Indiana Conservation Officers are excited about the upcoming deer firearms season and working with ethical hunters who will be taking to the woods this weekend.

Deer hunters will be taking to the woods this weekend when firearms season officially begins, and they’ll be facing some new regulations this year.

Indiana Conservation Officers are reminding hunters to wear their required hunter orange garments, but this year, all ground blinds must also be equipped on each side with one square foot of hunter orange. A ground blind is required to have the orange displayed while occupied and if its base is four feet or less from the ground.

Conservation Officers also want to remind hunters to positively identify their target, and take caution when hunting from elevated stands. Falls from tree stands are the number one hunting accident recorded yearly. Hunters should wear a fall restraint system at all times when hunting from an elevated tree stand.

Also, it is recommended that hunters take a cell phone with them and tell someone where they will be and when they are expect to arrive home.

Deer hunting is increasingly becoming a family affair as parents and their children share the experience of managing Indiana’s resources. Officers encourage ethical hunting this fall as you take to the woods and waters of the state.

Motorists are also encouraged to be especially aware for the next several weeks as deer will be crossing the roadways in increasing numbers due to the breeding season in November and December. Motorists should not swerve aggressively to avoid a collision with a deer as this more often than not leads to more severe injuries and property damage than colliding with the deer.

The firearms season runs from this Saturday through Sunday, Dec. 2.

Hunters wishing to donate legally harvested deer as well as citizens looking for meat to help feed their families can visit http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7240.htm to take part in the GiveIN Game Program. This is a free exchange of deer meat from the successful hunter to the family in need of the resource.

If a suspected violation is witnessed, concerned citizens and hunters may call 1-800-TIP-IDNR to report the violation anonymously.  Indiana Conservation Officers dispatch is open 24/7 and may be reached at 1.812.837.9536.  You may also visit the DNR website to locate your local district Conservation Officers office number.