Duluth-As the firearms deer hunting season in Minnesota approaches in 2021, the scourge of chronic wasting diseases continues to spread to the North, and many hunters will have to adjust to the new normal, including testing deer in areas where CWD is found .
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources requires mandatory testing of all adult deer shot in the CWD area during the open weekend because biologists try to understand where and how fast this deadly neurological disease spreads.
After opening on the weekend, the self-service station will accept voluntary submissions from deer harvested in any CWD management or control area throughout the hunting season.
DNR wildlife health expert Erik Hildebrand said in a statement: “The test results show the prevalence of chronic wasting diseases in certain areas, which helps us adjust management actions. , Focusing on areas where the disease is concentrated." "DNR's positive, risk-based response is based on the best available science, and the samples provided by hunters are an important part of helping us monitor the health of the wild deer herd."
The Northland areas that must undergo CWD testing during the open weekend include:
In the south, the 157 and 159 management areas south of Hinckley and the adjacent 200 number units in the area require CWD testing. A deer farm in the area had tested positive a few years ago. Although the outbreak of CWD has not been confirmed in the wild, it also triggered a deer feeding ban in surrounding areas including Carleton County.
In the vicinity of Brainerd, special rules have been established and tested in the special administrative area 604 that extends eastward to Atkin. Unlike the case in Pine County, wild deer were found to be infected in this area, although not in the past two years.
Newly appeared in and around the deer farm in Beltrami County this year. In a strange case, after multiple CWD tests were positive, the entire deer herd was destroyed and farmers were seen dumping the infected carcasses on public land. , CWD is now found in the soil. The areas covered by the mandatory testing requirements are 110, 169, 194, and 179 (only in the area west of Highway 6, not the area east of Highway 6) as far as the east of Luhe. So far, no wild deer infection has been confirmed in the area.
DNR will staff the sampling station during the open weekend. The self-service sampling station option will also be provided to hunters who prefer to lay down their deer heads rather than let staff collect samples at the site. Sampling stations are located in each area for testing. For more detailed information, please visit dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/index.html.
Gary Mead/Duluth News Tribune
DNR is collaborating with more researchers outside of Cornell University to create computer applications to estimate the risks of introducing new CWDs in the state and the areas that might thrive after they are introduced.
DNR provides Cornell University with a large amount of data on deer harvest and deer density estimates, CWD test results, and places where CWD has occurred in the past. DNR research scientist Chris Jennelle said that other states in the region, including Iowa and Wisconsin, also provided data from their states, "so we can also consider CWD risks from neighboring states."
The idea is to use all the information and what is known about deer farms in Minnesota to estimate the CWD risk.
"We are still in the beta testing phase of these applications, there are some details to be resolved, but this technology is about to emerge," Jennelle said.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, including white-tailed deer, elk, moose, reindeer and mule deer, and it cannot disappear forever. Since the subtle, relentless, slow-moving disease was first discovered in a mule deer herd at a research facility in Colorado in the late 1960s, it has been steadily worsening. It has now been found in 23 states and three provinces in Canada.
There is no evidence that this disease can be transmitted to humans, although it is similar to some human diseases, and health experts warn against eating venison from CWD-positive deer.
CWD is caused by prions, which are misfolded proteins. Prions are excreted by infected deer in urine, feces, blood and saliva-and can remain in the environment for years or even longer. Some CWD transmission occurs at the local level through deer-to-deer or deer-to-environment-to-deer transmission. But wildlife experts say that the widespread spread of the disease in recent years is almost certainly due to the movement of infected live and dead deer, whether from deer farms or hunters.
Do you plan to hunt deer in Minnesota this season? Whether to view the results Thank you for your vote! Yes 84% No 16% Tweet to @ Return To Poll
Hunters living outside the CWD area of Minnesota can still test your deer through the University of Minnesota's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. But this will cost you $39, and the test is currently delayed due to a shortage of materials required for the test. Go to vdl.umn.edu.
Gary Mead/Duluth News Tribune
Hunters in the Grand Rapids area can participate in ongoing research on how much neonicotinoid deer are exposed to in Minnesota.
DNR is continuing to study to screen whether neonicotinoids are present in deer harvested by hunters, which is the most widely used type of insecticide in the world. The sample required for the test is the spleen. The spleen is large, flat and dark red. It is attached to the stomach of deer and is easy to find when trimming in the field.
Studies have shown that the neonicotinoids in white-tailed deer can cause behavior changes and reduce the survival rate of fawns. DNR conducted a preliminary assessment in the fall of 2019 and found that 61% of the tested deer were exposed to neonicotinoids.
If you are hunting in the deer license area 171, 172, or 179 (and several areas in the management area 200), please register at mndnr.gov/wildlife/health/neonic.html to participate.
John Myers reports on the outdoors, the environment and natural resources for the Duluth News Forum. You can contact him at jmyers@duluthnews.com.
November 6-21, the 2021 Minnesota Firearms Deer Season-100 Series License Area-in northeastern Minnesota for 16 days.
