The 7-day firearm deer hunting season in Illinois began today.
The 1st portion of the season will take place this week as it ends on Sunday. The firearm season concludes on December 5th through the 8th.
The legal hunting hours in Illinois are one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset.
Firearm deer hunters in 10 Northern Illinois counties are required to register all deer that are killed during the firearm season by taking them to their county check station. Biologists will be present to take Chronic Wasting Disease samples for testing. The stations are located in the following counties.
**Ogle: Castle Rock State Park in Oregon
**DeKalb: Shabbona Lake State Park in Shabbona
**Winnebago: Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park
**Boone: Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere
**Jo Daviess: Elizabeth Community Building next to Highland Community College
**Stephenson: Stephenson County Fairgrounds in Freeport
In 2012, there were 26 hunting incidents reported in Illinois with 3 fatalities. There have been 14 hunting incidents reported so far this year.
