People living in Clay and Hennepin counties could be affected by new restrictions related to the first cases of chronic wasting disease in local deer permit areas.
The DNR’s Erik Hildebrand says the restrictions aren’t necessarily aimed at hunters…
“But more so at landowners and also wildlife watchers. So we don’t want to artificially concentrate deer through recreational deer feeding because that’s one way this disease can spread is from deer-to-deer contact. ”
Hildebrand says there will be a minimum of three years of surveillance in the new CWD management zones…
“Such as a mandatory sampling framework which will likely be over the opening weekend of the firearms season. Then also carcass movement restrictions. We’ve detected disease in that deer permit area and we don’t want to potentially spread the disease to new areas or further.”
You’ll remember that the DNR confirmed that two adult male deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease in two deer permit areas that previously not had any confirmed cases.
One deer was harvested near Hawley, Minnesota in Clay County and the other was harvested near Greenfield in Hennepin County.
