Illinois hunters, despite challenging weather, harvested more turkeys this spring than in 2018

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois turkey hunters harvested a preliminary statewide total of 15,189 wild turkeys during the 2019 Spring Turkey Season. This year’s total is up compared with the 2018 statewide turkey harvest of 13,494. The statewide preliminary total includes the 2019 Youth Turkey Season harvest of 1,364 birds, compared with the 2018 youth harvest of 1,143 turkeys.

The statewide record total was set in 2006 when 16,569 turkeys were harvested.

Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2019 season dates were April 8-May 9 in the South Zone and April 15-May 16 in the North Zone. The Youth Spring Turkey Season was March 30-31 and April 6-7 statewide.

Turkey hunters this spring took a preliminary total of 6,607 wild turkeys during all season segments in the South Zone, compared with 5,507 last year in the south. The North Zone preliminary harvest total this year was 8,582 wild turkeys, compared with 7,987 in northern counties in 2018.

The top five counties for spring wild turkey harvest in the South Zone in 2019 were Jefferson (480), Randolph (383), Marion (328), Union (310) and Pope (310). The top five North Zone counties for spring turkey harvest this year were Jo Daviess (541), Fulton (402), Pike (381), Hancock (344) and Adams (331).

A table with county preliminary harvest totals for the 2019 Illinois Spring Turkey Season, and 2018 comparable harvest totals, is below.