SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary statewide total of 15,719 wild turkeys during the 2017 Spring Turkey Season, including the youth season. The 2017 total compares with the statewide turkey harvest of 15,484 in 2016. The statewide preliminary total includes the record Youth Turkey Season harvest of 1,541 birds, compared with youth season harvest of 1,045 turkeys in 2016.

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Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2017 seasons were April 3-May 4 in the South Zone and April 10-May 11 in the North Zone. The Youth Spring Turkey Season was March 25-26 and April 1-2. This was the first year the youth turkey season was open for two weekends statewide, rather than one weekend for the South Zone and one for the North Zone.

Turkey hunters this spring took a preliminary total of 6,842 wild turkeys during all season segments in the South Zone, compared with 6,694 last year in the south. The North Zone preliminary harvest total this year was 8,877 wild turkeys, compared with 8,790 in the north in 2016.

“Weather always plays a big role in harvest numbers and 2017 was no different,” said Luke Garver, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Wild Turkey Project Manager. “For the first two-thirds of the season, harvest trends were well above average. The significant rain events we experienced across much of the state slowed harvest considerably. Despite a rainy end to the spring season, this year marked the third consecutive season of an increased harvest total. Additionally, we were encouraged to see the youth season being the success it was.”

The top counties for spring wild turkey harvest in the South Zone in 2017 were Jefferson (412), Jackson (359), Union (359), Randolph (349), and Pope (348). The top five North Zone counties for spring turkey harvest this year were Jo Daviess (610), Pike (404), Adams (395), Fulton (378), and Hancock (325).

The table below includes the preliminary 2017 county-by-county spring turkey harvest results with comparable totals for 2016:

Illinois Spring Turkey Season Harvest County Totals

County

2017

2016

Adams

395

389

Alexander

156

134

Bond

142

135

Boone

74

76

Brown

298

357

Bureau

163

157

Calhoun

239

210

Carroll

213

195

Cass

210

213

Champaign

26

22

Christian

51

41

Clark

181

158

Clay

219

210

Clinton

82

86

Coles

45

39

Crawford

210

166

Cumberland

48

54

DeKalb

16

21

DeWitt

54

45

Douglas

2

6

Edgar

80

85

Edwards

85

96

Effingham

117

86

Fayette

276

233

Ford

10

10

Franklin

166

152

Fulton

378

446

Gallatin

112

129

Greene

147

157

Grundy

56

56

Hamilton

252

234

Hancock

325

325

Hardin

134

145

Henderson

135

139

Henry

75

82

Iroquois

75

60

Jackson

359

313

Jasper

140

131

Jefferson

412

420

Jersey

187

187

JoDaviess

610

568

Johnson

264

278

Kane

5

2

Kankakee

35

34

Kendall

18

15

Knox

274

267

Lake

1

1

LaSalle

117

137

Lawrence

141

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117

Lee

116

100

Livingston

26

19

Logan

43

37

Macon

26

27

Macoupin

275

303

Madison

213

241

Marion

337

380

Marshall

82

69

Mason

154

141

Massac

104

103

McDonough

140

137

McHenry

83

62

McLean

68

63

Menard

101

105

Mercer

203

192

Monroe

157

169

Montgomery

188

175

Morgan

126

147

Moultrie

29

24

Ogle

214

189

Peoria

153

153

Perry

252

233

Piatt

8

10

Pike

404

393

Pope

348

356

Pulaski

114

95

Putnam

45

37

Randolph

349

372

Richland

113

106

Rock Island

202

191

Saline

123

125

Sangamon

133

110

Schuyler

277

360

Scott

98

73

Shelby

120

117

St. Clair

126

140

Stark

13

6

Stephenson

248

231

Tazewell

57

65

Union

359

354

Vermilion

133

136

Wabash

56

48

Warren

68

75

Washington

131

149

Wayne

317

297

White

169

153

Whiteside

162

160

Will

73

51

Williamson

309

308

Winnebago

185

175

Woodford

79

103

Total:

15719

15484

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