Minnesota is taking a three-pronged approach to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease and keep Minnesota’s wild deer population healthy.

“Whether you’re someone who just likes seeing white-tailed deer or a hunter who looks forward to enjoying venison for dinner, many Minnesotans share the desire for a healthy deer population,” said Lou Cornicelli, wildlife research manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “The management actions we’ve built into this fall’s deer hunting regulations are critical for protecting deer now and preserving this resource for future generations.”

First, the DNR is expanding hunting opportunities and bag limits in areas where CWD has been found in wild deer. Harvesting more deer will reduce the possibility of additional disease spread because there will be fewer deer in lower densities.

The second prong is a deer feeding and attractant ban that affects 18 counties in southeastern and north central Minnesota and a continued feeding ban in six central Minnesota counties. These restrictions will reduce the potential for close contact between deer. Shared food allows direct deer-to-deer contact. Diseased deer can also contaminate the food even if they are not present when healthy deer come to eat.

Limiting movement of deer carcasses is the third aspect of the DNR’s approach to managing CWD. These measures restrict movement of deer harvested near locations where other hunters have harvested CWD-positive deer. Hunters in southeast and north central Minnesota should be aware of carcass movement restrictions. Details of these restrictions are available online at mndnr.gov/deerimports. The restrictions also do not allow whole carcasses of any deer, elk, moose or caribou harvested outside Minnesota to be brought into Minnesota.

“Our deer hunters are integral to our disease management efforts,” said Barbara Keller, DNR’s big game program leader. “We recognize that these new regulations add another level of planning to deer camp preparation, and we are working to give hunters the information and other resources needed to comply with restrictions. CWD is still a relatively rare disease in our state, and we aim to keep it that way.”

In 2016, the DNR detected three wild deer in Fillmore County after beginning voluntary surveillance in southeast Minnesota. Continuing the surveillance through 2018, discovered the disease had spread into ares outside Fillmore including Houston and Winona counties.

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More information

• For more information on chronic wasting disease, the DNR’s continued efforts to manage the disease and how you can help, visit mndnr.gov/cwd.

• Hunters should refer to 2019 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations, available online at mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting and wherever licenses are sold.