Minnesota DNR
Hunters who catch a deer in certain areas of Minnesota will need to submit samples of the animal for testing for chronic waste disease.
And there will be more deer leave zones added to disease zones after CWD was detected in wild deer and farmed in more parts of the state over the past year.
“Test results show the degree of prevalence of chronic disease prevalent in certain areas, which helps us adapt our management actions to focus on areas where the disease is concentrated,” said Erik Hildebrand, DNR wildlife health specialist, in a press release. “The DNR risk-based aggressive response is based on the best available science and the samples provided by hunters are a crucial component in helping us monitor the health of our herd of wild deer.”
The Minnesota DNR says that during the opening weekends of gun A and B seasons (November 6-7 and 20-21), any deer one year old or older that is hunted from d a deer permit zone (DPA) in one of the CWD zones must be sent for testing.
This does not include DPAs 213 and 273 in west central Minnesota. These areas are part of a risk-based monitoring program and will accept voluntary sampling until the goal is achieved.
The CWD zones are located in southeastern Minnesota, in the pockets of central Minnesota and north-central Minnesota (see map below).
CWD sampling areas for the upcoming deer season.
Minnesota DNR
After opening the weekend, voluntary shipments of deer harvested in any CWD control or control area will be accepted at self-service stations throughout the deer hunting season, beginning September 18, when ‘opens the archery season.
Deer harvested in the surveillance zone can be taken voluntarily by appointment at the wildlife zone offices.
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DNR staff will be at sampling stations during mandatory weekends, such as before the 2020 hunting season.
Last year, the Minnesota DNR called off mandatory CWD testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, sampling by CWD was voluntary, with hunters sending samples to “unmanned” stations to allow for social distancing.
This year, staff will follow Minnesota COVID-19 social distance or mask requirements that are in effect during mandatory weekends.
There will also be self-service sampling options where hunters can drop off the deer head instead of having staff take samples at the stations. These stations can be found here.
Other changes to this year’s deer season are:
- There will be a limit of five deer hornless bags (previously unlimited) in the DPAs of the CWD management area. Both the dollars and the proceeds count to the limit of bags. The suitcase limit does not apply during late CWD searches in December.
- This year there are restrictions on the movement of carcasses in the control and management areas of CWDs, which means that entire carcasses cannot leave the areas until the result of the “undetected” test is received. Hunters can debone or cut their deer to transport them. There are no restrictions on carcass movement in CWD surveillance areas, where no CWD has been detected in wild deer.
- The DNR says it “simplifies” the names of CWD zones into three levels: management zone, control zone, and surveillance zone. You can find more information about deer permit zones and CWD zones in the policy book.
- The DNR notes that all deer-permitted areas that were in a CWD area last year will be in a CWD area this year, with several DPAs added after CWD was detected at a deer facility in Beltrami County and elsewhere in the state over the past year.
The DNR CWD management page is here. The 2021 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations book is available here.