The daily shooting time is half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Minnesota sold approximately 690,000 deer hunting permits in 2020, including guns, muzzle loaders, youth, and archery. Among them, it is estimated that there will be nearly 500,000 hunters throughout the state during the gun season.
The 594,014 firearm licenses sold in 2020 increased by 7.4% from 553,277 in 2019, the highest level since 2010.
Last year, deer hunters of all types registered 197,315 deer, slightly below the DNR annual harvest target of 200,000 heads.
About half of the deer filmed this season were filmed during the opening weekend. This year, this may be about 100,000 deer, depending on the weather. (Warmer, drier weather means that hunters stay outdoors longer and shoot more deer.) Approximately 70% of the harvest occurs in the first four days of the season.
The average adult female white-tailed deer weighs about 145 pounds, and the male weighs about 170 pounds. The largest white-tailed deer ever in Minnesota weighs 500 pounds.
The habitat of the whitetail is about 1 square mile in the forest area.
In 2020, 37.1% of all hunters in Minn
During the firearm deer season in Minnesota, hunters spend an average of five days in the wild.
A legal stag is a deer with at least one antler that is 3 inches long. Stag fawn, sometimes called button stag or fawn stag, is not a legal stag.
The resident gun deer license is $35 in 2021.
Resident hunters aged 84 and over can shoot deer of any sex in any permitted area.
Deer cards purchased after the opening day of this season will be valid from the day after the issuance, but will not take effect on the day of the issuance.
Use #Deer-CampMN to share your story on social media.
Send photos of large sums of money to Outdoors@duluthnews.com.
DNR reminds hunters to follow three principles for safe gun handling:
Treat each gun as if it has been loaded, and keep your fingers away from the trigger.
Always control the muzzle.
Determine your goals and beyond.
Tree shelf accidents are the main cause of injuries for hunters, so it is always important to wear a seat belt and unload your gun before rising or falling on your shelf.
Anyone with deer hunting problems can register and participate in the virtual DNR deer hunting event from noon to 1 pm on Wednesday. DNR staff will be on standby at any time during the "preparation for the gun deer season" to explain changes in seasons and regulations and answer questions on the spot. You need to register for the webinar at dnr.state.mn.us/fishwildlife/outreach. Participants are encouraged to submit questions during registration. The recording of the webinar will be published.
The gun deer season in Minnesota will kick off statewide on November 6th, and the 100 series management area in the Northeast will last until November 21st. Contribution/Wisconsin DNR
Prepared by Minnesota DNR Protection Officer
When registering for harvest on mndnr.gov/gameregistration, hunters harvesting deer, bears or turkeys must log in to the Minnesota DNR electronic permit system.
Deer can also register by calling 888-706-6367 or in person at the designated registration station. For a list of these locations, please visit dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/stations.html.
For more information, please visit mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting.
Your deer license and site label consist of two parts. The upper part is a site marker used to mark deer in the wild. The lower part is the deer card and the registration form. The hunter must do the following:
Separate the site label from the deer permit/registration form.
Before moving the deer, the hunter named on the permit used a knife or similar sharp object to cut a notch indicating the month, date, and time the deer was killed to verify the tag.
Note: If you cut or mark more than one month, date or time, the label will become invalid.
A 10 o'clock buck has a complete rut, with a swollen neck, take a break from the chase. The weather and the progress of the rutting will largely determine how many dollars the Minnesota Deer Hunters will shoot this season starting on November 6. Clint Austin / 2020 Document / Duluth News Tribune
Hunters must not use or use bait to hunt deer.
Make sure you use legal equipment for large games. The caliber of the rifle must be at least 0.20 or greater, and the ammunition must have a soft or expanded tip with a single projectile (lead-free bullet).
A deer without antlers is considered any deer without antlers that is at least 3 inches in length.
During the open firearms and deer season, all hunters and hunters in the wild must display orange or pink on the visible part of the person's hat and coat above the waist (except sleeves and gloves). Bright orange or bright pink camouflage patterns are allowed, but there must be at least 50% bright orange or pink per square foot.
The annual United Northern Sports Club deer rifle scope is open to the public again, and the deer rifle scope can be viewed every day until Friday. The time is from 8 am to half an hour before sunset.
The cost of a single rifle range course is US$5, or a full-year membership of the club for US$35. For more information, please visit unitednorthernsportsmen.org.
The rifle shooting range is located at the club grounds along Island Lake on Highway 4 (7229 Rice Lake Road) in St. Louis County, approximately 20 minutes north of Duluth.
The thin rope is used as the traction line for the deer station, and the heavier rope and harness are used to drag the deer out
Compass (know how to use it) and GPS
Rubber gloves for field deer
A small life-saving bag, packed in a quart-sized zipper bag, which includes two 50-gallon garbage bags (for emergency shelters), waterproof matches or lighters, whistle and energy bars.
Cleaning the small folding saw
Plastic trace tape (used to track deer under rain or snow conditions)
Pelvis saw for field deer
Cell phone, charging but shutting down