Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 98,700 deer during the seven-day firearm deer season on Nov. 19-21 and Dec. 2-5, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced today. A total of 99,419 deer were taken during the 2009 firearm season.

The preliminary second-season (Dec. 2-5) harvest total was 30,663, compared with the 33,293 deer taken by hunters during the second segment of the season in 2009. This year