Illinois hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 20,821 wild turkeys during the 2026 spring turkey season, surpassing the previous state record of 18,189 birds set in 2025.
Locally, Wayne County hunters harvested 464 turkeys this spring, an increase from 404 harvested last year. Clay County also posted a substantial increase, with hunters taking 398 birds, up 105 from the previous season.
Other area county harvest totals also showed increases in several locations. Edwards County hunters harvested 116 birds in 2026 compared to 105 in 2025. Hamilton County reported 375 birds harvested this year, up from 316 last season. Wabash County saw an increase from 59 birds in 2025 to 77 in 2026, while White County climbed from 190 to 250 birds harvested.
Not every county experienced gains. Richland County recorded 139 harvested birds this season, down from 158 in 2025.
The top turkey harvest counties statewide in 2026 were Jefferson County and Jo Daviess County, each with 646 birds harvested. Marion County followed with 530, Pike County with 525, and Wayne County rounded out the top five with 464 birds harvested.
Hunters purchased 94,704 permits during the 2026 season, compared to 89,580 permits sold in 2025. The youth spring turkey season also established a new state record harvest with 2,326 birds taken, topping last year’s total of 2,099.
Preliminary figures show 70,158 individual hunters purchased permits for the 2026 season. Approximately 22 percent of permits sold resulted in harvested birds, compared to a 20.3 percent success rate in 2025.
Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2026 regular season ran from April 6 through May 7 in the south zone and from April 13 through May 14 in the north zone. The statewide youth turkey season was held March 28-29 and April 4-5.