The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding firearms deer hunters that chronic wasting disease sampling is mandatory in southwest Minnesota during the opening weekend of the season, Nov. 7-8. I read the DNR’s October 12 news release, which spells out the requirement and the carcass movement restrictions that go with it.
What hunters need to know
The mandatory sampling applies to deer harvested in deer permit areas 234, 236, 237, 240, 242, 243, 246, 248, 249, 251, 254, 255, 259, 260, 263, 265, 266, 269, 270, 271, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, and 280, according to the Minnesota DNR news release. Hunters in those zones must bring their deer to a designated sampling station before they process or transport the carcass out of the area.
The DNR also restricts how carcasses can move from the affected zone. Only the boned-out meat, the cape, the skull cap with antlers attached, and the lower legs may leave the area for the rest of the season, the agency said. Whole carcasses must stay in the zone or go to a licensed meat processor or taxidermist.
Why this matters
CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and moose, and it spreads through direct contact and contaminated environments. Minnesota has been tracking the disease for years, and the DNR’s response has shifted from voluntary to mandatory sampling as detections have spread across the southwest part of the state. The agency says these rules are the main tool for slowing the disease’s advance into new areas.
For a homeowner in southwest Minnesota who also hunts, this means planning ahead: locate the nearest sampling station before you go out, and expect to make the stop on the way home. If you hunt outside the mandatory zone, the DNR still encourages voluntary testing. And if you see a deer that looks sick or acts oddly, the DNR asks you to report it rather than handle the animal.
The Minnesota DNR confirmed the details in its news release.
The notice is published by Minnesota DNR news releases at www.dnr.state.mn.us.
