SPRINGFIELD – Turkey hunters in Illinois harvested 292 wild turkeys during the 2024 fall firearm season Oct. 19-27, up 10% from the previous year’s harvest.
A total of nine wild turkeys were harvested in Madison County, while six were taken in Calhoun County and Macoupin County and one in Greene County. Three were harvested in Jersey County.
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The record harvest was set in 2005 when 1,218 birds were harvested.
This year, 1,756 regular fall firearm season permits were sold compared to 1,771 last year. The largest number of permits sold was in 2007 when hunters purchased 4,968 permits.
Fall firearm turkey hunting was open in 56 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The top counties for harvest this year were Jefferson, 17; Jasper, 16; Marion, 16; Jo Daviess, 13; and Cass, 12. Preliminary data show 57% of the harvest were female birds, while 43% were male.
The table below includes the preliminary 2024 county-by-county fall gun turkey harvest results with comparable totals for 2023.
County | 2023 | 2024 |
Adams | 2 | 0 |
Alexander | 4 | 4 |
Brown | 2 | 1 |
Calhoun | 1 | 6 |
Carroll | 7 | 4 |
Cass | 5 | 12 |
Clark | 2 | 3 |
Clay | 9 | 4 |
Crawford | 1 | 5 |
Edwards | 5 | 2 |
Franklin | 13 | 6 |
Fulton | 4 | 5 |
Gallatin | 5 | 3 |
Greene | 2 | 1 |
Hamilton | 3 | 4 |
Hancock | 3 | 2 |
Hardin | 4 | 3 |
Henderson | 2 | 4 |
Jackson | 4 | 10 |
Jasper | 8 | 16 |
Jefferson | 9 | 17 |
Jersey | 1 | 3 |
Jo Daviess | 23 | 13 |
Johnson | 7 | 6 |
Knox | 7 | 7 |
Lawrence | 1 | 2 |
Macoupin | 3 | 6 |
Madison | 5 | 9 |
Marion | 14 | 16 |
Mason | 0 | 6 |
Massac | 2 | 5 |
McDonough | 3 | 3 |
Menard | 0 | 1 |
Mercer | 2 | 1 |
Monroe | 3 | 1 |
Morgan | 1 | 1 |
Perry | 8 | 4 |
Pike | 1 | 6 |
Pope | 12 | 7 |
Pulaski | 1 | 2 |
Randolph | 3 | 5 |
Richland | 8 | 5 |
Rock Island | 2 | 1 |
Saline | 1 | 6 |
Schuyler | 1 | 5 |
Scott | 1 | 5 |
Stephenson | 6 | 10 |
Union | 8 | 10 |
Wabash | 0 | 1 |
Warren | 0 | 2 |
Washington | 4 | 1 |
Wayne | 10 | 10 |
White | 4 | 2 |
Whiteside | 3 | 5 |
Williamson | 14 | 5 |
Winnebago | 8 | 8 |
Totals | 262 | 292 |
