Illinois’ Wild Turkeys Are Everywhere: Here’s How Many We Have

It's late April. If you take a look around your neighborhood right now, there's every chance you'll see more wild turkeys than squirrels. If it seems like you’re seeing wild turkeys everywhere lately, you’re not imagining things.

Across Northern Illinois, flocks are showing up in neighborhoods, along rural roads, in farm fields, and even wandering through parking lots (especially radio station parking lots) like they’ve got errands to run. And if you don’t see them, you’re probably hearing them.

So what’s going on other than it being the first part of spring?

Illinois Has 102 Counties, And Wild Turkeys Live In Every Single One

Estimates from the University of Illinois Extension have put Illinois’ wild turkey population at over 150,000 birds, with populations now established in every single county. That’s a remarkable comeback story when you consider wild turkeys were nearly wiped out in the state over a century ago.

Today, populations remain strong, and in recent years, they’ve benefited from generally favorable conditions, even if numbers can fluctuate depending on weather and nesting success.

Another factor is that wild turkeys have become incredibly adaptable. They’re just as comfortable scratching around wooded edges and farm fields as they are strolling through suburban yards. Add in a few mild winters and good hatch seasons, and suddenly you’ve got a lot more birds making themselves known.

Let's Look At Some Numbers

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) keeps close tabs on turkey populations through annual brood surveys, and recent multi-year observations have shown several strong reproductive seasons, including:

• Increased reproductive success, with poults per hen (PPH) rising from 1.62 in 2019 to over 3.0 in recent years
• Improved poult survival, with poults per brood (PPB) climbing from 3.69 to 4.23
• Higher nesting success, with hens observed with broods increasing from around 53% to over 75%
• A steady male-to-female ratio hovering around 0.46 to 0.48, suggesting stable survival rates and consistent carryover from hunting seasons

Put all that together, and it helps explain why 2026 feels like a banner year for turkey sightings, especially in Northern Illinois.