SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — With the slightly changed 2006 firearm season in full swing, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging hunters to take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of other hunters.

During last year’s season, there were 31 hunting-related injuries with two fatalities. Sixteen of those injuries occurred when hunters fell out of or fell climbing into a tree stand. Additionally, 15 injuries occurred due to the discharge of a firearm. This was down from the 33 accidents reported during the 2004 season.

“Safety is the top priority of the Office of Safety Education and the DNR. Most hunting accidents can be prevented if hunters act smart and responsibly,” said DNR Acting Director Sam Flood.

Under Illinois law, those individuals applying for a hunting license who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1980, must complete a free hunter safety education course before the permit can be issued. The safety education courses are coordinated through DNR and include instruction on hunting regulations, hunter ethics and responsibility, archery, firearms, ammunition, first aid, wildlife identification and conservation. There is a minimum of ten hours involved for completion.

This is especially important as firearm season opened on Nov. 17. Nearly 200,000 hunters across Illinois are expected to be in the woods this season. An increase from last year, more than 335,000 permits have been issued for this season.

“The seven-day firearm season is our most popular hunting season, and we’re looking forward to another good year,” said Flood.

Last year, hunters harvested 114,209 deer during the seven-day period as compared to 2004 when there was a record breaking total of 116,675 deer harvested. County leaders in the 2005 firearm season included: Pike County, 3,737 deer; Adams County, 3,051 deer; and Jefferson County, 2,637 deer.

Hunters are reminded that this is the first year that hunters in many counties can go online or phone in their deer checks. However, northern Illinois hunters in seven counties (Boone, DeKalb, Kane, McHenry, Ogle, Stephen-son and Winnebago) are still required to take their deer to a check station.

DNR is still conducting chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing in these areas. In 2002, Illinois expanded their surveillance of CWD after it was discovered in neighboring Wisconsin’s deer herds. In 2003, legislation was passed permitting additional special hunting seasons in counties identified as at risk of CWD. The need for this additional season is determined by the DNR.

With more than 200,000 hunters expected to be in the woods in coming weekends, the DNR reminds everyone to be safe and aware of the slight changes in the Illinois’ hunting regulations.

This farm news was published in the Nov. 22, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.