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Illinois hunters don’t waste time during the spring turkey season

Spring turkey hunters around the state enjoy the challenge gobblers offer each April and May. Over the past two years, the time and effort required to bag a bird has resulted in record harvests – something Illinois hunters hope to repeat when the 2026 season kicks off April 6 in the south zone and April 13 in the north zone. (Photo courtesy of Bill Key)

An interesting but not surprising fact about the Illinois spring turkey season: Hunters don’t like to mess around.
The first day of the first-season segment has by far produced the biggest harvest the past two years. In 2025, hunters took a tad over 1,000 birds on Day 1 of Segment 1. The first day of the second segment had a harvest of about 850. Of course, none of those numbers matter to hunters preparing for the 2026 season, which opens April 6 in the south zone and April 13 in the north zone.

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