Illinois youth turkey hunters set new harvest record
April 10, 2025 | By Muddy River News
| Photo courtesy of pexels.com
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois youth turkey hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 2,091 birds during the 2025 youth turkey season, breaking the previous harvest record of 2,010 set in 2024.
The dates for this year’s season were March 29-30 and April 5-6. A total of 6,573 youth turkey permits were issued this year, compared to 6,541 in 2024.
The top five counties for harvest during this year’s youth season were Jefferson, 69; Pike, 69; Randolph, 67; Fayette, 62; and Macoupin, 60.
The following table shows preliminary local harvest figures for the youth turkey season by county for 2024 and 2025.
| County | 2024 | 2025 |
| ADAMS | 49 | 50 |
| BROWN | 35 | 39 |
| HANCOCK | 28 | 30 |
| MCDONOUGH | 3 | 8 |
| PIKE | 55 | 69 |
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