CWD control zones

Deer permit areas included

• 255, 343, 344.

Requirements

• Testing is mandatory during the opening weekend of the firearms A season (Nov. 5-6).
• Carcass movement restrictions are in place. Deer harvested in any season cannot be moved out of a control zone or its adjacent management zones until a "not-detected" test result is received. Hunters can transport properly quartered or boned meat - make plans to process your deer.
• Deer feeding and attractant bans may be in place. Deer permit areas (DPAs) do not necessarily follow county lines. A DPA may only partially overlap with a county that has a deer feeding and attractant ban in place.

Special regulations

• Hunters may harvest only one buck per year. Cross-tagging is allowed for bucks and antler-point restrictions are removed.
• Hunters must use a statewide A or a late southeast B license for the respective firearms season. Bonus permits may be used for antlerless deer during any deer season.
• Disease management permits cannot be used in the control zone.

How to get your deer sampled

CWD sampling options available to hunters include:

• Self-service or staffed sampling stations during firearms season only*
• Taxidermists and processors participating in the partner sampling program
• Mail-in kits (while supplies last)
• By appointment at a local DNR wildlife management area office within CWD areas**

*Self-service sampling stations will no longer be available in archery and muzzleloader seasons for DPAs located in control zones.

**Wildlife management area offices can only take appointments during regular business hours, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How to prepare

• Deer must be registered before sampling.
• Hunters who harvest a deer either Saturday, Nov. 5 or Sunday, Nov. 6 in DPAs requiring mandatory sampling must have any adult deer (1 year or older) sampled.
• Hunters will need their Public Land Survey (PLS) number at staffed and self-service sampling stations so the township, range and section of your harvest can be recorded. Zoom completely in to your harvest location on recreation compass and click. Write down the PLS number that appears in the popup box.
• Dumpsters for proper carcass disposal will be available in CWD control zones. Some of these dumpsters will have quartering stations, so hunters can transport meat from untested deer out of the CWD control zone. A list will be posted here when finalized.

Locations

Staffed sampling stations are open from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 – Monday, Nov. 7. Staffed sampling stations will be open Monday, Nov. 7 to allow hunters who harvest a deer late in the evening Sunday, Nov. 6 the ability to submit a sample.

Use the show entries, search and sort features to locate and list sampling stations serving the DPAs in which you hunt. Available dumpsters (D) and quartering stations (QS) are listed in the the Dumpster column.

Slide text left to view all columns

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Southeast CWD control zones

Map depicting CWD control (light yellow) and management (dark yellow) zone DPAs in southeastern Minnesota

Hunters are encouraged to use the sampling station nearest to their harvest location.

But deer harvested within deer permit areas 255, 343, 344, which are designated as CWD control zone DPAs (light yellow on the map), could be sampled at stations in DPAs 643, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649 and 655, which are designated as management zone DPAs (dark yellow on the map).

For example, a deer harvested south of Pine Island in DPA 343 could be taken to the Caldonia station in DPA 649 for sampling.

Note that no deer carcass can be transported out of the control zone DPA where it was harvested (light yellow on the map) or the adjacent management zone DPAs (dark yellow on the map) until a "not detected" test result is received. Hunters can immediately transport properly prepared meat and dispose of remains within the area using quartering stations and dumpsters available at some sampling stations.

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