The first weekend of firearm deer hunting is this weekend in Illinois. Tim Schweizer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has a few reminders about tree stand safety.
[audio:http://wrmj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mercer-deer-hunting.mp3|titles=mercer deer hunting]
The first firearm weekend is this Friday through Sunday followed by the second and final weekend November 29th through December 2nd. Last year, Mercer County hunters harvested 963 deer during the two firearm weekends.