The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is releasing 2020 deer hunting regulations this week. Barb Keller, who supervises the DNR's big-game program, reviewed highlights in an interview with the Star Tribune.
Q: Any changes this year because of the coronavirus pandemic?
A: Yes. There's a new process to get your deer tested for chronic wasting disease [CWD], and the tests won't be mandatory. Last year we required hunters in designated CWD zones to visit a DNR sampling station staffed by crews that removed lymph nodes for testing. This year, those stations will be replaced by drop boxes for hunters to deposit deer heads or lymph nodes for testing. Crews will take the heads and tissue samples to another site for handling and submitting to the laboratory. It's voluntary this year, but we highly encourage hunters in these zones to submit test samples.
Q: Why the change?
A: We're concerned about spreading the virus. At certain times last year our sampling stations became crowded.
Q: How long will it take to receive CWD test results?
A: Turnaround time last year was three to four business days for most of the season, except opening weekend of the firearms season. The glut of samples caused delays, including some up to three weeks. We're hoping to improve turnaround time this year on opening weekend with a new testing lab contract.
Q: Last year in CWD zones, hunters were prohibited from moving deer carcasses out of the zone without a "not detected" CWD test result. Is that still the case?
