DNR: CWD suspected in deer harvested near Bemidji
(KSTP-TV)
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is urging hunters to have their deer tested after announcing a white-tailed deer shot about 10 miles south of Bemidji is suspected of having chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Authorities say the buck was harvested in deer permit area 184 during the opening weekend of the firearms season.
The agency says there will be a self-service sampling station in the permit area, and if the preliminary positive from the harvested deer is confirmed later this week, the DNR will take more action. Further steps may include a late special season hunting and targeted culling, according to state wildlife officials.
So far, the DNR says out of the more than 1,200 deer harvested and sampled in that area, 700 test results have returned, and one deer has preliminarily tested positive for CWD.
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CWD is a fatal disease that affects the brains of white-tailed deer. CLICK HERE or call 888-646-6367 to learn about self-service sampling locations.
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