Minnesota #CWD management hunt is taking place Dec. 15-17

Deer permit area 342 near Wabasha is being added to other DPAs in southeastern Minnesota and the south metro area where hunters can harvest deer during a late-season chronic wasting disease management hunt. DPA 342 is being added to the hunt after a deer harvested there this fall tested positive for CWD.

Dates for this late-season hunt are Friday, Dec. 15, through Sunday, Dec. 17. Deer permit areas open to this CWD management hunt are 342, 605, 643, 645, 646, 647, 648 and 649.

The Minnesota DNR establishes CWD management hunts to assess potential disease spread and to help mitigate the risk of CWD transmission by reducing the number of deer. To encourage participation in the management hunt, there is flexibility in the licenses and permits that are valid and there are no restrictions on the number of deer that a hunter may take.

Although the bag limit for this hunt is unlimited, 98% of successful hunters during the late CWD hunts in 2022 took only one or two deer.

Some public lands in southern Minnesota where deer hunting is otherwise not allowed will be open to hunting by a limited number of people during the late-season CWD management hunt. Special, no-cost permits to access these areas will be available from any DNR license vendor on a first-come, first-served basis starting at noon Friday, Dec. 1. You can find more information about the hunt on the DNR website.