Area Totals Included: Illinois 2020 Spring Wild Turkey Preliminary Harvest Totals 15,800 Birds

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois turkey hunters harvested a preliminary statewide total of 15,800 wild turkeys during the 2020 Spring Turkey Season. This year’s preliminary harvest total compares with the 2019 statewide turkey harvest of 15,190. The statewide preliminary total includes the 2020 Youth Turkey Season harvest of 1,744 birds, a record total, and compares with the 2019 youth harvest of 1,392 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 2020 season dates were April 6-May 7 in the South Zone and April 13-May 14 in the North Zone. The Youth Spring Turkey Season was March 28-29 and April 4-5 statewide.

Spring turkey hunting was suspended at Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkey hunters this spring took a preliminary total of 6,285 wild turkeys during all regular season segments in the South Zone, compared with 5,959 last year in the south. The preliminary harvest total for all regular season segments in the North Zone this year was 7,771 wild turkeys, compared with 7,832 in northern counties in 2019.

The top five counties for spring wild turkey harvest in 2020 were Jefferson (508), Jo Daviess (464), Marion (444), Pike (404), and Randolph (379).

A table with county preliminary harvest totals for the 2020 Illinois Spring Turkey Season, and 2019 comparable harvest totals, is below.

Illinois Spring Turkey Season Harvest County Totals

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