More than 16,000 wild turkeys harvested during Illinois’ spring season

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Turkey hunters harvested a preliminary statewide total of 16,121 wild turkeys during the 2023 Illinois spring turkey season. This compares with the 2022 statewide turkey harvest of 13,701.
The top five counties for the 2023 harvest were Jo Daviess, 595; Jefferson, 487; Pike, 419; Pope, 379; and Randolph, 370. The record harvest total for the spring season was set in 2006 when 16,569 turkeys were taken.
The 2023 total includes the youth turkey season harvest of 1,309 birds, which compares with the 2022 youth harvest of 1,258.
This year, 80,643 permits were sold compared to 81,672 last year. Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2023 season dates were April 3 to May 4 in the South Zone and April 10 to May 11 in the North Zone. The Youth Spring Turkey Season was March 25-26 and April 1-2 statewide.