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Wild turkey
Hunting Wild Turkey in Illinois, Spring 2027 and Fall 2026
13 season rows, the limit, what to buy and where to hunt wild turkey in Illinois.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain)
Quick read on wild turkey in Illinois
The 2026-27 calendar for wild turkey has 13 dated lines, beginning Oct 1, 2026 and ending May 13, 2027. The limit reads: one tom, jake or bearded hen per spring permit (max 3); one either-sex per fall permit (max 2 gun, 2 archery).
There are two zones and five segments: 66 North counties, 34 South counties, and no spring season in Cook or DuPage. IDNR tallied 18,502 spring turkeys in 2026 on regular permits, or 20,821 with the youth hunts included. 182 public sites in the IDNR land records list wild turkey among the game they allow, and 182 of them have their own page on this site.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest and 17 Ill. Adm. Code (unofficial LII mirror) (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Every 2026-27 season row for wild turkey in Illinois
Read across: season, area, permit, dates, bag and whether it is open now.
| Hunt | Applies to | Permit or stamp | Season | Daily limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall archery | Statewide | Archery turkey permit |
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| Fall gun | Counties open to fall gun turkey (map) | Turkey permit |
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| Spring youth | Statewide (open counties) | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 1 | South Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 2 | South Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 1 | North Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 3 | South Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 2 | North Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 4 | South Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 3 | North Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 4 | North Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 5 | South Zone | Turkey permit |
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| Spring segment 5 | North Zone | Turkey permit |
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From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest and 17 Ill. Adm. Code (unofficial LII mirror) (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
North and South zones for wild turkey in Illinois
| Segment | South Zone | North Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Spring segment 1 |
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| Spring segment 2 |
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| Spring segment 3 |
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| Spring segment 4 |
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| Spring segment 5 |
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We took the county lists from the Cornell LII copy of 17 Ill. Adm. Code 710.10, an unofficial mirror, so treat them as a guide and check the Digest.
Turkey permit sale calendar
| Round | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring first (residents only) | October 6, 2026 | December 1, 2026 |
| Spring second | December 11, 2026 | January 11, 2027 |
| Spring third | January 22, 2027 | February 9, 2027 |
| Spring over-the-counter (vendors) | March 9, 2027 | as available |
| Spring special hunt area (internet only) | January 19, 2027 | February 15, 2027 |
| Fall gun first (residents only) | May 5, 2026 | July 6, 2026 |
| Fall gun second | July 17, 2026 | August 24, 2026 |
| Fall gun over-the-counter | September 21, 2026 | as available |
From 17 Ill. Adm. Code 710 (LII mirror, unofficial), Digest turkey pages and IDNR permit dates (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Spring turkey by county, 2026
| County | 2026 total | Youth season | Property only | Success | Spring zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Daviess | 558 | 34 | 53 | 29.5% | North |
| Jefferson | 477 | 74 | 90 | 39.6% | South |
| Pope | 389 | 38 | 33 | 20.7% | South |
| Pike | 371 | 59 | 89 | 26.0% | North |
| Marion | 361 | 68 | 96 | 35.1% | South |
| Williamson | 354 | 48 | 55 | 37.1% | South |
| Wayne | 323 | 51 | 89 | 38.9% | South |
| Randolph | 301 | 55 | 74 | 26.2% | South |
| Adams | 288 | 63 | 61 | 22.1% | North |
| Jackson | 286 | 47 | 55 | 23.3% | South |
Each total adds segments one to five, and youth and property-only hunts sit in the next columns.
From 2026 Illinois spring turkey summary (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
The wild turkey spring harvest series
Across 12 springs the low was 12,309 turkeys (2021) and the high 18,502 (2026).
From IDNR spring turkey summaries 2015 to 2026 (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bag limits and legal methods for wild turkey in Illinois
| Species line | Limit |
|---|---|
| wild turkey | One tom, jake or bearded hen per permit |
| Rule | Legal | Illegal |
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| Turkey – shotgun |
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| Turkey – archery |
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Short version for wild turkey: shotgun (.410-10 gauge, number 4 shot max) and archery.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Prices for wild turkey licenses and permits
| License | Who buys | Listed price | Including vendor fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| Spring turkey permit | Either | $15.00 (resident) / $125.00 (nonresident) | – |
| Spring youth turkey permit | Either | $10.00 | – |
| Fall gun turkey permit | Either | $15.00 (resident) / $125.00 (nonresident) | – |
| Fall archery turkey permit | Either | $5.00 (resident) / $75.00 (nonresident) | – |
| Spring landowner turkey permit | Either | Free (resident) / $37.50 (nonresident) | – |
Two price columns appear because the Digest leaves out vendor fees and IDNR's own table includes them; licenses are valid from March 1 to March 31 of the following year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Wild Turkey: rules that apply in the field
| Rule | What the Digest says |
|---|---|
| Hunter orange | Not required for turkey; blaze orange or pink hat or vest encouraged when not actively hunting. |
| Turkey methods | No live or electronic decoys, dogs or recorded calls; no nets or traps; no baiting; may not shoot a turkey in a tree before 7 am |
| Calling ban before spring | No turkey calling in the field in the Southern Zone from 15 March (Northern Zone from 22 March) through the day before spring turkey season (not applicable during the youth season; owl and crow locator calls allowed). |
| Interference and drones | May not interfere with or disturb another person lawfully taking wildlife with intent to prevent the taking, and may not use a drone in a way that interferes with another person's lawful taking. |
| Wanton waste | Must make a reasonable effort to retrieve and include killed or crippled limited species in the bag; may not wantonly waste the usable meat (breast of a bird; hind ham and front shoulders of a mammal) or dump carcasses on a right-of-way or property without permission. |
Rules above are summaries from the Digest and 17 Ill. Adm. Code; some IDNR sites add stricter limits, so read the site page before you hunt wild turkey there.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Wild Turkey on state and federal land in Illinois
Records show 182 places to hunt wild turkey, such as 47 state fish and wildlife areas, 42 state parks and 22 state natural areas; pick from the biggest below or browse the hub.
