Firearm deer hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 74,191 deer during the seven-day firearm deer season this year, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  This year’s preliminary firearm season harvest total compares with the 99,546 deer taken during the 2012 firearm season.  The preliminary second-season, last weekend, harvest total was 18,483, compared with the 27,213 deer taken by hunters during the second segment of the season last year.  This year’s preliminary first-season deer harvest, the weekend before Thanksgiving, was 55,708, compared with a first-season harvest of 72,111 in 2012.  During the second segment of the firearm season, opening day saw falling temperatures and gusty winds throughout the state, and southern Illinois saw rain/freezing rain turning to snow that continued through Friday with substantial accumulations.  In Washington County, there were a total of 888 deer killed with 715 in the first weekend and only 173 the second weekend.  Last year there were 1,099 total deer killed.