Youth hunters across Illinois set a new record during the 2026 youth turkey season, harvesting a preliminary total of 2,318 birds. The total surpasses last year’s record of 2,099 and marks the third consecutive year of record-setting harvests for youth hunters in the state. The top five counties for youth harvest were Fayette County with 74, Marion County with 68, Adams County with 62, Clay County with 62, and Jefferson County with 55. Locally, Wayne County reported 52 birds harvested, while White County had 36, Edwards County recorded 15, Wabash County had 8, Hamilton County reported 34, Jasper County had 30, Saline County recorded 34, and Pope County had 38. This year’s youth turkey season was held March 28–29 and April 4–5. A record 7,369 permits were purchased, surpassing last year’s total of 6,538. The hunting success rate remained above 30 percent for the third straight year.