Illinois youth turkey harvest up

As might be expected with a beautiful weekend, young hunters in Illinois bagged many more turkeys in the youth spring turkey season in the north zone than in 2007.

Forest wildlife program manager Paul Shelton reported youth hunters reported 391 turkeys in the north, compared to 280 last year, on April 5-6.

The top six counties were Fulton (38), Calhoun (26), Jo Daviess (20), Pike (19) and Adams and Macoupin (tied, 17).

Wednesday’s outdoors column will carry three tales of young hunters in the north.

Shelton said the youth hunt in the south zone on March 29-30 was down (244) from 2007 (295). The top five southern counties were Randolph (19), Jefferson (18), Wayne (18), Johnson (15), Williamson (15).