WAUSAU, Wis. -- Hunters by the thousands headed out into the woods of Wisconsin Saturday on the opening weekend of the nine-day gun season for white-tailed deer.

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Keith Warnke, a deer expert with the state Department of Natural Resources, said he's expecting a good season, and he expects the weather to cooperate over the weekend when more than 650,000 hunters take part in the hunt. That's when the bulk of the deer are usually killed.

Warnke said he expects more than 400,000 deer to be killed during the gun seasons this fall, including the muzzleloader season that begins Nov. 26.

In the state's 156th deer season, the DNR estimated that this year's herd at 1.8 million deer. Last year, hunters harvested more than 469,000 antlerless deer, WISC-TV reported.

Gun deer hunting is becoming safer in Wisconsin, but accidents still happen. DNR officials reported 31 accidents involving guns and bows in 2006, including four fatalities. Officials said that one-third of all the victims were between the ages of 12 and 17.

Jon Fischer, a former safety hunter, said his family has been looking forward to the deer hunt and that they are careful to take safety precautions. He said it's important to remember that hunting safety is everyone's responsibility.

"You can't recall a bullet. I mean, once that trigger is pulled, there's no way of bringing it back. You can't stress safety enough. Most accidents happen when people go up or down a deer stand, so we typically use ground blinds and sit on the ground with the smaller kids," Fischer said.

Taylor Fischer is not old enough to hunt at 10 years old, but she said she is itching for her chance.

"I'm really pumped up, but I know I have to be safe. So I'm really good about that," Taylor Fischer said.

While Taylor watches the hunt, her parents will be watching over her.

"We're pretty particular about what's going on around us. You watch everything they do. You make sure the guns are unloaded all the time, unless they're going to shoot an animal. Then you have to be careful," said Jean Fischer.

Jean Fischer's 17-year-old son is also participating in the hunt. He said he hopes to take his first buck.

Officials said that last year, most accidents were within the same hunting party, but there were a few where a person was hurt by a member of another group. They said in more than 80 percent of accidents in 2006, the victim was in view of the shooter.