• By Andrew Hensel – Illinois Radio Network
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• lhttps://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/granite-city-news/falls-from-tree-stands-injure-more-illinois-hunters-than-firearm-accidents/article_48d01d26-4ca0-11ec-a8c7-47fcdd74d1f1.html

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It’s hunting season in Illinois and state officials, as well as experts, are reminding hunters to put safety above all else.

The dangers of hunting are not what many may think, said Curt Sinclair, hunting safety instructor for Illinois 4-H.

“It’s not the discharge of a firearm in a dangerous way,” Sinclair said. “The No. 1 accident that happens in hunting in Illinois is falls. Falls are the primary way that people get hurt.”

Fourteen hunters died during hunting season in Illinois last year. Between 2015 and 2019, 90 percent of the hunting accidents were from falls, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Many of the falls involve homemade tree stands.

“The homemade deer stands are one of the primary problems,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair recommends buying a manufactured tree stand, rather than building…