Deer hunters will soon head into the fields this week. The state's deer hunting firearm season begins Friday.

The hunting season is split up into two portions, with the first November 20th through the 22nd and the second running December 3rd through the 6th. Tim Schwiezer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources predicts this year will be a good year for deer. "With the number of hunters we're expecting we'll probably see a large number of deer taken," he says. In 2008, some 106-thousand deer were taken in the seven day season and more than 360-thousand hunting permits have been issued this year. Schweizer says Illinois needs hunters to ensure a healthy population of deer. "You need to control the population on a manual basis," he says. "If we don't have hunters we have a lot more problems in terms of damage to crops, property and a higher potential for deer-vehicle accidents."

He also says safety should be at the forefront of hunters minds with so many out in the field. Tree stand users should utilize harnesses and of course follow proper procedure when handling a weapon.

Legal hunting hours are one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. Hunters who take a deer are required to report their harvest by 10 p.m. the day of. They can do so online at the DNR website or by calling 1-866-IL-CHECK or 1-866-452-4325.