The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has released the numbers on the 2024 turkey season. Preliminary data shows hunters throughout the state harvested a record statewide total of 1,045 wild turkeys during the 2024-2025 fall archery season.
The new record total compares last year’s harvest of 803 and the 5-year average of 763 birds harvested. The previous record was set for 2015: that year, 851 turkeys were taken.
Harvest reports were 51% male and 49% female compared to 54% males and 46% hens last year.
The season dates were Oct. 1, 2024 through Jan. 19, 2025 and all 102 counties were open for hunting. 27,422 permits were sold (excluding landowner permits), compared to 25,741 for the 2023-2024 season.
An additional data point showed 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. Sangamon County narrowly missed the top five list with a total of 22 reported birds.
The following table breaks down the harvest numbers by county, compared by the previous season:
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
