jefferson | 518 | 472 |
Jersey | 216 | 180 |
Jo Daviess | 628 | 652 |
Johnson | 296 | 260 |
Kane | 4 | 5 |
Kankakee | 59 | 60 |
Kendall | 17 | 18 |
Knox | 197 | 234 |
Lake | 16 | 20 |
La Salle | 111 | 111 |
Lawrence | 175 | 182 |
Lee | 113 | 112 |
Livingston | 42 | 46 |
Logan | 52 | 35 |
Macon | 29 | 30 |
Macoupin | 350 | 283 |
Madison | 297 | 274 |
Marion | 428 | 427 |
Marshall-Putnam | 145 | 114 |
Mason | 179 | 167 |
Massac | 141 | 147 |
McDonough | 114 | 93 |
McHenry | 147 | 142 |
McLean | 62 | 81 |
Menard | 94 | 90 |
Mercer | 236 | 237 |
Monroe | 183 | 184 |
Montgomery | 216 | 195 |
Morgan | 134 | 136 |
Moultrie | 36 | 38 |
Ogle | 275 | 223 |
Peoria | 178 | 138 |
Perry | 311 | 301 |
Piatt | 16 | 10 |
Pike | 468 | 381 |
Pope | 425 | 397 |
Pulaski | 155 | 153 |
Randolph | 369 | 392 |
Richland | 158 | 144 |
Rock Island | 218 | 196 |
Saline | 178 | 158 |
Sangamon | 127 | 98 |
Schuyler | 233 | 217 |
Scott | 74 | 70 |
Shelby | 177 | 158 |
St. Clair | 158 | 167 |
Stark | 25 | 18 |
Stephenson | 228 | 237 |
Tazewell | 78 | 86 |
Union | 303 | 317 |
Vermilion | 135 | 155 |
Wabash | 59 | 51 |
Warren | 79 | 64 |
Washington | 220 | 190 |
Wayne | 404 | 370 |
White | 190 | 219 |
Whiteside | 212 | 167 |
Will | 72 | 75 |
Williamson | 386 | 360 |
Winnebago | 245 | 194 |
Woodford | 96 | 83 |
