CWD Testing Mandatory During Opening Weekends of Firearms Season In Parts Of MN

(KNSI) – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) zones have been expanded, and mandatory testing is again required for the opening weekends in those zones.

The opening weekends of firearms season A is November 6th and 7th, and firearms season B is November 20th and 21st. Any deer one year or older taken in one of the state’s nine CWD zones must be submitted for testing.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Health Specialist Erik Hildebrand says having the opening weekends mandatory gives the agency the best chance to collect samples.

“About 50% of the deer harvest that happens over those weekends. And so, it’s to get the most bang for your buck, you would say. We know we have a lot of hunters in the field, a lot of harvest happens.”

Hunters can take the deer to a DNR station with the deer and staff will pull the samples from the neck of the deer. The DNR samples the Retropharyngeal lymph nodes for CWD. Hunters can also bring in just the head with about three inches of neck still attached to a sample station. The samples will be sent to a lab for analysis and hunters can check the DNR’s website to find the results.

The DNR targets a certain amount of deer per zone so, if the disease is inside the population, it will most likely be detected.

All Deer Permit Areas (DPA) in a CWD zone last year remain in a CWD zone this year, with several DPAs added. The added zones are 184, 110, 197, and part of zone 169 around the Bemidji area in North Central Minnesota, zone 233 in Southeastern Minnesota, and zone 242 near Brainerd.

The exceptions are in zones 213 and 273, which are part of a risk-based surveillance program. Voluntary samples will be accepted if submitted by hunters in those zones. All DPAs in a CWD zone last year remain in a CWD zone this year, with several DPAs added.

This is the third year of testing since finding the disease in a wild deer near Brainerd, and testing will end if CWD is not detected. CWD zone 604 would then return to its normal boundaries.

Hildebrand says the cooperation of hunters will be essential to preventing CWD from spreading.

“The DNR needs help from the hunters, they’ll provide provide a sample from the deer. If it’s harvested in one of our our deer permit areas of surveillance. We need the help. So thank you to the hunters.”

Outside of opening weekend, voluntary submissions for deer killed in any CWD management or control zone will be accepted at self-service stations throughout the hunting season. Self-service sampling station options also will be available for hunters who would prefer to drop off their deer heads rather than having staff take the samples at stations. Sampling stations are listed online.

Voluntary sampling starts on September 18th, when Minnesota’s archery deer hunting season opens. Hunter can make appointments at DNR wildlife offices.

For more on the 2021 Minnesota deer hunting season, click here.

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