Illinois youth turkey hunters have set a new preliminary harvest record, with a total of 2,091 birds taken during the 2025 youth turkey season. This surpasses the previous record of 2,010 established in 2024.
The youth turkey season took place over two weekends: March 29-30 and April 5-6. This year, a total of 6,573 permits were issued to young hunters, slightly up from 6,541 in 2024.
The top five counties for turkey harvest this year were Jefferson and Pike, both with 69 birds, followed by Randolph with 67, Fayette with 62, and Macoupin with 60.
Below are the preliminary harvest figures by county for the youth turkey seasons in 2024 and 2025 in our area:
County 2024 2025
Clay 49 49
Edwards 15 11
Effingham 35 42
Franklin 36 28
Gallatin/Hardin 44 31
Hamilton 46 39
Jackson 41 28
Jasper 42 29
Jefferson 64 69
Johnson 27 22
Lawrence 9 13
Marion 60 49
Massac 21 17
Monroe 26 25
Perry 44 33
Pope 27 31
Pulaski 23 19
Randolph 70 67
Richland 17 17
Saline 26 27
St. Clair 38 26
Union 33 21
Wabash 5 6
Wayne 41 50
White 41 34
Williamson 46 38
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