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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minnesota Changes Deer Disease Surveillance, Requiring Southwest Hunters to Submit Samples During November Firearms Opener
SAINT PAUL, MN (October 19, 2026). Minnesota deer hunters heading to the southwestern part of the state for the November firearms opener will encounter a new mandatory chronic wasting disease sampling requirement as the Department of Natural Resources begins rotating surveillance across the state.
Hunters in the designated 2026 surveillance block must submit samples from deer age one year or older harvested November 7 or 8.
The requirement applies according to where the deer is harvested, not where the hunter lives. Twin Cities and North Metro residents traveling to hunt should therefore check their deer permit area before leaving home.
Four-Year Rotation Expands Surveillance
The DNR has divided Minnesota into four surveillance blocks. Mandatory opening-weekend sampling begins in the southwest this year, moves to the northwest in 2027, the northeast in 2028 and the southeast in 2029.
The agency says the approach is intended to provide a more complete picture of where CWD occurs. Its previous surveillance concentrated on known risk areas, while nearly two-thirds of Minnesota had not received a targeted surveillance effort in more than 20 years.
The change does not mean the DNR considers the disease widespread throughout Minnesota. It broadens where the agency systematically looks for it.
Hunters outside the mandatory block can still use voluntary testing options. Voluntary sampling also remains available for deer taken outside the November 7–8 mandatory period.
Plan How to Submit a Sample
Options include staffed or self-service stations, free mail-in kits and participating taxidermists or processors in the CWD Partner Sampling Program.
Hunters using a mail-in kit should obtain it before opening weekend and request a shipping label after harvesting a deer. The DNR says requesting a current label reduces the risk of a sample being lost because an older label has expired.
The agency is also collecting additional samples in deer permit area 236, north of Stillwater, following a recent detection in a wild deer. Hunters there have access to additional self-service sampling options.
Carcass Disposal Rules Have Also Changed
Minnesota has replaced movement restrictions for deer harvested within CWD management zones with disposal requirements.
A carcass can leave a management zone immediately if the hunter follows the applicable disposal rules. Approved methods include a sanitary landfill, an appropriate refuse-hauler arrangement, a licensed meat processor or specified taxidermist arrangements.
A carcass may also remain on the private property where the deer was harvested with the landowner’s permission.
Hunters may not dump carcasses on public land, roadsides or in water. Rules restricting the importation of whole deer and other cervid carcasses from outside Minnesota remain separate from these in-state changes.
Before hunting, residents should review the DNR’s CWD information and maps, identify their permit area and choose a sampling method. Doing that work in advance will help hunters meet the new requirements when the November season opens.
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