Illinois e-News Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Feb. 28, 2025

Media contact: [email protected]



Fall archery season yields record harvest of 1,045 wild turkeys

SPRINGFIELD - Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary record statewide total of 1,045 wild turkeys during the 2024-2025 fall archery turkey season. The total compares last year’s harvest of 803 and the 5-year average of 763 birds harvested. The previous record total for fall archery season was in 2015 when 851 turkeys were taken. 

This season 27,422 permits were sold (excluding landowner permits) compared to 25,741 for the 2023-2024 season. The season dates were Oct. 1, 2024 through Jan. 19, 2025 and all 102 counties were open for hunting.

Harvest reports were 51% male and 49% female compared to 54% males and 46% hens last year. A total of 62% of hunters reported using crossbows versus 37% using compound bows and 1% using traditional bows. 

The top five counties for fall archery wild turkey harvest this season were Fayette, 37; Jefferson, 28; Pike, 25; Marion, 24; and Jo Daviess, 23. 
The table below includes the preliminary 2024-2025 county-by-county fall archery turkey harvest results with comparable totals for 2023-2024.

County

2023-2024

2024-2025

Adams

15

15

Alexander

6

1

Bond

9

21

Boone

7

5

Brown

8

9

Bureau

8

15

Calhoun

14

16

Carroll

11

12

Cass

11

17

Champaign

6

6

Christian

7

9

Clark

8

4

Clay

16

19

Clinton

11

13

Coles

8

13

Crawford

8

8

Cumberland

2

4

Dekalb

2

3

DeWitt

1

3

Douglas

1

2

Edgar

4

4

Edwards

4

6

Effingham

6

16

Fayette

23

37

Ford

0

0

Franklin

10

7

Fulton

10

14

Gallatin

2

3

Greene

4

6

Grundy

4

5

Hamilton

15

8

Hancock

9

17

Hardin

2

7

Henderson

6

2

Henry

8

10

Iroquois

10

17

Jackson

5

7

Jasper

9

9

Jefferson

31

28

Jersey

8

9

JoDaviess

23

23

Johnson

6

16

Kane

1

0

Kankakee

3

11

Kendall

0

0

Knox

7

12

Lake

5

3

LaSalle

9

15

Lawrence

8

4

Lee

9

22

Livingston

3

4

Logan

0

3

Macon

5

6

Macoupin

14

19

Madison

11

18

Marion

16

24

Marshall

7

8

Mason

13

15

Massac

8

5

McDonough

3

2

McHenry

12

17

McLean

2

9

Menard

7

9

Mercer

9

10

Monroe

12

10

Montgomery

11

21

Morgan

5

6

Moultrie

1

6

Ogle

17

17

Peoria

9

18

Perry

5

14

Piatt

0

3

Pike

15

25

Pope

5

6

Pulaski

4

3

Putnam

1

3

Randolph

8

19

Richland

3

3

Rock Island

7

5

Saline

2

7

Sangamon

12

22

Schuyler

8

11

Scott

6

1

Shelby

7

15

St. Clair

16

13

Stark

0

1

Stephenson

8

20

Tazewell

8

12

Union

8

5

Vermilion

13

10

Wabash

2

3

Warren

4

2

Washington

11

8

Wayne

12

13

White

5

5

Whiteside

11

18

Will

10

15

Williamson

18

14

Winnebago

14

17

Woodford

11

12

Unknown

4

0

TOTAL

803

1045



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