| Site | Class | County | Acres listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | Pope and Jackson | 286,498 |
| Hidden Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | Pope and Hardin | 169,222 |
| Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District | Ranger district | Jackson and Union | 117,276 |
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Upper Mississippi River National | Wildlife refuge | Carroll and Jo Daviess | 32,868 |
| Illinois Recreational Access Program | Hunting Access Program | Bond and Christian | 27,000 |
| Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie | National Tallgrass Prairie | Will | 17,000 |
| Cypress Creek | Wildlife refuge | Pulaski and Union | 16,758 |
Each page spells out the site-specific rules for wild turkey, and acres are the figure IDNR lists.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Dawn and dusk for wild turkey season dates
Hours rule for wild turkey: one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, one-half hour before sunrise to sunset and one-half hour before sunrise to 1 pm. The times in the table are computed for Springfield, the middle of the state, with the NOAA solar formula.
| Date | Season point | Rise | Set | Hunt hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2026 | Fall gun opens | 7:17 a.m. | 6:08 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 6:08 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Fall archery | 7:16 a.m. | 4:37 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
| Apr 5, 2027 | South Zone opens | 6:38 a.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. |
| Apr 12, 2027 | North Zone opens | 6:27 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. |
| May 13, 2027 | North Zone closes | 5:46 a.m. | 8:03 p.m. | 5:16 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. |
Clock changes matter: daylight time ends November 1, 2026 and starts again March 14, 2027, and the hours page lists every county.
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula on Central Time; checked November 13, 2026. Central Time with daylight time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November; times worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
Four buys for Turkey
Picked for cornfields, creek bottoms and river backwaters; nothing loads until you tap.
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Wild turkey in the grassPhoto: James St. John (CC BY 2.0)
Wild turkey gobbler walking through a grassy field at Land Between the LakesPhoto: Russ (CC BY 2.0)
Adult wild turkey gobblerPhoto: fishhawk (CC BY 2.0)
Wild Turkey: common questions
What is the 2026-27 calendar for wild turkey?
The rows read Spring segment 1 in the North Zone: April 12 to 16; Spring segment 1 in the South Zone: April 5 to 9; Spring segment 2 in the North Zone: April 17 to 22; Spring segment 2 in the South Zone: April 10 to 15; Spring segment 3 in the North Zone: April 23 to 28.
What bag limit applies to wild turkey?
You are held to One tom, jake or bearded hen per spring permit (max 3); one either-sex per fall permit (max 2 gun, 2 archery).
Do I need a permit for wild turkey?
Hunters carry a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00), plus a turkey permit for your county and segment, or an over-the-counter fall archery permit.
Can I use a rifle, bow or shotgun for wild turkey?
The species record lists: shotgun (.410-10 gauge, number 4 shot max) and archery.
When does spring turkey season open?
South counties start April 5 and North counties April 12, each with five segments; check your county on the zones page, which labels its source unofficial.
When do turkey permits go on sale?
Three lotteries come first, October 6 to December 1 for residents, then December 11 to January 11 and January 22 to February 9, with leftover permits from March 9; the limit is 3 spring permits.
How many fall turkey permits can I buy?
Fall rules differ from spring: either-sex birds, county-specific gun permits, and archery closed while firearm deer seasons run in open counties.
Are electronic calls legal for turkey?
Live or electronic decoys, dogs, recorded calls, nets, traps and baiting are illegal, a turkey may not be shot in a tree before 7 am, and field calling is banned from March 22 in the North zone (March 15 in the South) until the day before the season, except during youth hunts.
Is turkey harvest reporting mandatory?
Call 1-866-452-4325 or use the online harvest system before 10 pm on the day you take a bird.
Which counties lead spring turkey harvest?
The summaries run 2015 to 2026; 2026 reached 18,502 turkeys, with 20,821 counting youth hunts.
Is Sunday hunting allowed for wild turkey in Illinois?
Neither the Digest nor the IDNR pages we read say anything about Sunday hunting, and we will not guess; confirm with IDNR.
Who must take hunter education before hunting wild turkey?
Only hunters born on or after January 1, 1980 face the requirement, and a prior-year hunting license also satisfies it. Apprentices do not need the course but do need a licensed supervisor who is at least 21.
Which state sites list wild turkey?
IDNR records list wild turkey at 182 public sites; 182 have their own page under public land, and each page states the site rules, permits and seasons that apply.
Other photos on this page: James St. John (CC BY 2.0); Russ (CC BY 2.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).