BELOIT, Wis. -- The opening weekend for deer hunting is expected to draw a number of out-of-state visitors, but state officials are warning people not to bring a destructive insect into the state with them.

State officials said out-of-state hunters who are bringing firewood into Wisconsin could also be transporting the emerald ash borer.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Department of Natural Resources are educating this weekend's travelers about the problem.

Len Zintak, who has been coming up to hunt in Wisconsin for more than 15 years, said he's aware of the emerald ash borer and that he is being cautious about what he brings from Illinois.

"Back at home I've got a large ash tree in front of my house," Zintak said. "And the ash borer has been found in surrounding counties."

"Emerald ash borer, right now, is the 800-pound gorilla," said Mick Skwarok, plant pest assessment specialist for the state. "It's 35 miles south of the Wisconsin border in a few locations in Illinois. We don't want it in our state; we hope it's not here. We're looking for it, and we hope we don't find it."

The state is talking with travelers at various Wisconsin welcome centers about the problems of moving firewood over long distances.

"Tucked away in somebody's trunk or in a trailer, hidden in firewood, hundreds of miles in a single day, and then it's a new infestation," Skwarok said.

"I think the people that I hunt with are aware of it, especially with all the publicity around the Chicago area now," Zintak said.

State officials said that the ash borer's arrival in Wisconsin could be inevitable, but they said postponing it will also benefit the state.

"We're keeping our fingers crossed that it won't be too long before we get some really good management and control techniques," Skwarok said. "We're not quite there just yet."

Zintak said he hopes the insect stays out of Wisconsin.

"I understand there are hundreds of thousands of trees in Michigan and other states that have been cut down as a result of this insect, and I'd hate to see that happen in Wisconsin," he said.

State officials said they won't be confiscating any outside firewood, but they are suggesting that hunters who are traveling with firewood use all of it up at their destinations.