Photo By Mark & Sue Werner

"We've had a couple of subpar years in a row for reproduction," explained Paul Shelton of the Department of Natural Resources, regarding Illinois' turkey flock. "But the turkeys are holding their own in spite of that. All other things being equal, I would expect the spring season to be quite good and comparable to the past one."

Considering the fact that the 2004 spring season set another harvest record, his remarks ring of excellent news. The harvest total for 2004 came in at a whopping 15,066 birds compared with the previous year's 14,627. Hunter success averaged in the neighborhood of 25 percent statewide.

On the question of any "problem areas" within our state, Shelton indicated that turkey populations are really in pretty good shape.

"We do have some areas that could stand some improvement," he said. "But they could be taken care of if we could string together a couple of above-average production years."

Supplemental stocking remains an option in the future should specific areas show any potential need, but no stocking is planned and that kind of activity is no longer a part of the DNR's annual routine.

Five seasons are, once again, planned for this year to extend over a 32-day period. The first season opens April 4 in the South Zone and April 11 in the North Zone.

The following represents our county-by-county rating for potential hunter success for this year. Five categories were used to weigh three factors impacting your hunting potential, including population strength, historical hunter success and accessibility to public land.

One point was awarded to each county: that has experienced three consecutive years of increasing harvest totals; that had a total harvest last season greater than its five-year harvest average; that has a turkey population strong enough to support a fall hunt; that has public ground available upon which turkeys can be hunted; and that issues permits specifically for a hunting unit within that county independent of, and in addition to, the county's general permits. The highest possible score is five points.

Additionally, to help put these ratings into perspective, we have added a rating in parenthesis that represents the county's average score based upon our system over the last five years.

This is how everything adds up for the 2005 spring turkey season.

ADAMS -- 3 (4.6) Ranked third in Illinois for total harvest, but the take last season (502) was still below the high (543) experienced in 2002. The five-year average harvest is 507.8 and public ground is available.

ALEXANDER -- 4 (3.4) Last season was the best ever with 123 birds in the bag, and the five-year average is 101.6.

BOND -- 1 (2.2) Last season saw 113 toms killed, one below the previous season. Five-year average is 92.6. No public access.

BOONE -- 2 (1.8) Forty-four birds last year marked their best season after experiencing two years of decline. Their previous high of 32 was reached in 2001.

BROWN -- 4 (4) A fairly consistent producer with a five-year average harvest of 283.6 turkeys, and their best experience to date was last season at 313 kills.

BUREAU -- 2 (2) Consistently increasing harvests since 2001, with last year's 112 birds representing their best. No public access hurts the score.

CALHOUN -- 1 (2.6) The numbers are large but a downward harvest trend, though slight, continues. The best year was 2000 (458), the five-year average is 412 and last year's kill was 375.

CARROLL -- 3 (3) Last spring's take of 226 was just under the five-year average of 237.8. If turkey hunters here can bank on nothing else, they can expect consistency.

CASS -- 5 (5.4) Nothing but improvement is their hallmark. The harvest in 1998 was 138 birds and Cass County has seen increases every year since until reaching their high of 246 during last season. Public ground is a bonus.