Turkey hunters harvested a preliminary statewide total of 13,701 wild turkeys during the 2022 spring turkey season. This year’s preliminary harvest total compares with the 2021 statewide turkey harvest of 13,613.
A total of 81,903 permits were sold this year compared to 83,240 in 2021.
The statewide preliminary total includes the youth turkey season harvest of 1,258 birds, which compares with the 2021 youth harvest of 1,304 turkeys, the record for youth season harvest. The statewide record total harvest for the spring turkey season was set in 2006 when 16,569 turkeys were harvested.
Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2022 season dates were April 4-May 5 in the South Zone and April 11-May 12 in the North Zone. The youth spring turkey season was March 26-27 and April 2-3 statewide.
The top five counties for spring wild turkey harvest in 2021 were Jefferson (422), Jo Daviess (416), Pike (368), Randolph (315) and Pope (312).