SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Officials say Illinois hunters shot fewer deer on opening weekend compared to last year -- probably related to a late corn harvest. Standing corn made it harder for hunters to find deer. Paul Shelton of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says wet weather delayed the corn harvest and that affected hunters' success. Hunters took more than 66,000 deer last weekend. That compares to nearly 72,000 deer killed in opening weekend of the 2008 firearm deer season. The second portion of the firearm season will be Dec. 3-6. Sixty percent of the deer taken during the first weekend of firearm hunting were bucks. Last year, 59 percent were bucks during the first weekend of the firearm season. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
