• Some landowners will begin shooting deer this weekend in an area about 10 miles in all directions from Pine Island, in southeast Minnesota. A doe infected with chronic wasting disease was killed there by an archer Nov. 28, the first wild deer in the state known to carry CWD.
• The DNR hopes to kill about 900 deer out of the approximately 6,500 that have been counted in the area by DNR aerial surveys.
• All of the land is private, and property owners or their designees will be given the first opportunity to kill animals. Landowners aren't required to kill deer, nor must they allow government sharpshooters on their property.
• By killing the animals, the DNR hopes to determine whether CWD has infected other deer in the area, and if so, how many. Wildlife officials hope also to eradicate CWD from the area herd if it is found.
• Landowners each will be given 10 killing permits initially, with more issued as necessary. The DNR already has contacted many property owners and will reach out to more.
• When a deer is killed, a landowner will contact the DNR, and a wildlife technician will be dispatched within one business day to remove the animal's lymph glands for testing. A federal testing laboratory will return test results in three days.
• Deer that test negative can be kept by the landowner, or the DNR will place them with interested parties.
• One estimate put the cost of the undertaking at as much as $400,000. Expenses so far are being paid from hunting license fees. The DNR will ask the Legislature for reimbursement.
