Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 57,968 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois Firearm Deer Season, the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Hunters took 51,830 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2014, so there was a significant increase.  This year, Jackson County saw the most deer harvested at nearly 1,600.  This year there were 721 deer killed in Washington County, compared to 658 last year.  In Clinton County, there were 426 deer killed this year, down 29 from last year.  There were 1,405 deer harvested in Jefferson County, up from 1,295 last year.  There was an increase of 111 deer killed in Marion County from last year, up to 1,090 this year.  In Perry County, there were 840 deer killed, up 36 from last year.  In Saint Clair County, there were 540 deer harvested, which is up from 473 last year.  The second segment of the Illinois Firearm Deer Season runs this Thursday through Sunday.  Other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season on December 11^th through 13^th, Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons in select counties only on December 31^st through January 3^rd and from January 15^th through the 17^th, and then Archery Deer Season continues through January 17, 2016, but not this weekend in counties open for Firearm Deer Season.  For details on deer hunting, open counties, and other information, check the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer.