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PIKE COUNTY, ILL. -- Tens of thousands of deer hunters are in the fields in West-Central Illinois and throughout the state this weekend for the first three days of the firearm deer season.

Hunting provides an estimated $25 million dollars to the Pike County economy each year.  Governor Quinn promotes the economic and quality-of-life benefits of nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation.  Quinn joined the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Pike County Farm Bureau at the Blue River Farm near Pittsfield.

The Governor says hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation can help drive the Illinois economy and create jobs. He mentioned that when he took office, state parks were closed and padlocked.  Quinn says it's important that state parks remain open especially in a recession, when families can't afford extravagant vacations.

"It's important to get people out of the urban areas into different parts of Illinois to spend money, really get our economy back on track. Hunters in particular buy a lot of supplies, they stay overnight, go to restaurants, go shopping, all that helps our economy," Governor Quinn said.

There are more than 1.1 million hunter and anglers in Illinois. The two sports provide an economic impact of $2.1 billion dollars statewide each year. The sports also provide 22,000  jobs.