Deer hunters are reminded to focus on safety, with the 2018 Illinois Firearm Deer Season starting up on Friday, through Sunday. A 2nd round of firearm deer hunting season will be November 29th through December 2nd. The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement, who does administer the Hunter Safety Education Program, reported that there were 19 hunting incidents last year during all seasons, with 3 involving a fatality. 10 of those incidents involved a hunter falling from an elevated tree stand or falling while climbing into or out of a stand. Officials ask that you 1, treat every firearm as if it is loaded, 2, always point a firearm in a safe direction, 3, be sure you know what your target is and make sure that there are no other hunters, homes, buildings, vehicles or other animals beyond your target, and 4, keep your finger out of the trigger and off of the trigger, until you are ready to shoot. Legal hunting hours are 1 and ½ hours before the sunrise and 1 ½ hours after the sun sets. For more information, visit the dnr website, backslash hunting. Also be sure to read up on the Digest of hunting and trapping regulations in 2018-2019 for hunting season in Illinois.